For the past eight months, I have been rediscovering my love of medieval and renaissance history through books and podcasts. I’m having a blast! So I’m documenting my research journey here with some reviews.
Today I’m reviewing The Cardinal: A Novel of Love and Power by Alison Weir (Ballantine, 2025). I’ve read all six of Weir’s Tudor Queens series, as well as The King’s Pleasure, her novel from Henry VIII’s perspective. But I had not given much thought to the life of Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s famous advisor, statesman, and cardinal.
An episode of the Tudors Dynasty and Beyond podcast put The Cardinal on my radar.
In this episode, host Rebecca Larson interviews Alison Weir about Cardinal Wolsey’s life, the arc of the novel, and the challenges of writing epic historical fiction. Weir explains how she wanted to show audiences the human side of Wolsey, which doesn’t come across in his formal portraiture. The Cardinal achieves this goal.
The novel is a fast-paced mostly chronological depiction of Thomas Wolsey’s life, beginning with his days in the schoolroom and ending (spoiler alert) with his death.
While readers may expect a plot-driven narrative, Weir’s intense attention to Wolsey’s motivations, relationships, and struggles creates a rich character study of a complex man. We meet Wolsey’s family, who exert well-meaning pressure on him as he begins his career. Weir gives unique space to Wolsey’s relationship with each parent, as well as his siblings and Uncle Edmund. Weir’s vivid descriptions place us directly into the family home in Ipswich — at the triumphant supper table and the solemn bedside of his relatives.
The novel develops an all-consuming conflict between love and power in Thomas Wolsey’s life, pitting his two most important relationships against each other. Wolsey is caught between his love for Joan Lark, his mistress, and his devotion to Henry VIII, his king. Like all compelling stories, this novel doesn’t give us one right answer. As Wolsey’s luxurious life unravels, we are invited to wonder whether the cardinal made the right choice.
By the end of The Cardinal, I discovered a profound empathy for Wolsey, Joan, and even Henry VIII. Weir’s prose is lush, gripping, and easy on the ear. I listened to this book on Audible, and narrator Rosalyn Landor is expressive and nuanced. Weir succeeds in showing a man of passion, charm, and ability in Thomas Wolsey while portraying the real danger of his rise to power.
Five Stars!
On the Blink 