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kaanda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual content, Blood, and Abandonment
ahonazaman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death and Physical abuse
jolineliest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
softanimal's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity
tashaa_t's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I would be interested in reading more by Maggie O'Farrell after this, as I did really enjoy the way she writes.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content
nehaanna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
syncstarlight's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death and Physical abuse
helenaramsay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The story is paced well, spanning from Shakespeare and Anne's childhoods to their grief at losing Hamnet. The story flicks between the present in which Hamnet is slowly dying (of which the reader is aware from the beginning), and the past, with the tones of both stories balancing out neatly to provide tension and grief with hope and tenderness, allowing the reader to prepare for tragedy and culminating in a very sensitive portrayal of grief over the loss of a child which is not played for shock factor.
The relationship between Anne and Shakespeare feels complex and believable, and the characters are written so that despite their conflicting interests, you end up rooting for all of them.
Elusively refusing to call Shakespeare Shakespeare, opting instead for things like "the latin tutor" and "the father", despite the fact we know he is Shakespeare and the rest of the family have names got a bit tiring but I appreciate that this story sought to center his family in their own narrative rather than as footnotes to a man's success, so it is very tolerable.
The writing itself also had a lovely quality to it, adding a sense of poetry to the story and making it an entirely enjoyable read.
Graphic: Child death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
laurajordensharris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
livcashmere's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic