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hjb_128's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Infidelity and Classism
Minor: Sexual content
pikkumarja's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Miten kaunis ja koskettava kirja lapsena pois nukkuneesta Hamnetista, äitiydestä ja menettämisestä. Myös sisarusten suhteet Hamnetiin, vanhempiinsa ja suruun olivat koskettavasti kuvatut. Oli ihanaa, ettei kirja keskittynyt isään vaan nimenomaan äitiin.
Rakastin monitasoista ja -näkökulmaista kerrontaa. Etenkin Agnesin nuoruus oli kuvattu kiinnostavasti. Inho Johnia ja Joania kohtaan oli suurta kirjan alusta asti, mutta Marysta tuli kirjan edetessä lähes rakas hahmo.
Rakastin monitasoista ja -näkökulmaista kerrontaa. Etenkin Agnesin nuoruus oli kuvattu kiinnostavasti. Inho Johnia ja Joania kohtaan oli suurta kirjan alusta asti, mutta Marysta tuli kirjan edetessä lähes rakas hahmo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Mental illness, Blood, Vomit, and Pregnancy
kateships's review against another edition
emotional
sad
4.25
This broke me. I know it’s fictional as we know very little about the actual people depicted, but it was so beautiful.
Agnes is the main character of this, really. I didn’t expect to find such a sweet love story, the heavy depiction of grief that I really felt, or the end that was abrupt but just right.
It’s hard to recommend because once you get to the part where the big thing happens, it’s SO hard to read because of how devastating it is, but it was exceptional and I loved how the author ended it.
Agnes is the main character of this, really. I didn’t expect to find such a sweet love story, the heavy depiction of grief that I really felt, or the end that was abrupt but just right.
It’s hard to recommend because once you get to the part where the big thing happens, it’s SO hard to read because of how devastating it is, but it was exceptional and I loved how the author ended it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Death of parent
gingervandorsten's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one of the best books (i.e. books I enjoyed most) I have read this year. Devoured it. It felt like being taken by the hand and shown around the houses and the people living in them, and the depth of the relationships, especially between siblings and between parents and children is so impressive. There's such lovely detail and vibrancy to O'Farrell's writing. The book's structure was also really impressive to me, the way that the melancholy and the sense of tragedy are always there, but you don't really realise how far they've been building up until the tragedy actually happens.
I've seen some people comment on the fact that very little actually happens in the story, and the narrative style and language of it cover this up. I get this, but personally this was actually one of my favourite parts about the book - the way that O'Farrell was able to pick out such exquisite detail in everything that you don't realise until you take a step back that not very much has actually happened.
This book was so lush and it's going to take me. a while. to recover. Really recommend this.
I've seen some people comment on the fact that very little actually happens in the story, and the narrative style and language of it cover this up. I get this, but personally this was actually one of my favourite parts about the book - the way that O'Farrell was able to pick out such exquisite detail in everything that you don't realise until you take a step back that not very much has actually happened.
This book was so lush and it's going to take me. a while. to recover. Really recommend this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Domestic abuse
benegesserwitch's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Body horror and Child abuse
rikkegstokke's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Terminal illness
reb_knits's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Wow
Who knew grief could be written so fucking beautifully?
Who knew grief could be written so fucking beautifully?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Toxic relationship
wrenny03's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Read the last 100 pages in a fugue state of pure agony what the fuck. Its been years since a book made me fucking weep like that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexual content
m4rtt4's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
5 stars, yet it took me a whole month to finish this book — I wanted to savour it slowly, and I didn't have those special occasions frequently enough when I felt ready to immerse myself in the story. Maggie O'Farrell has such a way with words. I'll never forget this experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness and Pandemic/Epidemic
sarabookshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
This is my second Maggie O'Farrell book, and I have to say I enjoyed "Hamnet" more than the "Marriage Portrait". I feel that all the characters were fleshed out, their relationships and interactions quite realistic, and the storytelling was beautiful. I was worried that reading about 16th century England might be somewhat boring, but it was actually fascinating. The magical aspects of the book were spell-binding, and I particularly liked the witchyness and magical qualities of Agnes' character, as well as Hamnet's and Judith's relationship as twins.
Furthermore, I liked how the first part of the book is organized in chapters and how it continuously switches from past to present; while the second part is very unstructured and blurred reflecting how the lives of the characters have also become unstructured and undefined in time as they deal with grief and tragedy.
I also appreciated how the author portrayed the different ways that the characters deal with grief. For example avoidance from the father, despair and helplessness from the mother, anger from the older sister, denial from the younger sister, etc.
One interesting aspect is the fact that William Shakespeare is never named, and the references to him are always in relation to other people (the father, the brother, the oldest son, the Latin tutor, etc) which can be a bit annoying at times since all other characters have names (besides the baker's wife). But I understand that this was a purposeful artistic choice, perhaps to not take away from the other characters and make it solely Shakespeare's story.
The ending was a bit rushed for my liking and I expected a bit more from it, but overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.
Furthermore, I liked how the first part of the book is organized in chapters and how it continuously switches from past to present; while the second part is very unstructured and blurred reflecting how the lives of the characters have also become unstructured and undefined in time as they deal with grief and tragedy.
I also appreciated how the author portrayed the different ways that the characters deal with grief. For example avoidance from the father, despair and helplessness from the mother, anger from the older sister, denial from the younger sister, etc.
One interesting aspect is the fact that William Shakespeare is never named, and the references to him are always in relation to other people (the father, the brother, the oldest son, the Latin tutor, etc) which can be a bit annoying at times since all other characters have names (besides the baker's wife). But I understand that this was a purposeful artistic choice, perhaps to not take away from the other characters and make it solely Shakespeare's story.
The ending was a bit rushed for my liking and I expected a bit more from it, but overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child abuse and Grief