This book deserves all its praise. Maggie O’Farrell manages to use the true life of the Hathaways/Shakespeares to craft a beautiful tale of love, grief, mourning, connection, potential, and remembrances. Her prose rolls ever forward like a cool stream, turning over every rock in its path but still brimming with energy and momentum. Simultaneously both one of easiest flowing reads I’ve encountered, and one of the most heart-wrenching. A rewarding read I think I’ll be returning to frequently, and a great way to close out my year.

My expectations for Hamnet were high, and although I recognize what makes people love this story, I didn't feel that strongly about it myself. It took me a while to figure out why that was though, because I also found the writing to be beautiful, most characters to feel real and the interweaving of storylines to work really well. 

What I think went wrong for me: this story was very slow-paced, giving lots of space to scenery and context descriptions. I guess that's what made this story so tangible, while at the same time not engaging me in whatever came next. So while I enjoyed reading while at it, in between sessions I found I didn't care enough to pick it up again and continue. That's why it took me much longer than I hoped to finish this; eventually I decided to wrap it up in one longer session, and I am happy I did because the ending was absolutely beautiful.

There are many reasons to pick this book up. Quite a chance you'll love it; it just wasn't a match for me.