Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Hamnet

I loved it! I had to read this book for a class, which may have been why it took forever for me to read. It's the first Maggie O'Farrell book I've read, and I really like the way she writes, so I hope to read more of her work.

I cried so many times reading this and the book sort of broke me-

I will definitely be reading this again someday.

Content Warnings

sophiestasyna's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

Content Warnings

jennipea382's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

knitreadkate's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

I found it difficult during the first 10-15% of the book to settle into the world and its characters.

After this, I was engrossed and stayed up too late to finish the book.
The writing style was something I was not used to, omniscient narration that can swap from one characters view to another by a paragraph. After a short time, I really enjoyed it and found it easy to read.

I found the writing so descriptive. I was there in the cookhouse or the garden, I could picture the rooms, the markets, the gardens. I enjoyed the focus on Agnes and her children.

I was absolutely heart broken when Hamnet drew his last breath and couldn’t tear myself away from Agnes’ pain.

I enjoyed the artistic trail of thought of the characters minds, mulling over every option of thought and following their trail of thinking to me felt like I was with the character.

I remember very little of the Shakespeare I had learned in high school and read this book without k ow much of the historical background or what the time period was like.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and hope to read more from Maggie O’Farrell.

Content Warnings

laguerrelewis's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

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.

Content Warnings

laura_cat's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

laurahartfield's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

_maia3_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.25

I have very mixed feelings about this novel.

On one hand, despite what many have said, I actually enjoyed the flowery prose (even if the plot did move slowly from time to time), and the drama of the novel is well-developed. It's definitely a vibes-over-plot book, but I don't tend to mind that, and enjoyed the small historical details the novel had to offer. The flashbacks in the first half are well-executed and tension is kept measured throughout. O'Farrell writes poignantly on love and grief, especially the effects it has on different people.

On the other, I was and still am very conflicted about the fictionalisation of real people, especially when they are as 1) iconic and 2) scant with historical evidence as Anna Hathaway, her children, and William Shakespeare. The ending was the worst offender I feel, as even though the story wrapped up satisfyingly, it felt lukewarm given the knowledge that most of us have going into the novel - this is Shakespeare. Named or not, this novel exists as a comment on his legacy somehow, and I don't know how to marry it with my enjoyment of the novel.

That is to say however that I did, in fact, enjoy the novel - a lot of these are personal gripes that will probably not impact others. This is a good piece of historical fiction that I would happily recommend, but not for those who are looking for anything concrete or definitive on the Shakespeares, as, as O'Farrell herself puts it, the novel is a product of her own "idle speculation".

Content Warnings

More...