Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

17 reviews

memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol

bonluvdon's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, and Grief

Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol

ntvenessa's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A moving fictionalisation of Hamnet Shakespeare's life and death, and the grief that haunts his family, particularly, his mother. It is atmospheric and O'Farrell is incredibly skilled to breathe life into the scant historical details that survive today.

"I am dead:
Thou livest;
... draw thy breath in pain,
To tell my story"
Hamlet, Act V, Scene II

Stunning.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, and Classism

honeycrispp's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

A deeply emotional, enthralling and immersive work of historical fiction set during the Black Death. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death and Gaslighting

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.25

4% of the (audio)book's runtime was dedicated to an arbitrary, pointless generational family saga of the flea that infected Judith with the plague. finishing the chapter, then the book, and it amounting to nothing was very insulting. i fully recommend skipping the chapter that begins "For the pestilence to reach Warwickshire…"

that out of the way, it was slow at times—part I alternates between past and present, and i felt that the past dragged on while being merely drip-fed the more interesting present—but it's a beautiful character study, heartbreaking and endearing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Terminal illness, Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Sexism, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Alcohol

northernlitreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75

I really didn’t think I’d like this book at first but wow, did that change. I know it’s fictional but what a believable story. It’s an amazing exploration of fried and people living their lives in a way that is out of the status quo and I just adored it. I really think people will be reading this in classrooms in the future. (I would also argue that if you want to get into reading classics but find them too slow or descriptive this would be a great place to start.) Also, just a moment to appreciate Bartholomew - bless him for being a good brother.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol

oliviafaye's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Alcohol