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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
jennipea382's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Medical content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
grboph's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
This one took me a really long time to get through, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I've never been a fan of Shakespeare, but this book definitely gave me a new appreciation for his plays. I also really liked the descriptions of the time and place - they made the whole book feel very transportive. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction or Shakespeare.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Abandonment
divinehealer14's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
An absolutely outstanding novel, that brings to light the (unfortunately) less-known story of William Shakespeare’s family, in particular that of Agnes (or Anne) his wife, and his son Hamnet.
I really really enjoyed this: the story is well told, gripping, well paced and the characters are fleshed out. I loved to see Agnes’ journey through motherhood and grief, and also liked to see the historical setting that surrounds her.
A well deserved, solid 4,75 stars
“Death is violent, death is a struggle. The body clings to life, as ivy to a wall, and will not easily let go, will not surrender its grip without a fight”
I really really enjoyed this: the story is well told, gripping, well paced and the characters are fleshed out. I loved to see Agnes’ journey through motherhood and grief, and also liked to see the historical setting that surrounds her.
A well deserved, solid 4,75 stars
“Death is violent, death is a struggle. The body clings to life, as ivy to a wall, and will not easily let go, will not surrender its grip without a fight”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
szuum's review against another edition
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
cigarete_smoke's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Alcohol
georginathelibrarian's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I first added Hamnet to my collection on hearing Maggie O’Farrell talk about the story during the digitised Hay festival in 2020 during the covid pandemic.
To hear her talk about a child that I hadn’t even known existed, despite studying Agnes’s husband at university, a child who may have died of a deadly epidemic, during that time of my own life secluded from our own deadly sickness captured my attention.
I immediately ordered a signed copy, and then it sat on the shelf as they often do, biding their time until the moment is right.
Finally the time had come to read it, prompted by my book club, and I am so glad I have. It was chosen for April as that is the month of Agnes’ husband’s birth and death, but the story is not just about that famous playwright, it is more about his family, and their grief at the loss of one of their own.
This story captured my attention anew, transporting me to Elizabethan Stratford, and had me riveted from start to finish, a feat that many books have failed to deliver of late.
I warn you, you will need tissues, this is not a happy story, but it is one that leaves a feeling of wholeness at the end, that all is as it should be.
In the words of Agnes’s husband “give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o’er wrought heart and bids it break”.
To hear her talk about a child that I hadn’t even known existed, despite studying Agnes’s husband at university, a child who may have died of a deadly epidemic, during that time of my own life secluded from our own deadly sickness captured my attention.
I immediately ordered a signed copy, and then it sat on the shelf as they often do, biding their time until the moment is right.
Finally the time had come to read it, prompted by my book club, and I am so glad I have. It was chosen for April as that is the month of Agnes’ husband’s birth and death, but the story is not just about that famous playwright, it is more about his family, and their grief at the loss of one of their own.
This story captured my attention anew, transporting me to Elizabethan Stratford, and had me riveted from start to finish, a feat that many books have failed to deliver of late.
I warn you, you will need tissues, this is not a happy story, but it is one that leaves a feeling of wholeness at the end, that all is as it should be.
In the words of Agnes’s husband “give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o’er wrought heart and bids it break”.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic
viewfromthespire's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.75
This book is a crescendo if there ever was one.
I honestly didn't like it much at first. The pacing is very, very slow, even for how short the book actually is. It bears saying that very little happens externally within this book. It's mostly an internal/emotional exploration (which is something I'm generally not used to when reading and had to get accustomed to). This is particularly potent during the first third-or-so of the book, which absolutely crawled for me. With the style this book is written in, you frequently jump around between not only different characters' perspectives, but also different moments in time. At the start we get only very brief moments with a huge array of characters, and this makes it really hard to invest in any of them, but also makes it hard to just follow what's happening. However, in retrospect, these choices do make sense (for the most part). I do honestly wish the cast was tighter, and we focused more closely on the key characters, particularly at the start, but even the very little moments that seem totally inconsequential become important later on. As well, the jog between the past and present (when we switch between them) smooths out over time, and eventually the hopping stops altogether. By around the 50-70% mark, I actually enjoyed the time hopping. It gave very important context, and sometimes a break from the trauma of the A-plot, and kept me enticed to continue reading ("what's going to happen next in present day???").
It was around probably page 150 or 200 that this book really started to click for me. It is first and foremost an emotional and character-focused story. I would honestly say it is 100% character focused, honestly. By the 50 or 60% mark you've gotten very close with Agnes, who I would probably consider the main character, andWilliam (spoilered because his name goes unmentioned in the book, but that is indeed who he is), and developed an understanding of who their children and the rest of their family are. So, when things get worse, you feel it. When misfortune befalls the family, when Agnes struggles, when there is a loss, an infidelity, an absence, you feel as if it has befallen you. Maggie O'Farrell's writing is incredibly powerful. This is also one of the most nuanced works I think I've ever read, emotionally speaking. So much is communicated in the margins.
The only other criticism I would have is that in areas the writing really feels like it could have been tightened. There are several sections within this novel that are far, far longer than they have to be. I understand the desire to make your reader feel fully immersed with vivid descriptions, and for the most part, this book succeeds, but there are absolutely passages that tow the line from vividness into over-explaining, and I find myself not more immersed but actually dulled and taken out of it. There are at least four points where I actually skimmed full pages of unnecessary description, with much of it being re-statements of what was already conveyed succinctly in a single paragraph or even a single sentence. There are also sections that, while vivid and interesting, draw a bit too long and include a few too many inconsequential details, and could simply stand to have the fat trimmed off.
With all that said, this is an incredible book. Because of the criticisms I do have, it isn't a five star for me, but I can very very easily see why it would be for anyone else. It really is incredible. It epitomizes the concept of a "crescendo" novel, starting so quiet and slow and unassuming... but gradually, and so smoothly you don't even notice, ascends into an enveloping symphony of grief and emotion, and then carefully quiets back down. The ending is absolutely beautiful and brilliant.
I honestly didn't like it much at first. The pacing is very, very slow, even for how short the book actually is. It bears saying that very little happens externally within this book. It's mostly an internal/emotional exploration (which is something I'm generally not used to when reading and had to get accustomed to). This is particularly potent during the first third-or-so of the book, which absolutely crawled for me. With the style this book is written in, you frequently jump around between not only different characters' perspectives, but also different moments in time. At the start we get only very brief moments with a huge array of characters, and this makes it really hard to invest in any of them, but also makes it hard to just follow what's happening. However, in retrospect, these choices do make sense (for the most part). I do honestly wish the cast was tighter, and we focused more closely on the key characters, particularly at the start, but even the very little moments that seem totally inconsequential become important later on. As well, the jog between the past and present (when we switch between them) smooths out over time, and eventually the hopping stops altogether. By around the 50-70% mark, I actually enjoyed the time hopping. It gave very important context, and sometimes a break from the trauma of the A-plot, and kept me enticed to continue reading ("what's going to happen next in present day???").
It was around probably page 150 or 200 that this book really started to click for me. It is first and foremost an emotional and character-focused story. I would honestly say it is 100% character focused, honestly. By the 50 or 60% mark you've gotten very close with Agnes, who I would probably consider the main character, and
The only other criticism I would have is that in areas the writing really feels like it could have been tightened. There are several sections within this novel that are far, far longer than they have to be. I understand the desire to make your reader feel fully immersed with vivid descriptions, and for the most part, this book succeeds, but there are absolutely passages that tow the line from vividness into over-explaining, and I find myself not more immersed but actually dulled and taken out of it. There are at least four points where I actually skimmed full pages of unnecessary description, with much of it being re-statements of what was already conveyed succinctly in a single paragraph or even a single sentence. There are also sections that, while vivid and interesting, draw a bit too long and include a few too many inconsequential details, and could simply stand to have the fat trimmed off.
With all that said, this is an incredible book. Because of the criticisms I do have, it isn't a five star for me, but I can very very easily see why it would be for anyone else. It really is incredible. It epitomizes the concept of a "crescendo" novel, starting so quiet and slow and unassuming... but gradually, and so smoothly you don't even notice, ascends into an enveloping symphony of grief and emotion, and then carefully quiets back down. The ending is absolutely beautiful and brilliant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Blood
Minor: Infidelity
foggyoblio's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Infidelity, Medical content, and Pregnancy
emerentina's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Infidelity