Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

127 reviews

lindcherry's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Medical content, and Grief

Minor: Infidelity and Pregnancy

august_ambrosia's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

oh my god. easy 5 stars. ignore how long it took me to finish this book i was trying not to get invested and sob (it didnt work btw) but ooohh my god. o'farrell writes so BEAUTIFULLY. this is lyrical prose on another level. absolutely adored it i wanted to underline and highlight so many sections but alas i was reading in a library book. but i will be ordering my own !!!!! just... spellbinding. the way she describes everything so vividly, its like i can smell and see and touch everything. everyone feels so alive. the little note that the midwife had a jar of pennies at the bottom of the garden. we dont know her name but we know she wont tell anyone about them. everyone is SO ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!! there was something so terrible about reading it knowing the ending. (the ending that is on the blurb, btw. i didnt go in with any other 'spoilers') but its a beautiful exploration of grief and siblinghood and love!!!! and complex relationships, and flawed people, and a whole world is created with the tenderness of the descriptions. the cats and the boy with the monkey with the fleas. susanna!!!! the other women, and agnes. and the way we are told how to pronounce her name. and the horror with which the glover's son falls to the ground after reading his sister's letter about his daughter's illness. the description of grief is heart wrenching tbh. won't ever forget the passage where

agnes considers her three children. susanna? at the neighbour's house. judith? upstairs. and hamnet? (he is dead) and hamnet? (he is dead, he is dead.) but hamnet? where is he? (and his lifeless body rests in her arms.)

but i will end this long, rambly review by just saying. ohhh hamnet. dearest hamnet. it shall not be. he wills it so. its a story about a boy who, full with love and life, does the impossible. and meets the inevitable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child abuse and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual content

bellaa's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? No

4.5

it didn't give me that five star feeling
once again reinforcing that I have no specific taste, highly recommend this if you are ok with child death and absolutely no plot  
I wish I could upload pictures so y'all could see the way I absolutely sobbed at

the description of his father coming upon the scene of his death, seeing Judith alive and being so happy, then realizing who was missing

. as my mom said, "you need some happy"
my happy is not having to read the words "william shakespeare" throughout this entire book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

tw// shakespeare

dmellifera's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Minor: Infidelity

artmuseam's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

a heartbreaking piece of fiction that tackles with grief during the plague. i did not expect to cry so many times throughout this book, and yet the writing seemed to know exactly how to get the waterworks going :,) as someone who isn’t really a fan of shakespeare (not that i have anything against him—just not interested enough) i thought this book did great in pulling someone like me into a fictional twist of shakespeare’s life before his rise to fame and the pov from his wife. i genuinely loved agnes as a character and following her story truly put me through some highs and lows. i may need to cleanse my broken soul after finishing this story—the sadness is too much for me to bear. 4/5 stars 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Infidelity

ivyroseopal's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Physical abuse, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Infidelity and Miscarriage

schorlett's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Medical content, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Abortion and Abandonment

iris3271's review against another edition

emotional sad tense 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body horror

fanchera's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Infidelity and Toxic relationship

clea's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, and Death of parent