Reviews with content warning for Grief - Hamnet

This was a super interesting novel about what could have happened to William Shakespeare’s son, but even more importantly, it’s a story about family and grief and how strongly they can be intertwined. I feel like the way the story was broken up was very back-half heavy, but I think that may have been O’Farrell’s intention, to hone in on the emotions of the Shakespeare family as they cope and transition to a new normal. I was very on and off with this book over about a month and a half, so it’s not the most engaging/engrossing book from start to end, but overall, I enjoyed this interesting read!

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aidamaria_reads's review against another edition

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emotional 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? Yes

4.5

An extraordinary interpretation of the life Shakespeare’s family might have led, based on the few things we now know about the playwright’s life.

Maggie O’Farrell knows her grief and how to spin it into print. The descriptions of pain and agony are almost poetic and yet so clear, so moving, that you have no trouble imagining just how the characters feel. I almost cried at times, wanted to slap certain characters straight into tomorrow had they not all been dead yet, and enjoyed the beauty of this work of historical fiction tremendously.

I can’t put my finger on why it’s not entirely a five-star read for me, but I see how the author received the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020 for this book.

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bluelilyleest's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.5

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hellavaral's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.25

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gladosisreading's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

I tried to read this book when it first came out and struggled to get into it, finding it a little slow. 4 years later, I picked it up again and found it to be a near perfect read. I can't remember the last time a book made me cry so much. The characters felt so human (heartbreakingly so at times), it's difficult not to see yourself within them. The writing is utterly beautiful and a brilliantly inventive way of exploring alternative POVs to history.

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