A review by juliettee_x
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

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

5.0

This was definitely my book of the year. I absolutely LOVED this and since finishing it I've not stopped thinking about it. I picked this up in 2020 when there was the initial hype around it and whilst I always enjoyed the premise, I was never massively keen to read it until this year. I've recently got into classics, historical fictions and specifically Shakespeare (having visited both The Globe in London and Stratford Upon Avon this year). I say this as I think this massively impacted how I felt about the book, I can imagine myself not enjoying it as much if I'd have read it back in 2020. After touring Shakespeare's Birthplace, New Place and The Globe and learning more about his plays, I really felt connected to this in the sense I could envision exactly where the scenes were taking place. On top of that I thought the story telling was beautiful and engaging. It's a truly tragic tale of coping with grief, that made me hysterically sob more than once. I've booked to see the West End adaption in February and cannot wait for the movie adaption by Chloé Zhao!

Hardback, owned.