A review by lizfields
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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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