Reviews tagging 'Death'

Judith und Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

264 reviews

laguerrelewis's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

This book deserves all its praise. Maggie O’Farrell manages to use the true life of the Hathaways/Shakespeares to craft a beautiful tale of love, grief, mourning, connection, potential, and remembrances. Her prose rolls ever forward like a cool stream, turning over every rock in its path but still brimming with energy and momentum. Simultaneously both one of easiest flowing reads I’ve encountered, and one of the most heart-wrenching. A rewarding read I think I’ll be returning to frequently, and a great way to close out my year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

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

skilb'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief

levitatingnumeral's review against another edition

dark 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? No

5.0

I wish I could read this book for the first time again and again and again.
The writing style is GORGEOUS, the story is heart-rending and O’Farrell captures both joy and grief in such a magical, complex and vivid way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism and Child abuse

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

rowy148's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Pregnancy

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

colleenmdavis's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief

lucyatoz's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

"Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright. It is a story of the bond between twins, and of a marriage pushed to the brink by grief."

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell is a story told with vivid descriptions of people and places, interactions, both uplifting and despairing, and of a flea that boards a ship in Alexandria that leads to the deaths of many people, including one of a set of twins in Stratford-upon-Avon. 

It was a beautifully written tale which drew me into the world as it was for the life of one family in 1596 in London and Warwickshire. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief

machenn's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Alcohol