Reviews

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

amyquiring's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

4.0

alixgmklein'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? Yes

4.0

ctlucas16's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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? Yes

3.5

I think I like this book? It was much more introspective than I thought, but also I didn't read much about the plot or anything before I started. It's a beautifully written, quiet book. Not a whole lot happens as it is more focused on the grief the family experiences. I do feel like it was quite dull at times, but also I prefer books that are more plot focused than character focused so that's nothing against the book. 

kiki_mcl's review

reflective slow-paced

3.5

It's a good book but it didn't really grab me as I expected it to. I tried to read the physical copy a few times but never got very far and thought listening might work better. The narration was good but I still found the book a little wishy-washy. Fascinated with the fact that they turned such an internal piece into a play. 

jjacobi's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

tieganlucy's review against another edition

3.0

3.5

Really enjoyed the first 2/3 but got a bit bored towards the end. Absolutely loved reading a book set where I live and it’s interesting to have learnt more about the family tree of Shakespeare. I loved the concept of fictionalising his families life.

die_on_mars's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

rachelelizabeth23's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

5.0

daenerystormborn's review against another edition

3.0

i feel oddly dissatisfied. this book felt like driving down a long, long, meandering road only to arrive at a dead end. yes it's beautifully written, but the prose here definitely gets a little too purple at times which i really was not expecting because the prose in 'the marriage portrait' is similarly elaborate but without feeling overwritten. unfortunately the more i think about it the less satisfied i am with the story, but i would not call it bad by any means. perhaps just not for me? 

bet78's review against another edition

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? No

4.0