Reviews with content warning for Child death - Hamnet

My partner suggested we listen to this because he teaches and directs Shakespeare. I had never been that interested because generally I'm not bothered about historical novels, especially not ones based on real people - but I have to say, I was absolutely blown away. What a writer! I loved loved loved this book. Maggie O'Farrell is an ARTIST. I'm very sorry for what I'm about to say but I'm driven to it by the quality of the book - she truly paints with words. The characters are so vivid, and I like that Shakespeare's name is omitted; he's too much of a CONCEPT now to be thought of as a person. The only thing I would say is that it's very slow, wasn't a problem for me because the writing, characters and world-building is so all-encompassing that you just want it to last forever.

Content Warnings

artmuseam's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

a heartbreaking piece of fiction that tackles with grief during the plague. i did not expect to cry so many times throughout this book, and yet the writing seemed to know exactly how to get the waterworks going :,) as someone who isn’t really a fan of shakespeare (not that i have anything against him—just not interested enough) i thought this book did great in pulling someone like me into a fictional twist of shakespeare’s life before his rise to fame and the pov from his wife. i genuinely loved agnes as a character and following her story truly put me through some highs and lows. i may need to cleanse my broken soul after finishing this story—the sadness is too much for me to bear. 4/5 stars

Content Warnings

savmthompson's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

gazingonthemasqueofsnow's review against another edition

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dark 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? N/A

3.75

As beautifuly written as it was, I thought the plot and ending were very predictable from the very start.
That being said, I loved to see Agnes' POV of the story and her evolution during the novel. It was an interesting choice to imagine her life and the one of her family this way.

Not the most revolutional view on Shakespeare's life but still quiet interesting!

Content Warnings

savyelizabeth's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense 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

Content Warnings

ivyroseopal's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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