Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

35 reviews

celey's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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

Incredible. The writing positively shimmers. The emotional journeys are raw and real. A slight element of supernatural forces kept me guessing. I will be thinking about this book for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Confinement, Medical content, Gore, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Body horror

Minor: Infidelity, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Sexual content

Many challenging topics and ideas are explored in this book. It is all done very thoughtfully.

loserbook's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

I was relatively nervous about starting this book; everyone had told me wonders about it and the idea that it would disappoint made me hesitant. However, it was not at all. This beautifully written novel on grief and motherhood has become one of my favorite books already. Its lyricism and sentimentalism style pulled me and prevented me from dropping the book at any point, always wanted to know how the current chapter would end just to continue another timeline's story in the next one... The alternating eras, that go from Hamnet's last days to his mother Agnes' younger years and the beginning of her marriage, creates an addictive loop that will make you want to see the mysterious characters' lives without missing a detail.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Child death

Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

maulikki's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

Hamnet was a very special read. The language used throughout the book is mesmerising in how rich it is. It took me weeks to get into the storytelling way of the book, but once I got it, it was an impactful read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness

heyitsashleigh's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

beauvisseau's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

The prose is absolutely gorgeous, the characters are intricate and the plot is heartbreaking. One of the best audiobooks I have listened to. How the author managed to put the women in Shakespeare's life at the forefront, not even naming him, was amazing. The magical realism that the writer implemented was charming and fun. The jumps in time made me want to keep on reading, just like the great variation in chapter lengths did. A great representation of 'normal' lives with thematically intricate stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Mental illness, Medical content, Gore, Emotional abuse, Child death, Terminal illness, Grief, Death, and Abandonment

Moderate: Sexism, Animal death, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Infidelity

niaaaaa's review

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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Child death, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, Animal death, Infidelity, Child abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy

Minor: Classism and Violence

bootsmom3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Death, Child death, Grief, and Medical content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Infidelity, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Violence

helena_sp_07's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Violence, and Blood

paperbirds's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

ntvenessa's review

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

A moving fictionalisation of Hamnet Shakespeare's life and death, and the grief that haunts his family, particularly, his mother. It is atmospheric and O'Farrell is incredibly skilled to breathe life into the scant historical details that survive today.

"I am dead:
Thou livest;
... draw thy breath in pain,
To tell my story"
Hamlet, Act V, Scene II

Stunning.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Medical content, Miscarriage, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Infertility, Classism, and Infidelity