Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

300 reviews

tea_and_reading's review

Go to review page

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

4.5

I'm not generally the type of person who cries when reading, but this book made me shed a tear or two. If you are interested in Shakespeare or would like to read a sad and touching account of a mother's profound love for her children I would highly recommend this book. This book is beautifully written.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

charlottefaye's review

Go to review page

emotional reflective 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

4.0

I am so glad I picked up this book. It felt daunting going into a historical fiction with so much hype and a different prose to what I am used too. However the book was beautiful and moving. I preferred the first part of the book over the second, discovering Agnes character and her history but overall it was a moving story and one that I am glad I have read. The writing style really added to the story and Agnes was such a wonderful character. 

A book definitely outside of my usual reads but I’m glad I read it and I definitely want to check out the marriage portrait next!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lindcherry's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kirstym25's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

el_elizabeth's review

Go to review page

emotional informative inspiring 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

4.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

matcha_pages's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

wrenny03's review

Go to review page

challenging 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? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Read the last 100 pages in a fugue state of pure agony what the fuck. Its been years since a book made me fucking weep like that.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

m4rtt4's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

5.0

5 stars, yet it took me a whole month to finish this book — I wanted to savour it slowly, and I didn't have those special occasions frequently enough when I felt ready to immerse myself in the story. Maggie O'Farrell has such a way with words. I'll never forget this experience.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

august_ambrosia's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

oh my god. easy 5 stars. ignore how long it took me to finish this book i was trying not to get invested and sob (it didnt work btw) but ooohh my god. o'farrell writes so BEAUTIFULLY. this is lyrical prose on another level. absolutely adored it i wanted to underline and highlight so many sections but alas i was reading in a library book. but i will be ordering my own !!!!! just... spellbinding. the way she describes everything so vividly, its like i can smell and see and touch everything. everyone feels so alive. the little note that the midwife had a jar of pennies at the bottom of the garden. we dont know her name but we know she wont tell anyone about them. everyone is SO ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!! there was something so terrible about reading it knowing the ending. (the ending that is on the blurb, btw. i didnt go in with any other 'spoilers') but its a beautiful exploration of grief and siblinghood and love!!!! and complex relationships, and flawed people, and a whole world is created with the tenderness of the descriptions. the cats and the boy with the monkey with the fleas. susanna!!!! the other women, and agnes. and the way we are told how to pronounce her name. and the horror with which the glover's son falls to the ground after reading his sister's letter about his daughter's illness. the description of grief is heart wrenching tbh. won't ever forget the passage where
agnes considers her three children. susanna? at the neighbour's house. judith? upstairs. and hamnet? (he is dead) and hamnet? (he is dead, he is dead.) but hamnet? where is he? (and his lifeless body rests in her arms.)


but i will end this long, rambly review by just saying. ohhh hamnet. dearest hamnet. it shall not be. he wills it so. its a story about a boy who, full with love and life, does the impossible. and meets the inevitable. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

maevebm's review

Go to review page

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? Yes

3.0

Overall, I found the prose beautiful. The plot was lacking though. While the story had somewhat of a natural progression, I found it unbelievable at times and the characters’ motivations weren’t compelling enough.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings