Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

295 reviews

lucylibrarymouse's review

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

5.0


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sarabookshelf's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

This is my second Maggie O'Farrell book, and I have to say I enjoyed "Hamnet" more than the "Marriage Portrait".  I feel that all the characters were fleshed out, their relationships and interactions quite realistic, and the storytelling was beautiful. I was worried that reading about 16th century England might be somewhat boring, but it was actually fascinating. The magical aspects of the book were spell-binding, and I particularly liked the witchyness and magical qualities of Agnes' character, as well as Hamnet's and Judith's relationship as twins. 

Furthermore, I liked how the first part of the book is organized in chapters and how it continuously switches from past to present; while the second part is very unstructured and blurred reflecting how the lives of the characters have also become unstructured and undefined in time as they deal with grief and tragedy. 
I also appreciated how the author portrayed the different ways that the characters deal with grief. For example avoidance from the father, despair and helplessness from the mother, anger from the older sister, denial from the younger sister, etc. 

One interesting aspect is the fact that William Shakespeare is never named, and the references to him are always in relation to other people (the father, the brother, the oldest son, the Latin tutor, etc) which can be a bit annoying at times since all other characters have names (besides the baker's wife). But I understand that this was a purposeful artistic choice, perhaps to not take away from the other characters and make it solely Shakespeare's story. 

The ending was a bit rushed for my liking and I expected a bit more from it, but overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. 

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katesio's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

I found it difficult during the first 10-15% of the book to settle into the world and its characters. 

After this, I was engrossed and stayed up too late to finish the book. 
The writing style was something I was not used to, omniscient narration that can swap from one characters view to another by a paragraph. After a short time, I really enjoyed it and found it easy to read. 

I found the writing so descriptive. I was there in the cookhouse or the garden, I could picture the rooms, the markets, the gardens. I enjoyed the focus on Agnes and her children. 

I was absolutely heart broken when Hamnet drew his last breath and couldn’t tear myself away from Agnes’ pain.


I enjoyed the artistic trail of thought of the characters minds, mulling over every option of thought and following their trail of thinking to me felt like I was with the character. 

I remember very little of the Shakespeare I had learned in high school and read this book without k ow much of the historical background or what the time period was like. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and hope to read more from Maggie O’Farrell. 

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watykerry's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0


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laguerrelewis's review

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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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schorlett's review against another edition

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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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samkilbride's review

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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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amystainton's review against another edition

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dark emotional lighthearted relaxing 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? No

5.0

Wow! Made me cry and feel nostalgic for a time I didn’t exist. Reading this in london was something else. Loved it!

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fanchera's review

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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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colleenmdavis's review

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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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