Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

694 reviews

grboph's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

This one took me a really long time to get through, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I've never been a fan of Shakespeare, but this book definitely gave me a new appreciation for his plays. I also really liked the descriptions of the time and place - they made the whole book feel very transportive. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction or Shakespeare.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Grief, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content and Abandonment

bps's review against another edition

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

abibc's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Domestic abuse

divinehealer14's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

An absolutely outstanding novel, that brings to light the (unfortunately) less-known story of William Shakespeare’s family, in particular that of Agnes (or Anne) his wife, and his son Hamnet. 
I really really enjoyed this: the story is well told, gripping, well paced and the characters are fleshed out. I loved to see Agnes’ journey through motherhood and grief, and also liked to see the historical setting that surrounds her. 


A well deserved, solid 4,75 stars

“Death is violent, death is a struggle. The body clings to life, as ivy to a wall, and will not easily let go, will not surrender its grip without a fight” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual content and Infidelity

xila17's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

OF COURSE Shakespeare is a drama queen

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Medical content

harrimyers'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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic

lifeinsherds's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I really liked "Hamnet", the only thing that I didn't love was the constant changing time jumps. While some of them were emotionally heavy, I sometimes had to remind myself what had happened last time we switched times. I had a difficult time keeping track of some names in the middle. I think the beginning of the book, until a POV switch and the last hundred or so pages are the best.

I would definitely recommend it to someone who was interested or familiar with Shakespeare.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Child abuse

wolfsong12's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Outstanding 😍

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

benegesserwitch's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Pregnancy, Death, Terminal illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body horror and Child abuse

szuum's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Grief, Misogyny, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Infidelity