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emilystolz7's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I found this book to be incredibly beautiful, with striking and real descriptions of grief and loss. I am not typically a fan of historical fiction, but this book was full of such beautiful visualizations and characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
lkbooks's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and Misogyny
thenoceurs's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
mendthecat's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Hamlet is centered around Agnes, William Shakespeare's wife: her relationship with her family, her husband and her children. Maggie O'Farrell chooses to emphasize the fact by never writing the name William. This is true for the entirety of the book, except the second part is also an exploration of grief.
It is pretty evident from the book that O'Farrell knows how to write, she does have that kind of style some would associate with literary fiction. However, I feel like she, at times, overdid it with the descriptions and lingered too long on them, to the point where you could skip some parts and not miss out on anything.
Even though I overall enjoyed the book and how some themes were wrought, something was amiss for me in the second part: not enough delving into her children (I'm trying not to spoil anything, but if you've read it you'll most likely know what I'm talking about) and, ironically, some plot points regarding Shakespeare(his infidelity and brushing aside of it, lack of depth (regardless of the book not being about him. He's still a central part to the story)).
It is pretty evident from the book that O'Farrell knows how to write, she does have that kind of style some would associate with literary fiction. However, I feel like she, at times, overdid it with the descriptions and lingered too long on them, to the point where you could skip some parts and not miss out on anything.
Even though I overall enjoyed the book and how some themes were wrought, something was amiss for me in the second part: not enough delving into her children (I'm trying not to spoil anything, but if you've read it you'll most likely know what I'm talking about) and, ironically, some plot points regarding Shakespeare
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Physical abuse
tj440's review against another edition
challenging
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content
bluejay21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Infidelity
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery and Dementia
stephbakerbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
I'm so glad I finally read this one!! It wasn't what I was expecting...but was somehow better than what I was expecting.
That being said, I don't think this book is for everyone. There's a lot of descriptive writing and "flowery" language, the plot moves very slowly, the omniscient POV bounces from person to person—if that's not your thing, you'll probably get annoyed and frustrated with this story. But I found myself captivated by the language and fully immersed into the setting the author was describing. From the beginning, you know where this story is going, you know what's going to happen, there are no surprises, and yet...you are right there with this family, on the edge of your seat, waiting to see how they react, what they will say, how they will feel. I don't know what it was about this book that grabbed me so. If I described the characters to you, none of them would be unique; maybe the most interesting thing about them is that the name William Shakespeare never appears in the story, as if, though he is the most famous person of his family, he takes a backseat here to the rest of them, so their emotions and actions can carry more weight. And yet, for the last half of this book, I couldn't put it down.
I'm not going to tell you to read it because, like I said above, I don't think it's for everyone. But if you're fascinated by the Shakespeare family, if you like being grabbed by a mysterious element in a book, if any of the above appealed to you, if you're also obsessed by this cover—don't hesitate to read this book.
That being said, I don't think this book is for everyone. There's a lot of descriptive writing and "flowery" language, the plot moves very slowly, the omniscient POV bounces from person to person—if that's not your thing, you'll probably get annoyed and frustrated with this story. But I found myself captivated by the language and fully immersed into the setting the author was describing. From the beginning, you know where this story is going, you know what's going to happen, there are no surprises, and yet...you are right there with this family, on the edge of your seat, waiting to see how they react, what they will say, how they will feel. I don't know what it was about this book that grabbed me so. If I described the characters to you, none of them would be unique; maybe the most interesting thing about them is that the name William Shakespeare never appears in the story, as if, though he is the most famous person of his family, he takes a backseat here to the rest of them, so their emotions and actions can carry more weight. And yet, for the last half of this book, I couldn't put it down.
I'm not going to tell you to read it because, like I said above, I don't think it's for everyone. But if you're fascinated by the Shakespeare family, if you like being grabbed by a mysterious element in a book, if any of the above appealed to you, if you're also obsessed by this cover—don't hesitate to read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
rynicolereads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.25
This was one of those books that had me researching everything about England in the 1500/1600s, from random details about the plague to Shakespeare’s family history. The writing is lyrical and the story is emotional — the perfect combination! Overall, I really liked how O’Farrell brought a seemingly small moment in history to life but it took me awhile to get into it as I was slightly underwhelmed by the first third of the book. Definitely worth the read, especially if you enjoy flowery writing and historical fiction!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Infidelity
mairead_parade's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
A beautiful and painful look at a marriage, motherhood and loss that makes great use of its framing device (a fictional imagining of Shakespeare's marriage and the death of his son) without getting bogged down in its historical inspiration. O'Farrell's writing is uniquely physical - as a reader, you are acutely aware of how characters move and where they are in relation to each other, and a lot of character development is communicated in small gestures and movements. It felt particularly fitting in a novel about disease and community published in 2020.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Pregnancy
Moderate: Physical abuse