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michaelapr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.75
What an excellently written story imagining and humanizing Shakespeare. Heartbreaking in the best way.
"Remember Me."
"Remember Me."
cheodom0113's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
harperhg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.5
christinefolan's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this book in less than 24 hours because it absolutely wrecked me.
Though I realize its style may be a turn off for some, I felt it more like the uninterrupted train of thought of family members who are dealing with a common theme: grief. In order for the various manifestations of it to be present and felt so viscerally, everything else needed to be quiet. There is is little dialogue to distract us. It’s like looking at a painting from a distance, seeing swirls of colour, only to be punched by individual, beautiful details upon closer inspection.
The grief of Agnes and her husband, who remains poignantly unnamed, gutted me. I don’t remember the last time a book made me cry so much.
This book brought me through a cathartic experience I seldom get from books anymore and I recommend it to anyone willing to be patient and let the story happen to them; someone happy to sit back and simply feel.
Though I realize its style may be a turn off for some, I felt it more like the uninterrupted train of thought of family members who are dealing with a common theme: grief. In order for the various manifestations of it to be present and felt so viscerally, everything else needed to be quiet. There is is little dialogue to distract us. It’s like looking at a painting from a distance, seeing swirls of colour, only to be punched by individual, beautiful details upon closer inspection.
The grief of Agnes and her husband, who remains poignantly unnamed, gutted me. I don’t remember the last time a book made me cry so much.
This book brought me through a cathartic experience I seldom get from books anymore and I recommend it to anyone willing to be patient and let the story happen to them; someone happy to sit back and simply feel.
nietlauramaarmaura's review against another edition
1.0
First of all, this book was very boring. Second of all, a death that you know will happen, is never a good suspense arch.
sandles81255's review against another edition
4.0
There were parts I found to be slow but the ending - wow
scooper84's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
hrcsparkle's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
larakirkland_13's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
bhnmt61's review against another edition
5.0
First of all, let me say for the record that Maggie O’Farrell’s writing style drives me crazy. The piling up of metaphors, of lists, of examples and details and arcane items. The sheer excess of verbiage. Every time I read one of her books, once I get back in the rhythm, I can skip entire paragraphs, even pages, as she piles on the words. Not a fan.
But what she does in spite of that—some might say because of it— is tell a great story. I’m not a Shakespeare expert, but I’ve studied him enough to get the nods to the brief details that are known about his personal life. I appreciated her explanation of how he came to leave Stratford, why Anne never joined him in London, and why he would leave Anne the second best bed, as he famously did in his will (which survives).
But what I appreciated most of all was O’Farrell’s love for Shakespeare. It is all the rage in the US right now to tear people down. Shakespeare has been one of those victims— there are dozens of theories as to why he didn’t write the plays, couldn’t have, wouldn’t have, he was practically illiterate, he had only a small town education (see, I’m writing like O’Farrell now). I am firmly of the opinion that this is born either of snobbery- he couldn’t have been a genius if he wasn’t educated at Oxford or Cambridge — or out of that vicious need to tear people down. If everybody else thinks he’s a genius, let me tell you why he was nothing special.
But I don’t buy it. In the tightly knit theater community where Shakespeare worked for decades, people would have known. I’m a firm Stratfordian (ie, I believe he wrote all of the plays and poems attributed to him, maybe sometimes in collaboration). And I loved that this retelling of his life through the eyes of his wife Anne/Agnes gives him back to me as a real, plausible person who really did do the things I want to believe he did. There are plenty of people who will tell you the book blurb details, so I won’t repeat them. I’ll just say that I ended up loving this book in spite of the surfeit of words.
But what she does in spite of that—some might say because of it— is tell a great story. I’m not a Shakespeare expert, but I’ve studied him enough to get the nods to the brief details that are known about his personal life. I appreciated her explanation of how he came to leave Stratford, why Anne never joined him in London, and why he would leave Anne the second best bed, as he famously did in his will (which survives).
But what I appreciated most of all was O’Farrell’s love for Shakespeare. It is all the rage in the US right now to tear people down. Shakespeare has been one of those victims— there are dozens of theories as to why he didn’t write the plays, couldn’t have, wouldn’t have, he was practically illiterate, he had only a small town education (see, I’m writing like O’Farrell now). I am firmly of the opinion that this is born either of snobbery- he couldn’t have been a genius if he wasn’t educated at Oxford or Cambridge — or out of that vicious need to tear people down. If everybody else thinks he’s a genius, let me tell you why he was nothing special.
But I don’t buy it. In the tightly knit theater community where Shakespeare worked for decades, people would have known. I’m a firm Stratfordian (ie, I believe he wrote all of the plays and poems attributed to him, maybe sometimes in collaboration). And I loved that this retelling of his life through the eyes of his wife Anne/Agnes gives him back to me as a real, plausible person who really did do the things I want to believe he did. There are plenty of people who will tell you the book blurb details, so I won’t repeat them. I’ll just say that I ended up loving this book in spite of the surfeit of words.