Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

124 reviews

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

My second five star read of 2022! This book was phenomenal, and I 100% understand why it won the woman’s prize for fiction two years ago. The writing is lyrical and the character arcs are well rounded. Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell, is the story of Shakespeare’s son, who died at a young age from unrecorded causes (this author speculates the plague). Although Hamnet is the namesake of this novel, a majority of it follows his mother Agnes, (also knows as Anne Hathaway) throughout her experiences with  marriage, womanhood, and the loss of a child. Her other children and Shakespeare themselves receive perspectives as well, but we really dive deep into the complexities of Agnes. She is often overshadowed in history by the title of “wife,” and I was glad to see her receive the spotlight. 
The grief portrayed in the Shakespeare family was gutrenching, so much to the point where the emotions seemed to jump off the page. It was sad but healing, and I’m definitely considering trying more Shakespearean works. Hamnet is incredibly slow placed, therefore I wouldn’t recommend if you need action and a plot focus. But for all my literary fiction friends, pick this up wherever you access books:) 
*Some events in this book are fictionalized, fyi.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Classism

booksmoviesandstories's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty and Infidelity

duxfemina22's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

msmaple's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Infidelity

franceva's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, and Grief

Minor: Infidelity

abbie_'s review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infidelity

farbooksventure's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

I think the biggest plot twist of 2021 for me is the fact that Maggie O'Farrell somehow managed to make me SUPER INVESTED in the fictional narrative of Shakespeare's family.

Being from the Global South, this man is nowhere in our education system & pop culture is the one place where I heard about him the most. His various plays intrigued me at some point but the unfamiliar old-timey language intimidated me as a non-native speaker. Reading Hamnet somehow makes me want to give them a try again.

The premise is this: the book follows the death of Hamnet, Shakespeare's only son, & the devastating aftermath that followed. To be honest, I personally will describe it more as the early history of William Shakespeare's family. The book indeed alternates between the present days (counting the hours before Hamnet's demise) and the past (following the courtship of Hamnet's parents, Willian Shakespeare & Anne Hathaway--in the book referred to as Agnes). 

I really love Agnes as a character. Like unexpectedly a whole LOT. I can't stop reading because I'm curious about what the author got in store for Agnes next. I enjoy seeing the change that Agnes goes through. From her early years up until she becomes Hamnet's grieving mother. It's highly engaging.

The fact that this novel is written so beautifully also doesn't hurt. Definitely one of my reading highlights for 2021. I'm glad that I bought it as a birthday present for myself this year too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity

Death of parent:

Refer to the fact that Agnes' mother/Hamnet's maternal grandma died of child birth when Agnes is still a child.

Child death:

Aside from refer to the death of Hamnet at 11 years old, this also apply to the death of Anne, William Shakespeare's sibling, during childhood due to pestilence.

Infidelity:

After Hamnet's death, Agnes suspects Shakespeare of being unfaithful while being away working in London. Shakespeare's indirectly confirm this & promptly apologize deeply to her. The infidelity is likely a result of deep grief & sorrow over the death of his only son.

The infidelity is not really significant to the story as whole & only mention briefly towards the end of the book.

azyef's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, and Infidelity

Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, and Colonisation

alisonvh's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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

4.5

I didn't know what to expect with this book, but I ended up completely loving it. It follows two timelines, one starting with William Shakespeare meeting his wife, and the other starting with Hamnet realizing his sister is sick and trying to get help. I loved the portrayal of this family, and I thought the author did an excellent job showing how grief affects everyone differently.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

mamaquiereleer's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death and Infidelity