Reviews

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

die_on_mars's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

rachelelizabeth23's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

5.0

daenerystormborn's review against another edition

3.0

i feel oddly dissatisfied. this book felt like driving down a long, long, meandering road only to arrive at a dead end. yes it's beautifully written, but the prose here definitely gets a little too purple at times which i really was not expecting because the prose in 'the marriage portrait' is similarly elaborate but without feeling overwritten. unfortunately the more i think about it the less satisfied i am with the story, but i would not call it bad by any means. perhaps just not for me? 

bet78'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? No

4.0

joshsimp's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kelceyxreads's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book! It wasn't one that I poured through in one afternoon, but that isn't because it wasn't great - it's because the writing was so beautiful and poetic that I wanted to take the time to appreciate it properly. I think O'Farrell does a wonderful job of turning Agnes into a real person with real feelings of grief, love, and loss. She is a character who blends the otherworldly and the natural in a beautiful way that turns the trope of a 'witchy' woman on its head. Her relationship with her husband, who cleverly goes unnamed but is so obviously known, is one of a marriage tested - and it feels so achingly realistic. The story of the flea was enthralling, and any author who can make that story as interesting as that has amazing talent!

Sometimes toggling through two timelines can be confusing but this book does so beautifully. Each narrative was clear and strong, and I felt like the form was a real benefit to the story. Grief and the endlessness of time are described beautifully here. Overall, that is my word for this book: beautiful.

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

mieleiele's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

_sarah_s's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.0

kayode's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense 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

5.0

Truly a page-turner, a wonderfully written story with detailed characters and very fluid writing.