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platosfire's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
sentencesiloved's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookreadgirl21's review against another edition
1.0
I lost all sympathy for Hamnet when he took five pages to get down a flight of stairs. He could have died a hundred pages sooner for all I care.
Maybe throw out all these colorfull and useless description of everyday objects or restrict yourself to one metaphor for every mundane shit a character does.
But don't listen to me, take my buddy Shakespeares' words instead (his pronouns are: he, him, teacher, bridegroom, husband, father, son, etc.):
Brevity is the soul of wit
This book's overwritten and shit
Your favourite playwright is spitting bars
I give this book one of five stars
Maybe throw out all these colorfull and useless description of everyday objects or restrict yourself to one metaphor for every mundane shit a character does.
But don't listen to me, take my buddy Shakespeares' words instead (his pronouns are: he, him, teacher, bridegroom, husband, father, son, etc.):
Brevity is the soul of wit
This book's overwritten and shit
Your favourite playwright is spitting bars
I give this book one of five stars
seamoonstone's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
zeldafoxburr's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
2.75
I was disappointed in this book. I’d expected the main focus to be on Hamnet, Shakespeare’s son but actually the main character is his wife, Agnes. I didn’t feel the jumping between timeframes added to the novel and found it irritating.
I enjoyed the final section but overall found the book frustrating.
I enjoyed the final section but overall found the book frustrating.
mzlzee15's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
angrymeerkat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
csgiansante's review against another edition
4.0
TL;DR: It was sad, cute, and kind of confusing at parts.
I flip-flopped a lot on where I stood with this one. I think the book gave a good depiction of grief for all the character involved and the aftermath of death. The book was also able to switch perspectives seamlessly and sometimes mid sentence which made for an engaging storyline. The other thing I liked was that the story, while tied to the 16th century, felt timeless. As I was listening, I felt like the emotions that the characters were feeling could be felt wherever and whenever. Like the story works even if you don't know Shakespeare or 16th century society.
Where my confusion came was the ties between Hamnet and Hamlet and how the two storylines converged. The last act of the book where it's in London was also kind of not my favourite, but I think the last line of the book was redeeming enough for me and tied the book together nicely.
I flip-flopped a lot on where I stood with this one. I think the book gave a good depiction of grief for all the character involved and the aftermath of death. The book was also able to switch perspectives seamlessly and sometimes mid sentence which made for an engaging storyline. The other thing I liked was that the story, while tied to the 16th century, felt timeless. As I was listening, I felt like the emotions that the characters were feeling could be felt wherever and whenever. Like the story works even if you don't know Shakespeare or 16th century society.
Where my confusion came was the ties between Hamnet and Hamlet and how the two storylines converged. The last act of the book where it's in London was also kind of not my favourite, but I think the last line of the book was redeeming enough for me and tied the book together nicely.