Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

26 reviews

emtay's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? No

4.5

This book takes on a poetic lilt unlike many others. While I prefer the golden flashbacks, the joy the two lovers had in youth, it allows you the hope and perseverance to see through their darkest nights. Every character was distinct in point of view and action, perfectly well-developed so that nothing was surprising and yet everything was. Every new detail came like a spark. 

An exploration of grief, family, and perseverance. What happens when the we believe a truth so fully that we become blinded to reality. Bears a hint of the message that we all cope with grief, with life, differently and to know someone means entering that space and knowing it together.

“She can look at a person and see right into their very soul… She will take a person for who they are, not what they are not or ought to be”. Agnes loses sight of this, in the throws of grief and habits of youth, but I believe finds her way home to herself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism and Child abuse

excritos's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Death and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism and Violence

alrauna's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Terminal illness

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Alcoholism

oliviafaye's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Terminal illness

ophelia_reads's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

5.0

First third felt slow. Second third was painful but powerful. The ending was gorgeous and felt like a great payoff for the time spent on the first two thirds. This was my first Maggie O’Farrell book and it makes me want to read more. Her protagonist (not the title character) is thoughtfully crafted and easy to empathize with. I love how she handled Shakespeare, the character  who I expected to dominate the narrative (I was wrong.) 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Alcoholism and Emotional abuse

Minor: Sexual content

sarah984's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-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

1.0

I liked the idea behind this book, of centring the family around a famous man when those people are generally forgotten, but I did not like the actual experience of reading it.

The writing is repetitious and florid (I get that it's for emphasis but some paragraphs just felt like lists of synonyms) and the characterization of Anne (Agnes) as this kind of stereotypical "witchy" wise woman was annoying. Her supernatural ability to randomly know things seemed like a literary device to tell information the author didn't know how to show. The vaguely supernatural cause of Hamnet’s death was also stupid. If this wasn't billed as straight historical fiction this probably wouldn't bug me so much, but it is and it does.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Medical content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Abortion, Infidelity, and Racial slurs