Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

28 reviews

bethybooevans's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

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thechronicreader's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

I love Shakespeare so I was intrigued by Hamnet as soon as I heard about it, as it’s a fictionalized imagining of what his family’s life may have been like. The star here was Maggie O’Farrell’s descriptive writing. This was one of the most vividly visually descriptive books I’ve ever read. I feel more like I’ve watched a movie than read a book because her writing painted such clear pictures in my mind. Swipe for some short quotes from the book as examples. Highly recommend for lovers of Shakespeare, historical fiction, and beautiful writing.
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laurendenton's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

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lillythebluepaladin's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-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? No

5.0

What is given may be taken away, at any time. Cruelty and devastation wait for you around corners, inside coffers, behind doors: they can leap out at you at any time, like a thief or brigand. The trick is never to let down your guard.

WOW!!! This will in fact go down as a classic! That was a beautiful, emotional, and sometimes kinda hard read, and I seriously enjoyed it!

SUCH AN EASY 5🌟 BOOK REVIEW FOR THIS ONE! The writing? Stunning! The characters? So realistic! The story itself? Perfect. Finally booktok actually recommends something good, this and Achilles!

It is about a certain VERY well known play writer’s wife and family, but the most beautiful part about this book is that his name is never said. We really get to see the man who wrote the plays, and we really got to see into his badass wife’s mind, and heartbreakingly enough, we also really got to know every corner of their children’s personalities, and then something not-so-nice happens in the middle :(
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helena_sp_07's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring 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

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liviaes's review against another edition

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challenging 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? Yes

5.0

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sunflowersandsage's review against another edition

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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

3.25

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crowpeaches's review against another edition

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

4.75

I really enjoyed this book. It is a deep dive into grief, which is something I didn't know I needed. I also loved the descriptions of Agnes' cures and the plants she used to create them.
I also read this following the hype its received, and I would say said hype is absolutely deserved.
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miriam_mal's review against another edition

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challenging 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? N/A

3.0

Well written and interesting premise but also felt like a long way round for a depressing story.
Also really visceral descriptions at times of birth, killing animals, and death, so proceed with caution
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terrik_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

5.0

How do I describe a book that left me so utterly breathless from both awe and because I was sobbing like a baby? 

Hamnet is a story that gives you everything and then snatches it away. It gives you love, affection, sorrow, and takes it all away in turn. Full of morally grey characters, grief, and the intricate relationships between family, this book is everything I loved served on a silver platter. 

Throughout the book, my impressions of all the characters kept changing. As time passed in the books, all the characters seemed to grow along with them. I loved the emphasis on sibling relationships in this book, and Bartholomew, Eliza, and Edmond can do no wrong in my eyes. The parallel between Shakespeare and his daughter Susanna’s life is also very striking. 

This is the type of book that WILL be analysed for literature classes. It’s the type of book that you can scan the pages over and over again and still find more ways Maggie O’Farrell made this story so hard hitting. All the words that were used, all the sentences, the way paragraphs were structured… as someone who enjoy looking at the deeper meaning behind books, I couldn’t put it down. 

Shakespeare in particular was a character I never really knew how I felt about. At the start I was rooting for him, in the second half I was cheering him on, in the third and fourth half I couldn’t believe him, and in the last few pages I wept for him. 

And Hamnet. Oh, Hamnet. Sweet sweet boy. 

Agnes is definitely a different character from all those that I’ve read before. I wasn’t expecting any form of mystical powers during the book (I went in only knowing ‘it’s about the women in Shakespeare’s life’) but Agnes was very compelling. Despite how long I spent reading about her, I I was always being surprised with each switch of POV to her. There’s just so many layers to her that you peel away as the book progresses. She loves Shakespeare, she loves Bartholomew, and above anything, she loves her children. 

I got through this book slowly (a whole month gosh) because of other commitments, but the journey was worth it till the end. 

If you are looking for a book that deals with grief, the intricacies of family, and that will make you cry, this is the book for you. The writing style at the start could take a bit of getting used to but just stick it through and I promise you won’t regret it. 

(Oh but Shakespeare’s father, John… he can go AWAY. I wished he had gotten retribution for what he did. Can’t believe he got away scot-free) 
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