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lenni_sc's review against another edition
dark
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
4.0
Kein Buch was man in der Öffentlichkeit (oder in der Mittagspause auf der Arbeit) lesen sollte. Es sei denn man mag es, wenn Menschen einen mit Sorge anschauen, weil man nicht aufhören kann zu weinen.
Sehr emotionale Geschichte über Ängste, Verlust und die Leben, die weitergehen. Mir persönlich haben die Kapitel der Vorgeschichte besser gefallen und ich hätte gerne mehr über die Mutter von Agnes aus ihrer eigenen Perspektive erfahren. Gegen Ende hat mich die Langatmigkeit des Buches deswegen, wenn auch ein sehr geschickt eingesetztes Stilmittel, etwas gelangweilt.
Overall ein sehr bewegendes Buch und eine Leseempfehlung an alle, die gerne Tränen vergießen.
Sehr emotionale Geschichte über Ängste, Verlust und die Leben, die weitergehen. Mir persönlich haben die Kapitel der Vorgeschichte besser gefallen und ich hätte gerne mehr über die Mutter von Agnes aus ihrer eigenen Perspektive erfahren. Gegen Ende hat mich die Langatmigkeit des Buches deswegen, wenn auch ein sehr geschickt eingesetztes Stilmittel, etwas gelangweilt.
Overall ein sehr bewegendes Buch und eine Leseempfehlung an alle, die gerne Tränen vergießen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Grief, Child death, Death, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death and Physical abuse
sehwa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.75
I haven't read a book quite like this before. Not all that much happens in the plot, it's just a lovely storytelling of the past and present. Maggie's writing is absolutely wonderful, it took me a few pages to get used to it but it was a joy to read and I was never bored.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Animal death, Child death, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Bullying, and Violence
jules_c's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Animal death, Grief, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Child death
miriam_mal's review against another edition
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
Also really visceral descriptions at times of birth, killing animals, and death, so proceed with caution
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
honeycrispp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
A deeply emotional, enthralling and immersive work of historical fiction set during the Black Death.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Child death, Grief, Confinement, Death, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Blood, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal death and Gaslighting
sara_bera's review
dark
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Child death
Moderate: Infidelity, Animal death, and Pregnancy
terrik_'s review against another edition
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)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.25
4% of the (audio)book's runtime was dedicated to an arbitrary, pointless generational family saga of the flea that infected Judith with the plague. finishing the chapter, then the book, and it amounting to nothing was very insulting. i fully recommend skipping the chapter that begins "For the pestilence to reach Warwickshire…"
that out of the way, it was slow at times—part I alternates between past and present, and i felt that the past dragged on while being merely drip-fed the more interesting present—but it's a beautiful character study, heartbreaking and endearing.
that out of the way, it was slow at times—part I alternates between past and present, and i felt that the past dragged on while being merely drip-fed the more interesting present—but it's a beautiful character study, heartbreaking and endearing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Sexism, and Infidelity
Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Sexual content
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual content, Animal death, and Colonisation
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity and Animal death