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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Inspired by the life of Anne/Agnes Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, and the loss of their 11 year old son, Hamnet, this book is a beautifully crafted heart-wrenching story of love and loss. Maggie O'Farrell's prose is some of my favorite that I have come across. This book absolutely blew me away. The characters and their relationships are complex and intriguing, the setting is beautifully described, and the emotional depth is gripping. Maggie created an immersive atmosphere that I didn't want to end!
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Felt quite disconnected from the characters and the plot. Some parts were really engaging but then a lot of it was quite boring. Didnt have the emotional umph that it should have. I liked the start and the end, but the middle bit was bloated.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
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
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just not really my cup of tea. Some parts were compelling but then other parts were so so so verbose and the opposite of compelling. I did not want to read a detailed journey of how the plague traveled by boat, for example. I mostly just wanted to dig into the martial relationship and SOME of the grief with Hamnet's death, but it just felt too wordy and long at times, not to mention the "magic" aspect to it was kind of odd. Agnes's special abilities and Hamnet's ability to trick death were weird.