Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

703 reviews

meilanon's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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avitakaur's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Little is known about Shakespeare’s personal life, he had a wife named Anne Hathaway and three children, one of whom passed away from unknown causes at the young age of eleven: Hamnet. A few years later, Shakespeare released his famous play, Hamlet. Was his late son the inspiration for this play? No one knows, but Maggie O’Farrell has attempted to weave together her own fictional interpretation of Shakespeare’s family life. Although, the most interesting part about this novel is that is focuses not on Shakespeare himself, but on Anne, the women behind the Bard. 

This book certainly wasn’t an easy read, the content was heavy, writing style extremely descriptive, and it was slow paced. It was, however, masterfully written. It never dawned on me to consider Shakespeare’s life and its potential impact on his famous works; this novel brought a whole new side of the Playwright to life. Thought-provoking and relevant. 

Recommended 
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pikkumarja's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Miten kaunis ja koskettava kirja lapsena pois nukkuneesta Hamnetista, äitiydestä ja menettämisestä. Myös sisarusten suhteet Hamnetiin, vanhempiinsa ja suruun olivat koskettavasti kuvatut. Oli ihanaa, ettei kirja keskittynyt isään vaan nimenomaan äitiin.

Rakastin monitasoista ja -näkökulmaista kerrontaa. Etenkin Agnesin nuoruus oli kuvattu kiinnostavasti. Inho Johnia ja Joania kohtaan oli suurta kirjan alusta asti, mutta Marysta tuli kirjan edetessä lähes rakas hahmo.
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jesstaurant's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.0

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chemeducator's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

3.5

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adorablyandie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense 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? Yes

3.0

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samjoc's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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jennipea382's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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gingervandorsten's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of the best books (i.e. books I enjoyed most) I have read this year. Devoured it. It felt like being taken by the hand and shown around the houses and the people living in them, and the depth of the relationships, especially between siblings and between parents and children is so impressive. There's such detail and vibrancy of O'Farrell's writing. Its structure was also really impressive to me, the way that the melancholy and the sense of tragedy are always there, but you don't really realise how far they've been building up until the tragedy actually happens. 

I've seen some people comment on the fact that very little actually happens in the story, and the narrative style and language of it cover this up, which was a bit of a turn-off for me. I get this, but personally this was actually one of my favourite parts about the book - the way that O'Farrell was able to pick out such exquisite detail in everything that you don't realise until you take a step back that not very much has actually happened. 

This book was so lush and it's going to take me. a while. to recover. Really recommend this. 
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grboph's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This one took me a really long time to get through, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I've never been a fan of Shakespeare, but this book definitely gave me a new appreciation for his plays. I also really liked the descriptions of the time and place - they made the whole book feel very transportive. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction or Shakespeare.
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