Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

307 reviews

avitakaur's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual content

chemeducator's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Grief

jennipea382's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Death, Grief, Child death, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Animal death

grboph's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Grief, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content and Abandonment

divinehealer14's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

An absolutely outstanding novel, that brings to light the (unfortunately) less-known story of William Shakespeare’s family, in particular that of Agnes (or Anne) his wife, and his son Hamnet. 
I really really enjoyed this: the story is well told, gripping, well paced and the characters are fleshed out. I loved to see Agnes’ journey through motherhood and grief, and also liked to see the historical setting that surrounds her. 


A well deserved, solid 4,75 stars

“Death is violent, death is a struggle. The body clings to life, as ivy to a wall, and will not easily let go, will not surrender its grip without a fight” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual content and Infidelity

harrimyers's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic

benegesserwitch's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Pregnancy, Death, Terminal illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body horror and Child abuse

szuum's review against another edition

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Grief, Misogyny, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Infidelity

cigarete_smoke's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

sarahallez's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Child death

Minor: Child abuse