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znvisser's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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? No
3.0
My expectations for Hamnet were high, and although I recognize what makes people love this story, I didn't feel that strongly about it myself. It took me a while to figure out why that was though, because I also found the writing to be beautiful, most characters to feel real and the interweaving of storylines to work really well.
What I think went wrong for me: this story was very slow-paced, giving lots of space to scenery and context descriptions. I guess that's what made this story so tangible, while at the same time not engaging me in whatever came next. So while I enjoyed reading while at it, in between sessions I found I didn't care enough to pick it up again and continue. That's why it took me much longer than I hoped to finish this; eventually I decided to wrap it up in one longer session, and I am happy I did because the ending was absolutely beautiful.
There are many reasons to pick this book up. Quite a chance you'll love it; it just wasn't a match for me.
What I think went wrong for me: this story was very slow-paced, giving lots of space to scenery and context descriptions. I guess that's what made this story so tangible, while at the same time not engaging me in whatever came next. So while I enjoyed reading while at it, in between sessions I found I didn't care enough to pick it up again and continue. That's why it took me much longer than I hoped to finish this; eventually I decided to wrap it up in one longer session, and I am happy I did because the ending was absolutely beautiful.
There are many reasons to pick this book up. Quite a chance you'll love it; it just wasn't a match for me.
Graphic: Grief, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, and Mental illness
Minor: Infidelity
perpetualpages's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
CWs: Some child abuse, descriptions of injury, graphic descriptions of childbirth and complications due to childbirth, some violence, outdated racial epithets, instances of sexism and sexist slurs, physical assault, brief use of ableist language, exploration of contagious illness, death, child death, explorations of grief, allusions to depression and depressive episodes.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Medical trauma, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Ableism and Sexism
tashayns's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death and Rape
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