Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

81 reviews

eloiseisreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Death, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content

sarah984's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

1.0

I liked the idea behind this book, of centring the family around a famous man when those people are generally forgotten, but I did not like the actual experience of reading it.

The writing is repetitious and florid (I get that it's for emphasis but some paragraphs just felt like lists of synonyms) and the characterization of Anne (Agnes) as this kind of stereotypical "witchy" wise woman was annoying. Her supernatural ability to randomly know things seemed like a literary device to tell information the author didn't know how to show. The vaguely supernatural cause of Hamnet’s death was also stupid. If this wasn't billed as straight historical fiction this probably wouldn't bug me so much, but it is and it does.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Medical content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Abortion, Infidelity, and Racial slurs

rotatinglibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, and Medical content

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Racial slurs

rosalind's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• 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, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Medical content and Bullying

Minor: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

tabitha_isabelle's review against another edition

emotional sad

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

zogg'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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Medical content, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

cnohero's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Infidelity, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

msbarnesela'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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content

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

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Content Warnings

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

jennikreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

 This was absolutely my favorite book of the 2020. We follow Shakespeare’s family, mostly his wife, before and after the death of their young sound Hamnet. I love the way that Shakespeare is never named, though we know it is him. This shifts the focus to seeing him as a father, husband, son, and brother first and famous playwright as an afterthought. 

 

The characters in this are so well developed and beautiful written. You feel so deeply for them. Shakespeare himself is so interestingly depicted. We get to see his fraught childhood and his devotion to Agnes. 

 

And what to say about Agnes, Shakspeare’s wife and mother to Hamnet. She is such a layered character. And the very raw and unflinching view of a mother’s grief really hit me since I read this only a handful of months after the birth of my own son. 

 

This is a beautiful work of fiction and I can completely understand why is gets the hype it does. It really deserves it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Grief

Moderate: Sexual content and Child abuse