A review by foxonabook
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

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? It's complicated

5.0

Hamnet was one of those books I picked up without knowing much about it. I just knew it was a historical fiction novel and involves William Shakespeare, even if his name is never explicitly mentioned.

I fell madly in love with it ♥️ This book is a story of love, in it’s many shapes and sizes, and of devastating loss. It’s not for everyone; I’ve heard people complain about the pacing and seen many disgruntled readers complain about the tiptoeing around the father figure’s name, but this was never a book explaining the origins of Hamlet. It was never meant to be a story about Shakespeare or the inspiration behind one of his most famous pieces of work.

This is a story of family, of a husband and wife coming to terms with their diverging paths.