A review by jennikreads
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

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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