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A review by erenreads12
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
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
4.25
O'Farrel shows total mastery over her craft and an outstanding flare. I really enjoyed the unusual use of present tense and her elegant, richly detailed style. It is a testament to the author how beautifully and compellingly this was written that I had to put the book down in several places because it felt so terribly real and raw.
This was no doubt a book written for analysis and has a huge amount to unpack in terms of womanhood, motherhood and feminism, death and loss, trauma, love, forgiveness and family. Every single word is intentional. This is probably not a breezy beach read and does require the reader to be incredibly involved with the story in order to get all they can from it - but for those who are willing to commit to the process, this us truly a stunning read.
This was no doubt a book written for analysis and has a huge amount to unpack in terms of womanhood, motherhood and feminism, death and loss, trauma, love, forgiveness and family. Every single word is intentional. This is probably not a breezy beach read and does require the reader to be incredibly involved with the story in order to get all they can from it - but for those who are willing to commit to the process, this us truly a stunning read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Violence