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A review by katykelly
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
3.0
Gives food for thought but just didn't fulfil the expectation for me.
I enjoy my Shakespeare, I like reading around the writer, and the idea of delving into his family life and to one of my favourite of his plays was a temptation.
I tried the Audible version, and for quite a while I was actually fairly confused (felt a bit silly later really!), not realising through the lack of names and different time periods that the tutor and Agnes were Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway. Once I twigged though, it all made a bit more sense. And I did enjoy the period detail and look at everyday life in Stratford for the family.
There was far less here than I expected from Shakespeare's point of view, what his life in London was like only comes into it in the final act. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as the life of Agnes and her children was the larger part of the story. The irony of reading about a plague's transmission in the midst of a global pandemic was not lost on me either!
Agnes and Hamnet are brought to life by the Audible narrator, the world of their Stratford felt quite near at hand. The narrative did feel harder to grasp in this format though. I wasn't convinced about Agnes' portrayal as a witch/wise woman/seer, did we really need that 'Macbeth-witch' vibe, that she foresaw deaths or births? Not a fan of superstition and paranormal storylines at the best of times, though I suppose it gives her husband a reason to include such characters in his writing...
I can imagine this making a successful series/film, the backstory and characters are fleshed out to provide heroes and villains, an engaging historical drama of family, fame and fate.
Slightly disappointed, but always good to think of familiar characters/persons in new ways, to see writers' perspectives and ideas on history.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
I enjoy my Shakespeare, I like reading around the writer, and the idea of delving into his family life and to one of my favourite of his plays was a temptation.
I tried the Audible version, and for quite a while I was actually fairly confused (felt a bit silly later really!), not realising through the lack of names and different time periods that the tutor and Agnes were Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway. Once I twigged though, it all made a bit more sense. And I did enjoy the period detail and look at everyday life in Stratford for the family.
There was far less here than I expected from Shakespeare's point of view, what his life in London was like only comes into it in the final act. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as the life of Agnes and her children was the larger part of the story. The irony of reading about a plague's transmission in the midst of a global pandemic was not lost on me either!
Agnes and Hamnet are brought to life by the Audible narrator, the world of their Stratford felt quite near at hand. The narrative did feel harder to grasp in this format though. I wasn't convinced about Agnes' portrayal as a witch/wise woman/seer, did we really need that 'Macbeth-witch' vibe, that she foresaw deaths or births? Not a fan of superstition and paranormal storylines at the best of times, though I suppose it gives her husband a reason to include such characters in his writing...
I can imagine this making a successful series/film, the backstory and characters are fleshed out to provide heroes and villains, an engaging historical drama of family, fame and fate.
Slightly disappointed, but always good to think of familiar characters/persons in new ways, to see writers' perspectives and ideas on history.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.