Hamnet

Books | Fiction / Literary

4.1

(1.1K)

Maggie O'Farrell

NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Of all the stories that argue and speculate about Shakespeare’s life ... here is a novel ... so gorgeously written that it transports you." —The Boston GlobeIn 1580’s England, during the Black Plague a young Latin tutor falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman in this “exceptional historical novel” (The New Yorker) and best-selling winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Agnes is a wild creature who walks her family’s land with a falcon on her glove and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer, understanding plants and potions better than she does people. Once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose career on the London stage is taking off when his beloved young son succumbs to sudden fever.A luminous portrait of a marriage, a shattering evocation of a family ravaged by grief and loss, and a tender and unforgettable re-imagining of a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, and whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays of all time, Hamnet is mesmerizing, seductive, impossible to put down—a magnificent leap forward from one of our most gifted novelists.Don’t miss Maggie O’Farrell’s new novel, The Marriage Portrait, coming in September!

Historical Fiction

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More Details:

Author

Maggie O'Farrell

Pages

320

Publisher

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Published Date

2020-07-21

ISBN

0525657614 9780525657613

Community ReviewsSee all

"This book is so insanely good. The writing style is so classic and well written that it feels like a novel written hundreds of years ago. Despite knowing Hamnet’s fate from the very first page, at every turn I hoped against hope that he would survive. The story, jumping from Agnes and Shakespeare falling in love to the tale of Hamnet’s untimely demise, was unbelievably tragic. I found myself wracked with sobs at the most random moments. The author writes such a heart wrenching portrayal of a mother and father grieving their child and trying to make sense of a world where they no longer exist. Judith’s grief for her twin brother hit me especially hard, as I myself have a twin brother, and I had to put the book down when she innocently asked her mother what a twin is called after they lose their twin. There were many other minor details that added to the over all effectiveness of the novel. I liked how the imagery of death changed depending on the person and how it was mostly associated with white. I think it was very fitting as white is the absence of color where death is the absence of life. I also thought it was brilliant to never call William Shakespeare any his name. He is only ever called the tutor, writer, husband or father. I thought this was very symbolic as he is not the focus of the story. This is Hamnet and his loved one’s tale, so they should be at the center of it. Lastly, I wasn’t expecting the book to address Shakespeare writing Hamlet based on his son. I thought it was very fitting. It was a way to keep his son alive for eternity after his death, so that his son could finally outlive his father. It made perfect sense to start with Hamnet and end with Hamlet."

Madeline Glanton

"Beautifully written and well-imagined backstory of Shakespeare’s early life and family. "

Jackie Davidson

"One of the best books: heart wrenching story"

Diane Morello

"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"

Ava Spencer

"Unexpected, I wasn’t sure what to think but really enjoyed this book even though it was about a pandemic 🤦‍♀️"

Donna Q

"Extremely annoying "historical" fiction - turns the main character into this sort of manic pixie dream girl witch woman for no reason. "

Sarah Brown

"Stunning book. It was romantic, heartbreaking, and hopeful that we can still connect with those we’ve lost. Gorgeous prose and a fast, fluid pace. I was filled with a lot of emotions reading this especially as a twin myself. Very gratifying ending. One of my new favorites. Great for any fan of Shakespeare or someone dealing with loss. "