Will I love Hamnet?

Maggie O'Farrell’s fictional resurrection of Shakespeare’s dead son has now become a major film. The narrative traces the final days and aftermath of 11-year-old Hamnet’s death at the time of the great plague. This of course strikes a chillingly familiar chord in our post-Covid era. But the central focus here is not so much the pestilence, the unnamed Shakespeare or even the boy who – almost – gave his name to one of literature’s greatest plays; rather it is Agnes (or Anne) Hathaway, the playwright’s wife. O’Farrell gives this elusive and often maligned historical figure a voice and an enthralling… show more.

What a glorious read this is---it's way more than five stars. It's rare for me to pick up a book and be completely blown off course with it. Hamnet is one of those books.
The lyrical quality of the prose kept me entranced from start to finish as the storyline moves through a fascinating plot and settings that come alive. It humanized Shakespeare in a way I've never experienced.
(Of special note: this is one of the best scenes depicting childbirth I have ever read. )

Hamnet is a tour-de-force of love, grief, and redemption. The fictional story of Shakespeare's only son, the novel recreates the life of Agnes (Anne) Hathaway and Shakespeare's close family members in poignant scenes and language. While Hamnet is a heavy read--the depictions of grief are excruciating and long and very true to life--it is worth reading for the brilliance of the language and the imaginative cathartic ending.

I know Hamnet was praised and won prizes upon publication, but it often takes me a few years to catch up with contemporary fiction, but I’m glad I at last got around to reading this wonderful novel. O’Farrell is a master of plot and structure, and the language gorgeously woven, making real much around sixteenth century domestic life. Utterly absorbing.

This one had me breathless, riveted, and crying in public. Gorgeous. Stirring. Unforgettable.

I'm always happily surprised when a beautifully, long-winded literary book like this is so popular.
O'Farrell has a vivid imagination, and though there was a slow section toward the last third of the book that made me wonder where this story was going, I absolutely loved the way the ending pulled it all together.

Shakespeare has long been a favorite, so I was intrigued with HAMNET, a fictional rendering of young Will Shakespeare and his wife, Anne (called Agnes in the novel).

The story unfolds in alternating periods of the protagonists' lives - from early childhood to their romance/marriage, ending with Shakespeare's success at the Globe production of HAMLET. We get a full picture of mid-1500s England, Shakespeare's troubled youth and growing genius, as well as his traumatic relationship with his wife and family and the tragic death of his son.

O'Ferrell's writing is hypnotically smooth; she manages to convey so much with an… show more.

Maggie O'Farrell is so skilled in structure and pace. I felt like I was in good hands, even though I didn't always know why she was taking me where she was--it was always worth the trip. Like "James," I feel like this novel challenges our perceptions of the past and questions what we see as settled history. But above all, it was incredibly enjoyable to read.

The characters in Maggie O'Farrell's book are so real and compelling that they make historical figures feel like your next-door neighbors. I've always been obsessed with Shakespeare, and it's fascinating to learn more about how much Shakespeare was inspired by the death of his son Hamnet. It shows Shakespeare the man but also brings to life the other people in his life, especially the women, who history has forgotten about.

Behind every great man is an army of unseen women, and O'Farrell's novel gives those women voice and agency, showing what life (and death) was like for women in previous… show more.

I didn’t want to read this book (it was a gift). I thought I’d read just a few pages to be polite… And then I couldn’t put it down! The quote on the cover says, “a thing of shimmering wonder,” which sums it up perfectly.

Hamnet takes place during 1580, another plague year (see my first recommendation!). This book's dance of love and loss, grief and forgiveness is breathtaking. And woven through it is the simple magic of herbs and medicines made by a healer’s hands.

These everyday acts become the stitches that bind this soaring novel to earth and… show more.