Historical

Hamnet

Hamnet

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-26 10:16:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Maggie O'Farrell
  • ISBN：1984898876
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Summary

Drawing on Maggie O'Farrell's long-term fascination with the little-known story behind Shakespeare's most enigmatic play， HAMNET is a luminous portrait of a marriage， at its heart the loss of a beloved child。

Warwickshire in the 1580s。 Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts。 She settles with her husband in Henley street， Stratford， and has three children: a daughter， Susanna， and then twins， Hamnet and Judith。 The boy， Hamnet， dies in 1596， aged eleven。 Four years or so later， the husband writes a play called Hamlet。

Award-winning author Maggie O'Farrell's new novel breathes full-blooded life into the story of a loss usually consigned to literary footnotes， and provides an unforgettable vindication of Agnes， a woman intriguingly absent from history。

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Reviews

Gina ，

4。5 stars， worth the hype， very emotional。I wasn’t immediately sucked in by the first few pages but then I was charmed by Agnes and then riveted and heartbroken by the beginning of the second part。 I think it would hit even harder if I were a parent。 It’s a beautiful but painful study of how depression and grief manifest in different people。 I could do without the supernatural abilities of Agnes， though。 I’d prefer her to be a talented， intelligent， intuitive human who’s mistaken for a witch， bu 4。5 stars， worth the hype， very emotional。I wasn’t immediately sucked in by the first few pages but then I was charmed by Agnes and then riveted and heartbroken by the beginning of the second part。 I think it would hit even harder if I were a parent。 It’s a beautiful but painful study of how depression and grief manifest in different people。 I could do without the supernatural abilities of Agnes， though。 I’d prefer her to be a talented， intelligent， intuitive human who’s mistaken for a witch， but not actually capable of presaging the future。 Mayybe that’s what this is， she definitely has limitations， but I’d prefer a little less emphasis on the magic。And I wish this could have been based more on actual facts; it is extremely extrapolated and major plot points are based on mere assumptions in history。 It’d be more amazing if this had more evidence behind it。 To its credit， I like that the book doesn’t mention William Shakespeare by name。 I hadn’t realized until I got to the reader’s guide at the end。 It’s mostly set before he was a household name， and it’s nice to see how he might’ve been considered in his own household。 Overall an excellent book， definitely recommended。 。。。more

Jillian Le ，

Gorgeous！ Maggie O’Farrell writes in such a controlled， thoughtful way。 Not a sentence， not a word， was wasted writing this book。 Hamnet is a study on grief set in the 1500s， yet feels so timeless。 （That makes it sound pretty depressing， but it’s not）。 If you read the description and think “hmm Shakespeare fan fiction—not sold” I was right there with you。 But after seeing it pop up on so many best of the year lists I had to give it a try and I’m glad I did。 I think I would have liked another 100 Gorgeous！ Maggie O’Farrell writes in such a controlled， thoughtful way。 Not a sentence， not a word， was wasted writing this book。 Hamnet is a study on grief set in the 1500s， yet feels so timeless。 （That makes it sound pretty depressing， but it’s not）。 If you read the description and think “hmm Shakespeare fan fiction—not sold” I was right there with you。 But after seeing it pop up on so many best of the year lists I had to give it a try and I’m glad I did。 I think I would have liked another 100-200 pages to see more of the character’s trajectories， live in their heads a little more， but overall I found Hamnet studding！ worth the hype！ 。。。more

Kali ，

The writing is undoubtedly beautiful。 The description of the plague transmission had me mesmerized。 Sometimes the author does more telling than showing and it reads like stage directions for a play， but that may have been part of the style plan。 It’s pretty impressive to go a whole book and not mention Shakespeare by name or even just have him called William。 Now here comes my petty observation: One thing that bothers me is that Agnes could press a particular area of a person’s hand and see all The writing is undoubtedly beautiful。 The description of the plague transmission had me mesmerized。 Sometimes the author does more telling than showing and it reads like stage directions for a play， but that may have been part of the style plan。 It’s pretty impressive to go a whole book and not mention Shakespeare by name or even just have him called William。 Now here comes my petty observation: One thing that bothers me is that Agnes could press a particular area of a person’s hand and see all - so why didn’t she press her kid’s hands every now and then？ Maybe she would have seen what was to come instead of being blindsided。 Also if she had a vision of two at her bedside when she died and had three kids， wouldn’t the obvious conclusion in that century be that one of the kids wasn’t going to make it？ During her birthing process she thought she was going to die and that Mary and the midwife were going to be the two at her bedside at the hour of her death - but Agnes lived so she realized that wasn’t it。 Since she made it through that alive why didn’t she think: “well damn， if it wasn’t those two ladies maybe it’s my two daughters- which means my son is gonna die。” Then she could have pressed Hamnet’s hand at regular intervals to discern the time and place of death if possible。 Kids died all the time back then so I feel like that would have been high on the possibilities list。 Earlier in the book when she first realized her talents as a medium （of sorts） she told a woman she was going to be dead in a month and it came true。 I just feel like if Agnes had these all-knowing powers she would have figured it out， but I guess she had to be blindsided by it for the grief to be written as raw as it was。Which brings me back to the writing - it really was beautiful。 I was waffling between 3 and 4 stars but the fact that the descriptive writing was a plus and not a minus in this case tipped me to a 4-star rating。 。。。more

Sally Howse ，

I became completely embroiled in the world Maggie described。 Loved it， though heartbreaking in parts。

Rosemary Dun ，

Stunningly superbA most captivating and beguiling book。 I fell in love with Agnes and feel it's truly her story。 Glorious prose。 Stunningly superbA most captivating and beguiling book。 I fell in love with Agnes and feel it's truly her story。 Glorious prose。 。。。more

HalKid2 ，

Hamnet is such an extraordinary book。 But it’s difficult to explain why。 First， let me say it is NOT a book about William Shakespeare。 In fact， Shakespeare is a secondary， quite remote figure， mostly off following dreams of his own。 [In fact， his actual name is not even mentioned in the book。] This IS an historical novel about his family。 Both his childhood family， his wife Agnes’ childhood family， and the family the two of them build together。 This is one of those books with a non-linear time f Hamnet is such an extraordinary book。 But it’s difficult to explain why。 First， let me say it is NOT a book about William Shakespeare。 In fact， Shakespeare is a secondary， quite remote figure， mostly off following dreams of his own。 [In fact， his actual name is not even mentioned in the book。] This IS an historical novel about his family。 Both his childhood family， his wife Agnes’ childhood family， and the family the two of them build together。 This is one of those books with a non-linear time frame that works。 Moving back and forth through time， the characters Maggie O’Farrell creates are all multi-dimensional， distinctive， and will no doubt remind you of people you know in your own life。• John， Shakespeare’s father， is a once successful glove-maker who has fallen on hard times and has a deep， violent streak。• Mary， Shakespeare’s mother， an opinionated woman who believes her son’s choice of wife is all wrong。• Agnes， the wife — whose knowledge， behavior and interests make her an outcast in their town， chiefly because she refuses to follow the prescribed path imposed on women。• Susanna， the older daughter， who’s eager for greater independence， though she loves her younger siblings intensely。• Judith and Hamnet - twins who share the kind of closeness common between twins。 There are also an assortment of brothers and sisters in both Shakespeare’s family of origin and Agnes’。 And also， Agnes’ stepmother， Joan。 But I’ll leave you the joy of discovering her on your own。 I think what impressed me most with this novel is the way O’Farrell so powerfully and accurately describes the scattered thoughts that run through someone’s mind at moments of intense pleasure and intense grief。 [Just wait until you read the story of how the plague got to London！]But while I think this talented author does a beautiful job examining the drama inherent in the death of a child （NOT a spoiler since you learn about the coming death on page one）， this is certainly not always an easy book to read。 It’s truly very sad。 You will come to love so many of these characters — only to then have to watch them suffer terribly。 None more so than Agnes who is the real heroine of the book。I realize my description has not done this book justice。 So， let me just say - DON’T miss this one。 The language is poetic， the people complex and real， the story intense and action-packed。 And I’ve never read a book that so perfectly expresses the obsessive and soul-wrenching nature of a mother’s grief for a lost child。 。。。more

Lainey ，

3。5

Kara Kol ，

I want to like it， but found it very long winded and boring。 I kept listening hoping it was going to get better， but it never did and then it just ended。

Mandy ，

I enjoyed this fictionalized story about William Shakespeare's family。 It was an interesting take on what little is known。 The language was beautiful。 I felt very connected to the characters， especially Agnes。 Great novel。 I enjoyed this fictionalized story about William Shakespeare's family。 It was an interesting take on what little is known。 The language was beautiful。 I felt very connected to the characters， especially Agnes。 Great novel。 。。。more

Laurie ，

I found this absorbing and fascinating historical fiction。 Almost nothing is known about Shakespeare's wife and children， but the author has researched well to make them real to the reader。 The writing is wonderful and I particularly liked the dual plot lines。 O'Farrell's description of a mother's grief breaks your heart。 I found this absorbing and fascinating historical fiction。 Almost nothing is known about Shakespeare's wife and children， but the author has researched well to make them real to the reader。 The writing is wonderful and I particularly liked the dual plot lines。 O'Farrell's description of a mother's grief breaks your heart。 。。。more

Lori Schultz ，

I love Shakespeare so this was such a treat！ The "background" story of what is a largely undocumented portion of his life was not only beautifully written but plausible。 This one will stay with me for a long time！ I love Shakespeare so this was such a treat！ The "background" story of what is a largely undocumented portion of his life was not only beautifully written but plausible。 This one will stay with me for a long time！ 。。。more

Kate Baldwin ，

Loved it！

Ann Van Hine ，

I ended up listening to this book instead of reading it because the wait for the ebook was so much longer than the wait for the audiobook。 I enjoyed this book。 The author’s words painted a picture of scene/story before me。 I was there in the scene like a bug on the wall。 Friends who read this book said it was too wordy but listening to it didn’t feel that way。 The book is beautifully written。 My advice if it seems too wordy， listen to it instead or read it aloud。

Heather ，

This book had a grip around my throat the entire time I was reading。 There were moments when I had to look away because it was so very heavy。 But ultimately it is a beautiful sharing of a mother’s deep and endless love for her child。

Ed ，

I oscillated between thinking this was great and thinking it was really dull。 The prose is high quality; there would be a huge crescendo of tension if you didn't know what was going to happen， either because you just know， or you read a review with spoilers， or you just guessed。。。Without that tension it's definitely too slow at times。The premise is clever， telling the story of some events in Shakespeare's life with him a practically absent presence。 It makes Shakespeare seem a much more human ch I oscillated between thinking this was great and thinking it was really dull。 The prose is high quality; there would be a huge crescendo of tension if you didn't know what was going to happen， either because you just know， or you read a review with spoilers， or you just guessed。。。Without that tension it's definitely too slow at times。The premise is clever， telling the story of some events in Shakespeare's life with him a practically absent presence。 It makes Shakespeare seem a much more human character， and makes the effects that life events may have had on him seem more impactful。 But it contributed to the slow pace， as details effecting Shakespeare's relatives are spun out in great length， and I didn't really care about any of these others who felt more like a clever plot device than real individuals。 。。。more

Wies ，

It took about 240 pages for this story to really grab me。 And eventually， it lost me again。 It's a beautifully written book， but somehow it just didn't do it for me。 It took about 240 pages for this story to really grab me。 And eventually， it lost me again。 It's a beautifully written book， but somehow it just didn't do it for me。 。。。more

Christine Matthews ，

Brilliant。

Becky ，

I appreciate the beauty of the writing and the unique narration and its a heartbreaking story but it just wasn’t my cup of tea。 Giving it 3* still because there’s nothing actually wrong with it， just wasn’t for me。

Harriet Holder ，

Loved this - beautifully written。

Chris Davis ，

What a surprise this book was！ I took it on because it was a New York Times 2020 Top 10 and I’m trying to expand my reading， but I was not looking forward to it。 Little did I know that I wouldn’t be able to put it down！ Highly recommended。

Laura ，

I am not marking this as read so it won’t count against my reading challenge。 I also am not rating it because I don’t think it’s fair to rate a book that one hasn’t actually finished。But this book bored me to tears。 Maybe one could say it was well written， but I say it was over-written。 Way too many words for way too little plot。 Like， seriously nothing happens。 You learn Hamnet died in the prologue。 Basically that’s the gist of the whole thing。 And life is too short for books that don’t bring j I am not marking this as read so it won’t count against my reading challenge。 I also am not rating it because I don’t think it’s fair to rate a book that one hasn’t actually finished。But this book bored me to tears。 Maybe one could say it was well written， but I say it was over-written。 Way too many words for way too little plot。 Like， seriously nothing happens。 You learn Hamnet died in the prologue。 Basically that’s the gist of the whole thing。 And life is too short for books that don’t bring joy。 So DNF for me！ 。。。more

Linda Curtis ，

Quite simply one of the best books ever。 Beautiful prose， very sad story - one of the rare times I have agreed with the jacket hype。 Worth the awards and accolades。

SusanInSedalia ，

Mesmerizing。 Haunting。 Believe the hype。

Ms。 Nina ，

I didn't want this story to end， and now I find myself dismayed to have come to the last page， which I read over and over again just so that I never quite finish this breathtaking book。 O'Farrell states that this story is a result of her musings about how Hamnet， Shakespeare's son， died， and why the English language's most famous playwright never mentioned the plague in any of his scripts， even though "the pestilence" surely would have affected his life。 O'Farrell writes her imaginative interpre I didn't want this story to end， and now I find myself dismayed to have come to the last page， which I read over and over again just so that I never quite finish this breathtaking book。 O'Farrell states that this story is a result of her musings about how Hamnet， Shakespeare's son， died， and why the English language's most famous playwright never mentioned the plague in any of his scripts， even though "the pestilence" surely would have affected his life。 O'Farrell writes her imaginative interpretation with a gentle magic that touches the very soul of the reader。 The effect is best compared to a morning sunbeam that breaks through the darkest rainclouds: it is soft， golden， and inspiring， and all the more impressive because of the gloomy backdrop。I have dog-tagged the pages of her writing that moved me， and now it seems the entire book has been clipped at the corner。。。 。。。more

Jessica Wilkins ，

I enjoyed this book a lot！ It did take a bit to get into but loved the writing style and characters。 It was heartbreaking and if you’re a bit of a Shakespeare geek。。 it was very gripping。

Heidi ，

Yesssss。 I finished it last night but keep thinking today that I can't wait to get back to it。 So beautiful。 She takes her time to develop the characters， describe an emotion or scene， and I really， really， appreciate it。 Beautiful。 Yesssss。 I finished it last night but keep thinking today that I can't wait to get back to it。 So beautiful。 She takes her time to develop the characters， describe an emotion or scene， and I really， really， appreciate it。 Beautiful。 。。。more

Nancy ，

If I could give this book ten stars I would。 The story is fiction but based on real people and known events 。 Written with such skill you feel transported to Stratford ， this book stayed with me throughout the day until I could get back to it once again 。 The type of book you encounter rarely ， one that you can’t wait to finish and don’t want it to end in equal measure 。 For just a few short days I felt a part of the world the author created ， smelled the smells ， felt the sorrows and joys and h If I could give this book ten stars I would。 The story is fiction but based on real people and known events 。 Written with such skill you feel transported to Stratford ， this book stayed with me throughout the day until I could get back to it once again 。 The type of book you encounter rarely ， one that you can’t wait to finish and don’t want it to end in equal measure 。 For just a few short days I felt a part of the world the author created ， smelled the smells ， felt the sorrows and joys and hated to leave 。 。。。more

Holly ，

Slow start but excellent by the endA beautiful lesson in the female gaze

Celia ，

Just finished and I am stunned。 Such a beautiful and creative take on the play Hamlet and Shakespeare's inspiration behind it， that it arose out of his attempt to address his own overwhelming grief。 The closing words "Remember me，" were like a dagger to the heart。 We will， we do。 Shakespeare succeeded in giving his son immortality。 Just finished and I am stunned。 Such a beautiful and creative take on the play Hamlet and Shakespeare's inspiration behind it， that it arose out of his attempt to address his own overwhelming grief。 The closing words "Remember me，" were like a dagger to the heart。 We will， we do。 Shakespeare succeeded in giving his son immortality。 。。。more

Hannah Moeller ，

Loved this book！ It certainly won't be for everyone， but I'm a bit of a Hamlet nerd。 Loved this book！ It certainly won't be for everyone， but I'm a bit of a Hamlet nerd。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Hamnet

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Hamnet&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Hamnet&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0