Hamnet: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
- Downloads：4988
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-04 03:22:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Maggie O'Farrell
- ISBN：1472223829
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
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。
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。
Reviews
Adam Kennedy
，
Beautiful writing， but can't really see where all sparkling reviews came from。 Not that much happens。 Beautiful writing， but can't really see where all sparkling reviews came from。 Not that much happens。 。。。more
Jeanne Blasberg
，
Where to start？ The premise， the language， the way the structure weaves around events and characters。 We have all grown up with Shakespeare， but to dive into this historical speculation is a treat nobody should miss。 Titled "Hamnet，" after Shakespeare's 11 year old son who died from the plague （the letter 'n' and the letter 'l' were interchangeable back then） and presumably the inspiration behind the writing of HAMLET， this novel is a beautiful rendering of the great playwright's domestic life。 Where to start？ The premise， the language， the way the structure weaves around events and characters。 We have all grown up with Shakespeare， but to dive into this historical speculation is a treat nobody should miss。 Titled "Hamnet，" after Shakespeare's 11 year old son who died from the plague （the letter 'n' and the letter 'l' were interchangeable back then） and presumably the inspiration behind the writing of HAMLET， this novel is a beautiful rendering of the great playwright's domestic life。 His wife， who is historically known to have been named Anne by her father， prefers Agnes and her character is the mainstay of this novel。 She is remarkable and unique， gifted with strong intuition and fiercely independent。 Her character development is truly beautiful。 I particularly enjoyed the rendering of her relationships with her step-mother and mother-in-law， both fraught with tension and managing them critical to her happiness。 This is also a heartbreaking tale of losing a child， the most painful loss imaginable and O'Farrell spares nothing in expressing its devastation。 I cant recommend this book more highly。 。。。more
Léonie Kirchgeorg
，
“Hamnet” – a celebration of a life， a testament to grieving。 The historical fiction is based on Shakespeare’s son who died of the plague （possibly） at a very young age。 But this time the playwright is not at the centre of the story。 The story gives voice to Agnes， the wife of Shakespeare， and investigates the subject of grief in a heartfelt， honest and emotional way。 She is the centre of the narrative while Shakespeare， for once， gets to stand on the side lines – in fact， he is always addressed “Hamnet” – a celebration of a life， a testament to grieving。 The historical fiction is based on Shakespeare’s son who died of the plague （possibly） at a very young age。 But this time the playwright is not at the centre of the story。 The story gives voice to Agnes， the wife of Shakespeare， and investigates the subject of grief in a heartfelt， honest and emotional way。 She is the centre of the narrative while Shakespeare， for once， gets to stand on the side lines – in fact， he is always addressed as “the husband，” “the son” and “the father，” which clearly makes a tacit statement。 。。。more
Marcie
，
I’m not sure I can put into words what drew me into this book， but it definitely captivated me。 Hamnet is the child of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes。 Most of the story involves Agnes and her knowledge of herbs and healing， plus her ability to read people。 A beautiful work of fiction that includes the few facts known of Shakespeare’s family and the author’s imagination fills in the rest。 I loved the characters and felt the emotion of each as the author explored them。 This is an Audible b I’m not sure I can put into words what drew me into this book， but it definitely captivated me。 Hamnet is the child of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes。 Most of the story involves Agnes and her knowledge of herbs and healing， plus her ability to read people。 A beautiful work of fiction that includes the few facts known of Shakespeare’s family and the author’s imagination fills in the rest。 I loved the characters and felt the emotion of each as the author explored them。 This is an Audible book and very well done！ 。。。more
Rachel
，
Unfinished at 30% mark。My bedtime ritual involves at least thirty minutes of reading; however， I've opted for mindless phone scrolling over picking Hamnet up for three consecutive nights。 There's nothing WRONG with the book， to be clear - but there was no compelling reason for me to continue reading it， either。 Rating: One shrug emoji。 Unfinished at 30% mark。My bedtime ritual involves at least thirty minutes of reading; however， I've opted for mindless phone scrolling over picking Hamnet up for three consecutive nights。 There's nothing WRONG with the book， to be clear - but there was no compelling reason for me to continue reading it， either。 Rating: One shrug emoji。 。。。more
Suzanne
，
Beautifully， descriptively written。 I felt like I was staring at a series of Renaissance paintings and hearing the stories between each one。 However， I was really lost during the first 15% of the book until I went online and read a few reviews。 I'd give it 3 ½ stars， if I could。 Beautifully， descriptively written。 I felt like I was staring at a series of Renaissance paintings and hearing the stories between each one。 However， I was really lost during the first 15% of the book until I went online and read a few reviews。 I'd give it 3 ½ stars， if I could。 。。。more
Alessia’s Books
，
Poetico è dire poco， meraviglioso！！
David Livingston
，
Wow what prose so lyrical and descriptive just beautiful。
Ester Grinvud
，
Meni ovo kao da je srednjoškolac napisao malo bolji sastav na temu ，，Šekspirov porodični život"， pa veoma ，，originalno" rešio da se fokusira na En Hatavej i uticaj koji su ona i smrt njihovog sina imali na njegovo stvaralaštvo。 Na momente mi jeste bilo ok， ali samo na momente i samo ok。 Ništa specijalno。 Meni ovo kao da je srednjoškolac napisao malo bolji sastav na temu ，，Šekspirov porodični život"， pa veoma ，，originalno" rešio da se fokusira na En Hatavej i uticaj koji su ona i smrt njihovog sina imali na njegovo stvaralaštvo。 Na momente mi jeste bilo ok， ali samo na momente i samo ok。 Ništa specijalno。 。。。more
Courtney
，
All。 The。 Stars。 Seriously， this is the best book I've read in a long time。 All。 The。 Stars。 Seriously， this is the best book I've read in a long time。 。。。more
Susan Scott
，
Enjoyed this book。 Would recommend it。
Andi Baker
，
Nope， I tried because this book had such great reviews， but I just couldn’t。 I actually threw my book across the room after the third time the author painstakingly described Hamnet and his sister as twins then coming out and saying that they were twins。 Oi！ Is she trying to fill pages， be poetic， or does she just think we are so dense that we aren’t picking up on what she is putting down。 Also the general story line and characters just didn’t care for。 Oh well， on to a better read。
Irene
，
Amazing story。 I couldn’t put it down。
Marie
，
I know I'm going against the grain big time here， as it seems everyone loves this book。 I don't get it。 It's ok。 The writing is very nice， but the story is so somewhere between dull and depressing。 I found Agnes's character annoying， the husband" not great， the kids were fine， but Mary- unlikable， John and Joan- horrible。 I guess I kind of liked the midwife， but that is a minor character， so overall， I just didn't like any of the main characters and the story was mostly meh。 My favorite part was I know I'm going against the grain big time here， as it seems everyone loves this book。 I don't get it。 It's ok。 The writing is very nice， but the story is so somewhere between dull and depressing。 I found Agnes's character annoying， the husband" not great， the kids were fine， but Mary- unlikable， John and Joan- horrible。 I guess I kind of liked the midwife， but that is a minor character， so overall， I just didn't like any of the main characters and the story was mostly meh。 My favorite part was the chapter about the travel adventures of the Plague。 If the whole book was about that- it would have been great。 。。。more
TJ Garman
，
4。5 stars
Julia
，
Enjoyable read， similar writing to Philippa Gregory's historical novels。 Enjoyable read， similar writing to Philippa Gregory's historical novels。 。。。more
Franklin Didymus
，
The first part of the book was brilliantly woven to bring the two strands of story， past and present， together。 The imagery was amazing and the characters and setting leapt off the page。 I also greatly appreciated the inclusion of interesting era-specific historical narrative。 However I was disappointed by part 2。 I felt that for such a momentous first part to the novel， the second part was messy and lacked depth。 I also felt that the tie-in with Hamlet was forced and the ensuing behaviour of th The first part of the book was brilliantly woven to bring the two strands of story， past and present， together。 The imagery was amazing and the characters and setting leapt off the page。 I also greatly appreciated the inclusion of interesting era-specific historical narrative。 However I was disappointed by part 2。 I felt that for such a momentous first part to the novel， the second part was messy and lacked depth。 I also felt that the tie-in with Hamlet was forced and the ensuing behaviour of the characters far-fetched and a little cliché。 It is worth reading for the first part of the novel alone， however if you find an unsatisfying ending particularly irksome， I would steer away。 。。。more
Liviu Szoke
，
Din recenzia apărută astăzi pe Biblioteca lui Liviu:„Magistral documentată pentru a reda cât mai fidel și mai realist împrejurările acelor vremuri （nu lipsesc viața din micile târguri englezești， viața la sate， familiile cu nenumărați copii， greutățile inerente， bolile care decimau mai ales copiii， teribila ciumă care a făcut ravagii în toată Europa， modurile de transmitere și de manifestare ale acesteia， dar， mai ales， viața celor care l-au înconjurat pe Shakespeare și ce l-a determinat pe aces Din recenzia apărută astăzi pe Biblioteca lui Liviu:„Magistral documentată pentru a reda cât mai fidel și mai realist împrejurările acelor vremuri （nu lipsesc viața din micile târguri englezești， viața la sate， familiile cu nenumărați copii， greutățile inerente， bolile care decimau mai ales copiii， teribila ciumă care a făcut ravagii în toată Europa， modurile de transmitere și de manifestare ale acesteia， dar， mai ales， viața celor care l-au înconjurat pe Shakespeare și ce l-a determinat pe acesta să plece departe de familie， la Londra， pentru a crea; nu pentru a vinde mănuși， deși acesta fusese pretextul， ci pentru a scăpa de griji și de abuzuri și a crea în voie）， Hamnet reprezintă dovada vie că nu e neapărat nevoie de o mie de pagini pentru a recrea de la zero o viață de om și-o dramă cumplită。Iar dacă termini fără a vărsa nici măcar o lacrimă în primele 40 de pagini ale părții a doua a poveștii înseamnă că ești un suflet tare。 O mostră de virtuozitate în a exprima prin mijloace altminteri destul de simple durerea unui părinte care și-a pierdut orice rațiune de-a merge mai departe atunci când a rămas fără un copil。 Agnes e ca într-un fel de transă， Shakespeare devine omul simplu， neputincios în fața unei drame cumplite， nu viitorul creator de capodopere， și tot orașul parcă plânge， încremenit de durerea părinților care știu că pe acolo nu va mai alerga niciodată scumpul lor copil cel atât de plin de viață până nu demult。Mă opresc cu povestea。 Sunt multe ițe， povestea nu e liniară， firele sunt mai multe， dar se îmbină perfect până la urmă。 Suferința e-atât de vie， încât stai și te întrebi cât poate suferi o ființă umană înainte să-și piardă complet mințile。 Iar simbolistica ultimelor pagini， cu înțelegerea alegerii finale a lui Shakespeare vine să mai adauge un colț de stea la cele cinci ale acestei povești care ar trebui să se transforme instantaneu într-o capodoperă a literaturii universale。”Mai multe: https://wp。me/pz4D9-4bF。 。。。more
Maria Dirolf
，
My favorite book of the year so far。 Breath-taking meditation on grief and what a stunner of an ending。
Dania
，
Quick read about Shakespeare’s romance with Agnes and their loss of their only son Hamnet。 Very well written with beautifully written vivid descriptions。
Jenie
，
I cannot begin to express how deeply this book has touched my heart。 “Hamnet” will speak so clearly to anyone who has had to live on after the death of a beloved one。 For me， it brought to life the unending longing and love that motherhood delivers and did so through the example of an historical family I have always held dear - The Shakepeares of Stratford。 This book brought me such joy， such sorrow， such wonder。 I cannot stop crying。
Jane
，
I am unsure how to review this story fairly。 I was intrigued to read the author's fictional story showing how William Shakespeare （whose name is never mentioned） and his wife might have handled the factual death of their son。 On that point， the book and its ending was very satisfying。 What threw me was the repetition of long sentences filled with phrase after phrase after phrase。 The technique became so irritating， I began skimming sentences to skip the overdone descriptions。 That is not the way I am unsure how to review this story fairly。 I was intrigued to read the author's fictional story showing how William Shakespeare （whose name is never mentioned） and his wife might have handled the factual death of their son。 On that point， the book and its ending was very satisfying。 What threw me was the repetition of long sentences filled with phrase after phrase after phrase。 The technique became so irritating， I began skimming sentences to skip the overdone descriptions。 That is not the way to thoroughly enjoy a good book， but I had to resort to skimming to continue to the end。 。。。more
Annabritt
，
One of my favourite books in ages！
Lindsey
，
Aside from a few key moments， Shakespeare himself is almost an afterthought--the focus is on his wife。 This made the book much more compelling than I had expected， but the writing is the real star。 An absolutely wonderful audiobook version。
Gretchen
，
Don’t appropriate Shakespeare’s life and family if you aren’t going to engage with Shakespeare’s work。 If （for some unaccountable reason） you are going to make a point of never even using his name。 If you have no gift yourself with the English language but write in stodgy cliches。 If you have no imaginative spark that allows you to riff on the plays。 If you go on for pages and pages mourning a character we never really got to know before he died and so have little sense of。 If you are going to c Don’t appropriate Shakespeare’s life and family if you aren’t going to engage with Shakespeare’s work。 If （for some unaccountable reason） you are going to make a point of never even using his name。 If you have no gift yourself with the English language but write in stodgy cliches。 If you have no imaginative spark that allows you to riff on the plays。 If you go on for pages and pages mourning a character we never really got to know before he died and so have little sense of。 If you are going to cram mention of Hamlet the play into few far too rushed pages at the end， which don’t help your own story’s pacing and which show you know *Hamlet* not a whit。 *Hamlet* can’t be the apotheosis O’Farrell tries to make it be， because the play frankly doesn’t work with her storyline in the ways she wants it to。 First， Act I， Scene 1 doesn’t last nearly as long as she makes out here。 The ghost is not a character of major consequence。 Hamlet is a depressive， indecisive young man who ultimately dies a tragic death himself—so you can’t make the king into his sacrificial substitute and Hamlet into a golden-haired， transcendent boy who floats above everyone， is perfect， and has been redeemed by his father’s sacrifice。 Has O’Farrell read Hamlet at all？ Have the critics raving about this novel？ Write a historical fiction about a naturalist healer in Elizabethan England if you like， but don’t hang your story on William Shakespeare’s frame if you don’t have the literary chops to engage with him。 Good grief。 。。。more
Dana
，
Review to come。
Christine Cotton
，
Would have easily been a 5 stars but for the last 30 pages or so。 That last portion is convoluted to the point of making it incomprehensible。 Too bad， the rest of the book was so good！
Laura Galvin
，
4。5 stars
Annie
，
I don't know a lot about Shakespeare， so was fascinated to learn from the premise of this book that he had a son named Hamnet who died a few years before he wrote his famous play with the same name （apparently those spellings were interchangeable at the time）。 The first 70% of the book was just that to me--very interesting， highly descriptive， evocative scenes and characters。。。but not terribly gripping。 The last 30%， as the family deals with their grief from Hamnet's death， however， was impossib I don't know a lot about Shakespeare， so was fascinated to learn from the premise of this book that he had a son named Hamnet who died a few years before he wrote his famous play with the same name （apparently those spellings were interchangeable at the time）。 The first 70% of the book was just that to me--very interesting， highly descriptive， evocative scenes and characters。。。but not terribly gripping。 The last 30%， as the family deals with their grief from Hamnet's death， however， was impossible to look away from。 。。。more
Melisse Gelula
，