I was excited when Hamnet was a January title for my library book club as it's been on my "want to read" list since it was published in 2020. I've read glowing reviews of the book in spite of its sad and dark story.
In this beautifully crafted novel, Maggie O'Farrell builds a richly detailed story within the framework of facts about William Shakespeare's life. The narrative focuses primarily on the Bard's wife Agnes and the death of his son Hamnet, twin brother to Judith. We learn about Agnes and William's unhappy childhoods and familial relationships, follow their "meet cute" and courtship, and watch their marriage bloom and then wither. I appreciated Agnes's independence (as much as was possible for women in 16th century England) and her deep connections to nature through plants, animals, and insects. The small touches of magic were a pleasant and unexpected surprise.
I read this via audiobook with Ell Potter's lovely narration and followed along in a print copy when possible; this dual input and the short timeframe in which I read this fully immersed me in time and place. Discussing this with fellow readers at book club was a great experience and, as always, brought more meaning to Ms. O'Farrell's literary prose.
In this beautifully crafted novel, Maggie O'Farrell builds a richly detailed story within the framework of facts about William Shakespeare's life. The narrative focuses primarily on the Bard's wife Agnes and the death of his son Hamnet, twin brother to Judith. We learn about Agnes and William's unhappy childhoods and familial relationships, follow their "meet cute" and courtship, and watch their marriage bloom and then wither. I appreciated Agnes's independence (as much as was possible for women in 16th century England) and her deep connections to nature through plants, animals, and insects. The small touches of magic were a pleasant and unexpected surprise.
I read this via audiobook with Ell Potter's lovely narration and followed along in a print copy when possible; this dual input and the short timeframe in which I read this fully immersed me in time and place. Discussing this with fellow readers at book club was a great experience and, as always, brought more meaning to Ms. O'Farrell's literary prose.
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