Book Review : Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

 

GOODREADS SUMMARY

England, 1580. A young Latin tutor--penniless, bullied by a violent father--falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman: a wild creature who walks her family's estate with a falcon on her shoulder and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer. Agnes understands plants and potions better than she does people, but once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose gifts as a writer are just beginning to awaken when his beloved young son succumbs to bubonic plague.

A luminous portrait of a marriage, a shattering evocation of a family ravaged by grief and loss, and a hypnotic recreation of the story that inspired one of the greatest literary masterpieces of all time

TEE'S THOUGHTS

Hamnet, the new book by Maggie O’Farrell is named for the son Of William Shakespeare. The title gives you the impression that it is about him and his untimely death, and yes, he is a big part of the story, his short life and death play a part in the book, but it is more the story of Agnes ( pronounced Annis ) Shakesphere’s wife than anyone.

If however, you are wanting to learn a bit more about the Bard himself, you will be disappointed. His place in the story is very minor, in fact, you will never once read his name, he only has passing mentions. Hamnet’s father…Agnes's husband… the glove maker's son.

The narrative bounces back and forth between two times. 1596, the period right before Hamnet’s death, and the early years of Agnes's life, which includes her courtship and marriage with William.  O'Farrell's writing is so realistic and believable in both of these timelines that you will often forget that the book is a work of fiction, and very little is actually known about Agnes Hathway or any of Shakespeare's family. The story imagines the lives and deaths behind the little-known historical facts and Howard’s imagination had free reign.

Along with the lives of Anne and her children, Hamnet is a study of grief, a raw look at the effects the Black Plague had on the family. With Maggie O’Farrells help the emotions of the family, especially Anne, will rip through your heart.

One more note on the book, O’Farrell, at the end weaves an interesting little tale of how the death of Hamnet, went on to inspire one of Shakespeare's most famous plays Hamlet, which is a nice touch, showing him as a grieving father. ( Also apparently back in that time period names seemed a bit interchangeable, hence the use of Hamnet/Hamlet and Agnes/ Anne )

Myself, I had a bit of a struggle throughout approximately the first 1/3 of the book, I felt it moved slowly, and the writing style often confused me, but once I had gotten used to the writing, and how the story was being told, I felt that O’Farrell’s writing was beautiful and detailed. This is a great book for fans of William Shakespeare, and for Historical Fiction fans who want something a bit different.