Hamnet
A novel
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4.3 • 152 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING MULTI-AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS JESSIE BUCKLEY
WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"[An] exceptional winner. . . . It expresses something profound about the human experience that seems both extraordinarily current and at the same time, enduring." —Martha Lane Fox, Chair of The Women's Prize for Fiction judges
Two extraordinary people. A love that draws them together. A plague that threatens to tear them apart.
England, 1580. A young Latin tutor—penniless, bullied by a violent father—falls in love with an 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 on the Henley Street in Stratford she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband. His gifts as a writer are just beginning to awaken when their beloved twins, Hamnet and Judith, are afflicted with the bubonic plague, and, devastatingly, one of them succumbs to the illness.
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, Hamnet is mesmerizing and seductive, an impossible-to-put-down novel from one of our most gifted writers.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this imaginative “what if” historical account, fledgling playwright William Shakespeare is off to seek his fortune in London—but the most compelling drama happens with the family he leaves behind. Historians don’t know much about the Bard’s private life, but Maggie O’Farrell’s glorious novel imagines an intimate and engrossing story told from the perspective of his wife, Agnes. Blessed with the gift of psychic visions and a knowledge of plants, Agnes works as a local healer when she’s not caring for her three children. We loved being immersed in the rich everyday life of 16th-century England with her as our guide. But when Agnes and William’s 11-year-old son Hamnet dies, it leaves O’Farrell’s heroine utterly shattered—and inspires her absent husband to write one of his greatest works. Rich with warmth and playfulness despite the real-life tragedy at its center, Hamnet conjures a vivid portrait of an aspiring artist, an incredibly resilient woman, and the uncontrollable forces that shape them both. The story is mostly fiction, but its message about the humanity behind any great work of art still rings true.
Customer Reviews
Beautiful book
This book is in my top 5 reads of all time.
Review
Interesting characters, excellent story
Incredible read
What a story and what a writer. Amazing right from the beginning to the end. If you only read one book this year....read this one.