Hamnet: WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2020 - THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER

Very well written with good, strong characters that become vivid in the mind.

Excellent

I receive the book damages on the corner soo Disappointed

I love this books so much

Beautiful writing. Subject is heart wrenching and timeless.

Loved reading the story about Shakespeare’s early life and his children. Having been to Stratford upon Avon and seen his parents house helps imagining the story line even better. It’s just beautifully written and it was a great reading experience

This story is told with such creativity, and novelty, that it takes some time to get a hold of what is happening. After a few pages (10-20?) the reader begins to grasp the author's voice and intent. From then on, you start to realice that the novel is filled with scenes that take place in different times, but with the same characters. It is very clever and it is up to the reader to understand this.I think of the first two parts of the book (it has three), as if I was in the middle of a double helix (as the DNA strand). In one side is the story of Hamnet's birth and in the other is the story of Hamnet's death. And the helix is constantly moving from one side to the other in a constant swirl that peaks at the moment in which life and death are happening. As I said very clever.At some point, the story made me remember the start of 100 Years of Solitude. With the time shifting in the life of Coronel Buendia from one period to another in Macondo. But do not get me wrong. This is not a magical realism novel, nor it intents to be. It is a novel in which a great story is being told with full control of the author. It shows an author in full control of its trade and this is always welcome news to us readers.So please, stop reading this commentary and read the book.

Please read this book, if you are a mother, if you are a father, if you don't like Shakespeare... :)

I'd been recommended to read this book by many people so was looking forward to finally getting the paperback whilst also being slightly apprehensive that it may not meet up to expectations. Maggie O'Farrell is a great writer though and I've loved many of her other books so I felt in safe hands.There are 370 pages split into 2 parts which are before and after Hamnet dies (not a spoiler as we know this is going to happen from the start). The chapters move back and forward to cover both Hamnet's illness/death and his parents earlier lives.The prose has a beautiful lyrical rhythm which is rare in novels and is very compelling to read. I'm not a fan of audio books but I would imagine this would be a good way to experience this book.Hamnet's father is never mentioned by name which is initially curious as there is no doubt that he is William Shakespeare, we also never hear the family's name being used. The story might have been overpowered by the fame of Will Shakespeare so it's very clever not to mention him. The reader knows it is him but his name isn't allowed to take anything away from the hugely emotional story of the love between a son and a mother.I thought the descriptions were deep and simply gorgeous. Maggie O'Farrell has a way of using multiple metaphors in a passage of text which gently emphasise, creating images which could be physical or emotional.The language continue with it's musicality throughout the book with the author slipping in a few words that would be been popular use in the 16th century - this gives the narrative a genuine feel without distracting from the wonderful story ("No one is abroad" meaning "No one is out" as a simple example). It's interesting to consider how words have changed their usage and this subtle touch adds depth to the setting.MF allows herself the luxury of moving away from the main story occasionally. At one point we follow the journey of a flea through Europe which gives a chapter full of historical context which also explores the senses and emotions on the way.Some characters are more prominent than others but the reader is always given a well rounded view of the story, looking in from varying perspectives.I found this an emotional book to read as it explores all the elements of what it is to be human - encouraging the reader to understand Agnes's connection with her feelings, be they joy, grief and everything in between. At the same time the reader needs to look at themselves considering the whole gambit of emotions and how we handle them ourselves.