Hamnet, by Maggie Farrell

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This fictional rendering of the relationship between William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes (Anne) Hathaway in Stratford, centers on the death of their son, Hamnet, in 1596. In the novel Agnes is a kind of wild-child who gathers herbs in the wood, heals the sick, and has second sight, which allows her to see people’s character and fate. When she meets a young Latin tutor at her family home, she is strangely drawn to him, seeing something special in him unlike anyone else she has met. Young Will is also drawn to her, although he is younger and dependent on his father’s glove-making business. The novel alternates between the story of Agnes and Will’s love affair, marriage and children – and desperate scenes of young Hamnet and his twin sister Judith’s sudden sickening with the plague. The alternating chapters help build suspense. Woven into the story are Will’s long absences as he builds a successful career in play-writing and theater in London. Beyond the fact that Will is seen scribbling in the attic, his play-writing is little visible in the novel until the end, when his play Hamlet becomes an event of urgent interest to Agnes, named as it is after their son. The novel reaches a climax as Agnes races to London for the first time, to see the play, accompanied by her brother. While at times the characters’ emotions seem overwrought, details of 16th century life in England add interest to the narrative. One of my favorite chapters involved the travels of a plague-carrying flea from Alexandria to Stratford. A particularly visceral chapter details the preparation of the body of Hamnet for burial by the women of the family. If you are a fan of Shakespeare, this novel makes for interesting historical speculation – but don’t expect to learn a lot about Shakespeare’s vocation.



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