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Sep 08, 2025
Penny (Literary Hoarders)
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review of another edition
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3.5 stars
There is no denying Maggie O'Farrell's incredible talent for writing. She is a gorgeous writer. (If you haven't read about her 17 brushes with death in I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death I strongly encourage you to read it!) That gorgeousness is certainly found here also, but I have to be honest in saying I never felt a strong desire to be reading this book. I found myself doing anything else but picking this book up. There were moments where I was in awe of the beautiful ...more
There is no denying Maggie O'Farrell's incredible talent for writing. She is a gorgeous writer. (If you haven't read about her 17 brushes with death in I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death I strongly encourage you to read it!) That gorgeousness is certainly found here also, but I have to be honest in saying I never felt a strong desire to be reading this book. I found myself doing anything else but picking this book up. There were moments where I was in awe of the beautiful ...more
I'm not one who shies away from lush writing, but the relentlessly repetitive adjectives and non-intuitive comma constructions made my reading experience feel like driving over a rutted dirt track. The first half was also emotionally slow-going for me. The characters felt more like archetypes than individuals, with the Shakespeare association being the main draw, and which doesn't seem to be leading anywhere until the very end. For much of the book, I wondered if the Shakespeare tie-in was merel
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The best historical fiction I've read in a long time. I love the literary bent and the focus on Agnes's side of the story.
The writing is also both beautiful and effective. Every description came alive, every character was clearly drawn, and so many scenes were palpable. Agnes and her future husband's meeting in the apple storage shed was particularly memorable to me. ...more
The writing is also both beautiful and effective. Every description came alive, every character was clearly drawn, and so many scenes were palpable. Agnes and her future husband's meeting in the apple storage shed was particularly memorable to me. ...more
Hamnet Shakespeare, who died in 1596 aged 11, was the only son of the playwright. He was born and lived all his short life in Stratford upon Avon with his mother, two sisters, grandparents, and a mostly absent father. That’s about all we know for sure. In this novel, Maggie O’Farrell fleshes out his life and that of his mother, Anne or Agnes.
On an emotional level, I thought this was a wonderful book. Agnes and her husband and children are magnetic characters, and the descriptions brought a Tudo ...more
On an emotional level, I thought this was a wonderful book. Agnes and her husband and children are magnetic characters, and the descriptions brought a Tudo ...more
Mar 04, 2020
Meghan
marked it as to-read
Jul 03, 2020
Read Between The Lines
marked it as to-read
Aug 26, 2020
Jen
marked it as to-read
Oct 24, 2020
Sally
marked it as to-read
Dec 23, 2020
Angelbis
marked it as unfinished
Dec 31, 2020
Kimberly
added it
Jan 25, 2021
Forreste
marked it as to-read
Nov 01, 2022
Kristina Simon
rated it
it was amazing
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review of another edition
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Mar 02, 2021
Kate S
marked it as to-read
Jan 15, 2022
Susan
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Jan 31, 2024
Jane from B.C.
marked it as to-read
Mar 06, 2024
Ellen
marked it as to-read
Oct 22, 2024
Kim
marked it as to-read
