Hamnet

I’m really not sure what to think about this book. I was an English major with a concentration in British literature, and taught Hamlet to high school seniors. It’s a well written story about life in Elizabethan England, a mother grieving over the loss of her child and the impact that has on her family. I don’t find the connection to William Shakespeare and his play Hamlet believable. There’s very little character development regarding Hamnet. William Shakespeare is a minor character. He disappears for most of Hamnet’s life, therefore I didn’t get a sense of his connection to his son and his family. I would’ve enjoyed this book more if it was called Agnes and it was the story of a woman living in Elizabethan England and raising children while her husband was absent.

I cannot begin to express how deeply this book has touched my heart. “Hamnet” will speak so clearly to anyone who has had to live on after the death of a beloved one. For me, it brought to life the unending longing and love that motherhood delivers and did so through the example of an historical family I have always held dear - The Shakepeares of Stratford. This book brought me such joy, such sorrow, such wonder. I cannot stop crying.

Luscious language. Would love to see her continuing

I am not in love with this book at all but I will say my heart went out to Agnes. Especially when they spoke about her mother coming out of the forbidden woods and married her father and then died. Then that horrible sister became Agnes’ new mother and all traces of Agnes’ mother were quickly erased. How Agnes longed to be just held and loved. It was heartbreaking. Then when she meets Will Shakespeare and later, he starts to have extramarital affairs and by this time, Agnes could care less.

The grandfather, John, was a mean son of a ba$tard taking cheap swings at not only Will but now Hamlet. He was a sick man who hated himself and life and he took it out on others. He cheated people and was a mean drunk and couldn’t “understand” why people even at the church didn’t want to go with him for a drink. Wait, he was banned…from a church of all places. Now that’s bad. It was just a bit hard for me to keep up with the chapters jumping back and forth between the timelines because I was already having problems trying to motivate myself to finish the book but it is for my book club so I was committed.

Tbh, again, if it was not for the fact that I was reading this for my book club, I would have put this in the DNF pile.

I’m so sad I’ll never again be able to read this for the first time.