Review: Hamnet

Lyrical prose restores a fascinating woman

Yeah, I know that this isn't exactly historical truth - mainly because we know very little about Anne Hathaway (in this book she is called Agnes). But I found this to be an imaginative and fascinating attempt at telling the story of Shakespeare's wife. She was the center of attention here - Shakespeare was just a supporting character. One, who was actually never even referred to by name! The writing brought this to life and I adored it.

👍 What I Liked 👍

Writing: The lyrical prose of this book was so beautiful. It really elevated the story and made it flow right off the page. I am not usually one for noticing writing, but here it was impossible to not notice it - and even more impossible to not appreciate it. I will say, though, if you prefer dialogue over descriptive language, this book is not for you 😅

Not Shakespeare: The novel approach to telling this woman's story was amazing! She is only known for being the wife of Shakespeare (and the mother of his children) but that's all we know of her. Her entire claim to fortune is her husband. But here, Shakespeare is not even mentioned. Sure, he is a character who figures throughout the book, but he is not the focus and he is never mentioned by name. That was a stroke of genius!

Everyday lives: The true beauty of this book is how it focuses on the normal, everyday life of an ordinary family (with a less than ordinary family member, sure). The central focus is the experience of women and children in the 16th century. What struggles do they live with? What pleasures in life do they have? Those things were the focus and I loved it.