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Hamnet
'She's like no one I've ever met... She's like fire and water all at once.'Warwickshire, 1582. Agnes Hathaway, a natural healer, meets the Latin tutor, William Shakespeare. Drawn together by powerful but hidden impulses, they create a life together and make a family.As William moves to London to discover his place in the world of theatre, Agnes stays at home to raise their three children but she is the constant presence and purpose of his life.When the plague steals 11-year-old Hamnet from his loving parents, they must each confront their loss alone. And yet, out of the greatest suffering, something of extraordinary wonder is born.This new play based on Maggie O'Farrell's best-selling novel and adapted by award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti (Life of Pi, Red Velvet, Hymn), pulls back a curtain on the imagined family life of the greatest writer in the English language. Hamnet is a love letter to passion, birth, grief and the magic of nature. This updated and revised edition was published to coincide with the West End transfer of the original RSC production in October 2023.
- GenresPlaysHistorical
105 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 24, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 26, 2023
New review of the play adaptation, 10/'23:
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Unfortunately, both the original novel and the play adaptation of it share the same position here on GR, so I can't separate them - but this is a review of the play, NOT a second reading of the novel. The play premiered at Stratford this past summer and got fairly decent reviews (see below). If at times this seems a bit like a 'Cliffs Notes' version of the book, that was perhaps inevitable. Hopefully, the upcoming film adaptation will do a better job of fleshing out the characters and adhering more closely to the book.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/13/th...
Original review of the novel, 6/'20:
4.5, rounded up.
Although I didn't read this due to its inclusion as a Women's Prize nominee, of the five books on the list I have read, it is by far my favorite. I don't read much historical fiction, and since so little is known about the underlying facts in this case, I wasn't really looking for verisimilitude, but O'Farrell certainly immersed me into her created world. I liked the structure of the first part (70% of the book as a whole), in which she details the happenings surrounding the sickness and death of the titular character in 1596, alternating with chapters of flashbacks to the courtship of his parents and their early life together. I liked that the playwright father is never mentioned by name, and indeed is largely absent during large sections of the book, as the lives of his wife and family back in Stratford take ... center stage :-)!
I wasn't quite as enchanted with the final 30%, which seemed in need of some editing, with some sections seeming to go on long beyond what was necessary. The final section of Agnes witnessing the play named for her grieved son made up for these longueurs though, and provided a most satisfying conclusion.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Unfortunately, both the original novel and the play adaptation of it share the same position here on GR, so I can't separate them - but this is a review of the play, NOT a second reading of the novel. The play premiered at Stratford this past summer and got fairly decent reviews (see below). If at times this seems a bit like a 'Cliffs Notes' version of the book, that was perhaps inevitable. Hopefully, the upcoming film adaptation will do a better job of fleshing out the characters and adhering more closely to the book.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/13/th...
Original review of the novel, 6/'20:
4.5, rounded up.
Although I didn't read this due to its inclusion as a Women's Prize nominee, of the five books on the list I have read, it is by far my favorite. I don't read much historical fiction, and since so little is known about the underlying facts in this case, I wasn't really looking for verisimilitude, but O'Farrell certainly immersed me into her created world. I liked the structure of the first part (70% of the book as a whole), in which she details the happenings surrounding the sickness and death of the titular character in 1596, alternating with chapters of flashbacks to the courtship of his parents and their early life together. I liked that the playwright father is never mentioned by name, and indeed is largely absent during large sections of the book, as the lives of his wife and family back in Stratford take ... center stage :-)!
I wasn't quite as enchanted with the final 30%, which seemed in need of some editing, with some sections seeming to go on long beyond what was necessary. The final section of Agnes witnessing the play named for her grieved son made up for these longueurs though, and provided a most satisfying conclusion.
January 4, 2024
Excellent adaptation blending the passion of the novel, what we think we know about Shakespeare and theatrical convention. The major elements of the book are not lost in the play and the skillful interpolations from Shakespeare's plays help to round out the story-telling without detracting from the central focus of Agnes, Judith and Hamnet. Wish I could have seen the production when it opened in London last March...
November 13, 2025
Breathtaking. Somehow *without* dragging the play's book into a series of lengthy, but vivid, stage directions, Lolita Chakrabarti successfully isolates sound, sight, touch and makes them all key emotional components of an exceptional script and story. Agnes is an incredible character, so rich and human, at once unforgettable and so unlike anyone the world has ever known but also so identifiable in her empathy; her position in the story serves as a memory for all that you bring to the adaptation, but it doesn't take long for Chakrabarti to carve out our hearts and put Agnes, her children, and her love for Will in it's place. Sprawling, technically visionary - even within a script's outline -, and so beautifully human that my heart was torn apart, and put together again, by the end. A perfect play adaptation.
May 6, 2024
On the play text: Is it physically possible to read/watch this without crying? Such a strong adaptation of a brilliant book. Gutted I never got to watch this performed but thankful for the printed text.
Second time reading this and always so intrigued by the decisions made for presenting time lines. I love how the story is told in a more linear way to translate onto the stage but still holds the time jumping elements with the child voice overlays and running/playing throughout- really effective.
Also love how Agnes’ supernatural/magical abilities are shown on stage, specifically during the labour scene where the twins are born. If you love the novel, definitely have a look at the play adaptation.
Second time reading this and always so intrigued by the decisions made for presenting time lines. I love how the story is told in a more linear way to translate onto the stage but still holds the time jumping elements with the child voice overlays and running/playing throughout- really effective.
Also love how Agnes’ supernatural/magical abilities are shown on stage, specifically during the labour scene where the twins are born. If you love the novel, definitely have a look at the play adaptation.
March 17, 2024
Although this play removes the intensity and intimacy one discovers about Agnes within the pages of Maggie O'Farrell's novel, there remains poignancy and sensitivity to the characters and their struggle in losing a loved one.
I was not as impressed by the stronger place Shakespeare takes within the play - it is not about him, it is about Agnes, her roles as mother and wife, her relationships with her children, and what the author imagines Hamnet may have been like and how he died. The only role WS should play within this drama is that of a father.
Still, as an adaptation, audiences will get the most of the important bits of the novel. Hopefully, this will lead them to read it.
I was not as impressed by the stronger place Shakespeare takes within the play - it is not about him, it is about Agnes, her roles as mother and wife, her relationships with her children, and what the author imagines Hamnet may have been like and how he died. The only role WS should play within this drama is that of a father.
Still, as an adaptation, audiences will get the most of the important bits of the novel. Hopefully, this will lead them to read it.
February 21, 2024
Saw the play a couple days ago on closing night in London's West End. I read the novel a few years ago and must say that is a pretty good adaptation, even though the portrayals felt very different from what I personally felt while reading the book. Highly recommend reading the script and seeing the play if it gets produced again. I guess there's also the film coming out someday!
December 19, 2023
A very good adaptation of a very very good book, here's to hoping I can see it on stage one day.
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December 7, 2024I almost DNF’d but I’m glad I kept going - the rarely told story of Shakespeare’s son (also any story with the Plague has me hooked)
July 2, 2023
As a Shakespeare snob, I initially felt that the plot was forced and it occasionally read like a “Shakespearean insult” exercise that is given to students in secondary school. Around Act III, the storyline took on a better life and I could better visualize the dramatic elements scripted in this work. Similar to Shakespeare, this play is meant to be seen, not read so it can be challenging to understand the audience impact with no audience.
As a reader, you know what is going to happen to Hamnet, yet the author is able to script that demise creatively that it is still a surprise for the audience. All of the creative elements in this story have historical backing that could make this story more probable than fiction.
As a reader, you know what is going to happen to Hamnet, yet the author is able to script that demise creatively that it is still a surprise for the audience. All of the creative elements in this story have historical backing that could make this story more probable than fiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews