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By: DANNE 004
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2025-06-23 14:33:04 |
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Our group really enjoyed this book. The style of writing was interesting and added to the story. |
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By: CHCH 257
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2025-03-19 13:10:34 |
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Mixed feelings about this book. Storyline interesting but very slow. Almost over descriptive. Hamnet seemed a bit remote from the story at times. |
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By: PIOPIO 001
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2024-10-24 20:29:24 |
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A popular book with our group, a reminder of 16th Century living, beautifully crafted characters and beautiful but challenging relationships between the characters. We loved the way the story unfolded. |
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By: WELL 189
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2024-08-10 17:37:36 |
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This book paired well with the mulled wine we made for the occasion! Overall we all really enjoyed the use of language and imagery of the book - it really brought the 16rh century era and the characters to life. The story was a very clever take on a well-known author's life and family. |
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By: HAMIL 029
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2024-08-08 16:45:05 |
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The group was divided about Hamnet, though most found a lot in it to admire. For several of us, it is a book to love for its style, its recreation of C16th England through sensual imagery, including smell, the imaginative portrait of Agnes Hathaway as a strong, independent woman not just Shakespeare's wife who probably trapped him into marriage. O'Farrell's depiction of grief for the loss of a child is moving and powerful. Some thought the book too disjointed for them and too long. One person just didn't read it. |
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By: TAKA 001
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2024-04-09 09:25:30 |
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Most people in our group loved the book and liked the detailed descriptions of life at the time of Shakespeare. To highlight the life of his wife, who was unconvential but very independent was very much enjoyed. The description of the impact of the grief after losing a child felt very true. |
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By: WHITBY 005
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2024-03-01 19:56:18 |
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The majority of our group enjoyed Hamnet, praised the descriptive writing and rated it highly. Several of us had read it previously but welcomed a second read. We had good discussion on the themes in the book and life in Elizabethan England. Reminiscences were shared of members' visits to Stratford on Avon, also the Globe theatre. We also considered the stance of Shakespeare sceptics. |
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By: CHCH 058
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2024-01-23 09:33:06 |
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Most members found the book interesting but over long and somewhat disjointed, because of the arrangement of the chapters based on the journey of the characters rather than following the chronology of events. Some felt the reading of it a bit of a chore. Two members were very enthusiastic about all aspects of the book. |
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By: MOTUE 008
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2024-01-11 10:31:55 |
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For the first time, everyone in the group gave this book unreserved praise. The perfect book for our last meeting of the year. |
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By: WELL 041
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2023-11-22 13:40:23 |
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We all gave Hamnet a top score. A truly clever and wonderful book to read. We all thoroughly enjoyed and praised the book; Maggie O'Farrell is a great writer. |
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By: LOWER 006
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2023-11-02 14:14:59 |
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Really enjoyed - spiked a renewed interest in Shakespeare and his works! |
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By: CHCH 494
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2023-07-13 13:37:21 |
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Absorbing read, and general agreement as to the writer's consummate skill with prose and complicated characterisation. Some readers felt the story required a second reading to dispel some initial confusion. |
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By: NGARB 001
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2023-04-24 13:17:47 |
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Everyone in our group just LOVED this book, and some read it twice! A talented author, using very expressive language, who brought the story alive. We could walk the streets, and smell the smells! |
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By: AKAR 001
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2023-03-27 11:49:02 |
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A great read for the first book of the year. Satisfying storyline, characterisations, and descriptive passages. Too descriptive for some at times! But then several members looked out other books by the author, and searched the internet and RNZ for interviews and reviews. |
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By: STRAT 001
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2023-03-13 13:07:12 |
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Several members were confused by the layout, with no chapter numbers or headings, and the altering of real names. Others thought the text was descriptive and lyrical. We all thought we would appreciate it more at a second reading. |
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By: WELL 130
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2023-02-27 12:45:12 |
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A really thought-provoking read. A number of themes including family violence, a pandemic, marriage, housing, life and death. We loved the poetic writing style. |
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By: BLENH 011
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2023-01-12 14:41:40 |
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Everybody loved this book - best of the year. |
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By: LOWER 002
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2023-01-09 11:13:48 |
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Polarised opinions. Some really disliked the concept of inventing a story for a historical figure, some found the writing too discursive. On the other hand, some loved it, and found it an enjoyable riff on elements of the most famous literary figure of all! |
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By: INVER 001
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2023-01-09 10:22:37 |
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Virtually all the group loved this book - several had read it before but enjoyed the writing and historical content just as much the 2nd time around - a real winner! |
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By: CHCH 449
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2023-01-05 19:52:58 |
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Well-written and easy to read except we didn't enjoy the jumping of generations and time-frames. Interesting reading about life in 1500s but we had difficulty relating the story to the actual play "Hamlet". |
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By: CHCH 537
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2022-11-28 16:12:41 |
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We all loved it, tears shed and loved the historical context. |
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By: WELL 074
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2022-11-17 14:23:48 |
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Enjoyable but rather dense in places. |
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By: RAUM 001
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2022-11-16 13:15:48 |
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We all loved this book - great story (very sad), brilliantly told, which made the environment of centuries ago feel as real as modern day. Highest recommendation. |
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By: TAUR 004
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2022-10-10 11:37:12 |
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Members were intrigued by the transmission of the plague. Beautiful descriptive writing. The book was enjoyed by most but not all. |
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By: WELL 007
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2022-09-19 14:49:08 |
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Everyone really enjoyed this book. The description of of Elizabethan England a highlight. All agreed Maggie O'Farrell is a great writer. |
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By: TEKUI 001
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2022-09-01 10:26:37 |
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Everyone enjoyed this book, the descriptions were excellent. Hamnet's death was tear jerking. It was interesting that Shakespeare's name was never mentioned. |
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By: WHITIAN 002
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2022-08-18 14:25:36 |
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General agreement on the pleasure of reading this book. All enjoyed O'Farrell's style, observations of the human and natural world, comparisons with today's Covid pandemic, and an insight to life in Shakespeare's time. All will read more of this author. |
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By: AUCK 224
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2022-08-16 11:47:37 |
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The members loved the book with its beautiful descriptions. They wished that the story was true rather than fiction. Made us think about life in the 1600s. |
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By: AUCK 071
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2022-08-15 14:49:42 |
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Despite taking a while to get into, members felt the book was a worthwhile read. Characterisation was particularly good, as was the detailed description of how life might have been in Elizabethan Stratford. It was quite intense, but members felt that the handling of the intense grief felt by Agnes was very moving. |
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By: PICT 005
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2022-08-10 16:52:16 |
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We all enjoyed this book. The sense of place, descriptions, and metaphors were impressively vivid. |
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By: TAUR 005
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2022-08-08 12:00:11 |
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Most members loved this book, both the style and the content. Others did not enjoy the story, feeling the characters lacked development. The majority totally endorsed the writing and the content. |
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By: GOVER 005
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2022-07-18 18:59:30 |
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We all loved this book. The style of writing was mesmerising and although it is a sad book, it covered the topics of death and grief in a beautiful and moving prose. We were all sad to finish, many of us couldn't put it down, even when doing the vaccuming!! |
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By: AUCK 116
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2022-06-30 11:53:51 |
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In spite of all the amazing reviews, our group didn't really like the book. Too flowery, hard to believe and needed editing. |
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By: GREYT 002
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2022-06-20 11:35:23 |
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One of our highest scoring books - people enjoyed the story, the Shakespeare link ( albeit fiction) and the style of writing. |
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By: HOKITIK 001
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2022-04-29 12:00:56 |
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More than half of our group had already read this book but we all re-read it. Such is the brilliance of this book. What a stunner. Led to all sorts of discussion: plague, characterisation, history, family dynamics - it had it all. |
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By: WAIKA 013
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2022-04-11 14:14:25 |
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A book which divided some of the members, including the one who recommended it - who scored it very poorly!! Others thought it was well-written and gave some insight to the late 16th century - the time of Shakespeare. |
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