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Hamnet

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Hamnet

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Daisy Donovan
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About this listen

WINNER OF THE 2020 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION - THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 2021
'Richly sensuous... something special' The Sunday Times
'A thing of shimmering wonder' David Mitchell

TWO EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE. A LOVE THAT DRAWS THEM TOGETHER. A LOSS THAT THREATENS TO TEAR THEM APART.

On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home?

Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London. Neither parent knows that one of the children will not survive the week.

Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright. It is a story of the bond between twins, and of a marriage pushed to the brink by grief. It is also the story of a kestrel and its mistress; flea that boards a ship in Alexandria; and a glovemaker's son who flouts convention in pursuit of the woman he loves. Above all, it is a tender and unforgettable reimagining of a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.

©2020 Maggie O'Farrell (P)2020 Headline Publishing Group Ltd Biographical Fiction Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Renaissance Small Town & Rural Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking

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Beautifully written, wonderful narrator, I enjoyed every minute of this fantastic book. Highly recommended. A fascinating glimpse into the past with fully rounded characters. I especially loved the descriptions of nature and the herbs and flowers from which Agnes made her lotions and tinctures.

Five stars

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Beautifully written and credible take on the real relationship between Will and Ann (Agnès?) Even explains the strange legacy of the ‘second best bed’!

Shakespeare in love?

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Utterly captivating and imaginatively created storytelling. The narrator’s style made a valuable contribution - I liked its pacing and dialogue styles. Some reviewers have found it too quick but I enjoyed being swept along by it, headlong into each phase of the growing calamity... so often narrators can be a bit plodding but Daisy Donovan conveyed ideas at the speed we might think them - and that worked, for me.

Powerful storytelling

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Daisy O'Donovan's performance is outstanding and she is able to bring Farrell's beautiful prose to life incredibly skillfully.

Beautiful. Sad. You will cry.

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This is a wonderful story, superbly narrated and beautifully written. It captures the era and every character is believable.

simply superb

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From the beginning I was transported to the 17 th century. Reading it while living with coronavirus I was fascinated by how the plague reached Juliet in Stratford. Each step presented a new place, a new world. I loved the language and loved each character even the one who remained nameless! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves well written stories with depth.

An utterly engrossing story

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Exceptional story, wonderful storytelling - just quite sad! Really beautifully written book however. two words remain

don't listen to this if you need a pick me up

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Interesting story. I thought the emphasis on the heroine's otherworldliness was going to lead to a narrative about witchcraft and witch hunting but bubonic plague was the actual mover of the main events. I wasn't convinced by the conclusion but enjoyed the references to Hamlet and the husband playwright from Stratford on Avon: the young Shakespeare perhaps?
Beautifully and sympathetically read.

Hamnet

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I absolutely loved this story. I didn't want it to end. Maybe not the best reader I have heard, but the story had me gripped from start to finish.

A gripping and moving tale.

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Just wonderful, Daisy Donovan gave for me a breathtaking narration - could have been in the round wooden theatre. A great listen

Carried along like a stage production

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