Hamnet

When I first began this book, I wasn’t sure that I liked it. I kept scratching my head wondering what I was missing after seeing so many 4- and 5-star reviews. Then I decided to switch to the audiobook, and things turned on a dime for me. I enjoyed the narrator and found that I could immerse myself more into Warwickshire in the 1580s through 1596.

The book tells the story of Agnes, who is both feared and sought out. She can hold your hand and tell you what is to come. But sadly, she doesn’t quite see what is coming for her – unimaginable grief and loss. She and her husband have three children: Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. Tragically her sone, Hamnet dies in 1596. Her husband goes on to write a play about him titled Hamlet.

I liked how this book does not name William Shakespeare but focuses on his wife, Agnes (Ann Hathaway). Agnes’s early years, her marriage and loss of her son are told in this book. The author expertly shows a mother’s loss, her grief, and her belief that she should have known. One could feel her feelings about the loss of her child, how consumed with grief she was.

Now I get the high ratings and praise of the book!

**This was a Traveling Friends Buddy read.