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Hamnet
- Winner of The Women's Prize for Fiction 2020 - the No. 1 Bestseller
- Narrated by: Daisy Donovan
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
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Hamnet
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Summary
Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020
The Sunday Times best seller
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.
Critic reviews
"A thing of shimmering wonder." (David Mitchell)
"Richly sensuous...something special." (The Sunday Times)
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What listeners say about Hamnet
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ms R Ayliffe
- 19-12-20
unbelievable
having lost a child I can safely say, Maggie O'Farrell has nailed it in this.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-03-22
Beautiful and deeply moving read
This is the best book I've ever listened to. it is so Beautifully written I could literally feel every emotion, and see the scenes before me. I don't know if any other book will ever live up to this.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cat
- 24-05-21
Wonderful storytelling
A beautifully written reimagining of what might have been, the characters are so rich, the narrative style lyrics without being verbose. The narration is a little flat and rushed as others have said, but I still liked the main character’s “voice”, direct, clear and true, just like her. I loved this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Niamh
- 19-08-21
a great book
A fascinating, richly detailed, highly enjoyable read. Character driven. William is a minor character here, the main protagonist is Agnes his intriguing wife. Good narration if a bit fast at times
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- RHM
- 26-09-21
Fabulous and tender book
Loved this. The reader was brilliant. Story and writing is beautiful. Highly recommend. Very poignant.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amelie Green
- 07-05-21
Shame about the Northern accents - off putting
This is a brilliant story the language of which draws you in and which is authentic in so many ways - the glove business, the name of the streets, the Shakespeare family .... and yet the narrater set it somewhere between the cobbles of Coronation street and the Woolpack. Her voice when narrating was warming on the ear but then she spoke the dialogue in an accent which wasn’t anywhere near the Midlands let alone Stratford upon Avon.
There are many talented performers and audio book narrators who could have read with authenticity and it’s a shame that no attention was given to such a central part of the story. If the writer wanted this particular narrator perhaps different performers could have read the dialogue and brought the characters to life. With a long running series like the Archers set quite close most people know that Stratford upon Avon has a similar accent which whilst not perfect would not have distracted from the moving story.
A great book, a warm voice but unless you can get past the glaring discrepancy between where it’s set and the voices you might choose to read this one yourself.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AndreaK
- 13-12-20
very atmospheric story
This is a gripping story, very well read. Shakespeare's name is never mentioned yet it's clear who this is about.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- josephine mclaughln
- 10-04-21
Narration
I really enjoyed this book and actually thought the narration was fine. I slowed it down in the beginning but quickly went to normal
Speed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Elaine Mitchell
- 11-01-22
Excellent reading
Mesmerised by this. Unusual novel, historically and psychologically interesting. Deserved of praise. Recommended to many - from a 16 year old to an octogenarian .
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Chris W
- 03-10-20
Lovely story
A gentle tale of what might have been. Weaving stories of Shakespeare, his family and their life in Stratford, and who is Hamlet?
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