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Book Jacket

Hamnet

"Of all the stories...about Shakespeare’s life, [Hamnet] is so gorgeously ...

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Discuss Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

The fathers in the book create a physical and/or emotional distance between themselves and their families. Do you think this affects their children and lineage overall, and if so, in what ways?

10

Aug. 10, 2022
by audrey1

What does Agnes learn about her husband's life in London from her attempts to find him? Do you think she forgives him in the end upon witnessing his homage to his son?

17

Jul. 21, 2022
by joanw

Why do you think William Shakespeare goes unnamed in the novel? Would you have recognized him as the great playwright without knowing this was his family's story?

22

Jul. 20, 2022
by patriciag

How did this novel change your interpretation of Shakespeare's play?

20

Jul. 17, 2022
by lesleyf

How do Mary, Joan, and Agnes differ in their approach to women's work in the world and rearing children, especially their daughters? How do you feel Agnes's insights affect her decisions as a mother?

8

Jul. 17, 2022
by lesleyf

Overall, what do you think of Hamnet? (no spoilers in this thread, please)

32

Jul. 16, 2022
by sharalynnep

How do you believe Agnes's special gifts affect her reputation throughout the town and her connection to her husband?

8

Jul. 11, 2022
by amyjo804

What do you think makes Susanna's birth different from that of the twins? How does this manifest itself in each of the children's relationships with their mother?

5

Jul. 10, 2022
by jos

Discuss the significance of names in the novel overall. Who is afforded their own name, and who is known exclusively by their relation to others?

5

Jul. 10, 2022
by jos

How would you describe the nature of Agnes's love for her husband, and his for her? What draws them to each other, despite their different backgrounds?

13

Jul. 09, 2022
by patriciag

Shakespeare's plays are known for their supernatural elements and figures. What might be considered supernatural about the events of the novel?

6

Jul. 06, 2022
by barbarar

Why does Susanna take up her mother's work in spite of her frustrations with her mother? What do you expect her prospects of marriage are, as she reflects on them at the end of the novel?

9

Jul. 06, 2022
by juliep

What information do the three houses that Agnes inhabits tell her about what will happen there? Do you feel the energetics of the spaces, and the people who live there with her, become characters in and of themselves?

4

Jul. 06, 2022
by arlenei

How is the arrival of the plague marked and felt by the families we follow? Were these notions familiar to you at all in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, or at other points in history?

11

Jul. 05, 2022
by johnw

What roles do the written word, the spoken word, and words that are neither written nor spoken play in how the characters know one another and how we know them?

4

Jul. 03, 2022
by juliep

What are the consequences of Agnes's encouraging her husband to go to London? Do you think she still regrets the decision at the end of the book as she is watching Hamlet onstage?

12

Jul. 03, 2022
by Auntie Mame

Agnes's husband says of her that it is a joy and a curse to be married to 'Someone who knows everything about you, before you even know it yourself.' Can you relate to this feeling at all?

10

Jul. 02, 2022
by ColoradoGirl

Discuss the twins' last moments together.

10

Jun. 30, 2022
by terriej

Based on the portrayal of the play in this novel, how are Hamnet and his father, and Hamlet (the character) and his father related to one another?

2

Jun. 27, 2022
by Andrea

Sorry, Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell is closed for new posts.
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