#49 in Historical fiction
Hamnet
- 358
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
Affiliate link: buying through it supports BookRank at no extra cost to you.
About the book
Hamnet is a 2020 historical fiction novel by Maggie O'Farrell. It is a fictional account of William Shakespeare and Agnes Hathaway's son, Hamnet, who died at the age of eleven in 1596, and focuses on his parents' grief. In Canada, the novel was published under the title Hamnet & Judith.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.2 across 555 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 79% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Historical fiction average of 8.0. That is how 8.2 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.3 | 15 | 3% |
| Hardcover | 8.2 | 540 | 97% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“This is a novel “of the Plague” as the book cover says, and the death by the plague of their son is the central event for Agnes and her husband, the writer. The son's name is Hamnet. Hamnet was also written as Hamlet in the…”
“descriptive and engaging, even tho there's no “real” plot (Hamnet's death is the focal-point and the book spends ~60% leading up to it) 2 timelines: “the past” - William + Agnes's meeting and marriage, and “present day” with Hamnet I LOVED the “past” timeline so…”
Frequently asked
How long is Hamnet?
It has 358 pages — shorter than 70% of the ranked books in Historical fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Historical fiction — and a score of 8.2, the closest to this book.
