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Hamnet

Listen to the bestselling novel before you see the award winning film

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About this listen

 **LISTEN TO HAMNET STAR JESSIE BUCKLEY'S UNFORGETTABLE NEW RECORDING BEFORE YOU SEE THE FILM**

'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 sudden 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 Hamnet will not survive the week.

Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright: a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.

WINNER OF THE 2020 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION - THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER 2021
WINNER: WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
WINNER: FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR, BRITISH BOOK AWARDS
WINNER: BOOKS ARE MY BAG READER'S CHOICE AWARD
AS FEATURED ON BBC2'S BETWEEN THE COVERS
SHORTLISTED: AN POST IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR, WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION©2020 Maggie O'Farrell Biographical Fiction Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Renaissance Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking Fiction

Critic reviews

Stunning. The writing is exquisite, immersive and compelling... deserves to win prizes
The story of Hamnet Shakespeare has been waiting in the shadows for over four hundred years. Maggie O'Farrell brings it dazzlingly, devastatingly, into the light
Grief and loss so finely written I could hardly bear to read it
Heartstopping. Hamnet does for the Shakespeare story what Jean Rhys did for Jane Eyre, inhabiting, enlarging and enriching it in ways that will alter the reader's view for ever
Blisteringly brilliant... You'll lap up this intricately told story of grief, love and the bond between twins
[A] rich imagining of the lives of Shakespeare's family enchants... O'Farrell's remarkable novel bursts with life
A beautiful read. A devastating one. Intricate, and breathtakingly imaginative
A bold undertaking. Beautifully imagined and written
Richly sensuous...something special
The novel of her career... everyone I know who has managed to get hold of a copy is absolutely in love with it
A staggeringly beautiful and unbearably poignant novel. O'Farrell is one of the most surprisingly quiet radicals in fiction
All stars
Most relevant
Jessie Buckley is excellent reading this book that I love. O’Farrell’s book is a masterpiece, simple but so poetic, it speaks so eloquently for those who grieve. But here Jessie Buckley’s performance is full of understanding, of the meaning of these words. Impeccable.

A magnificent book, and magnificently read here.

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Maggie O'Farrel has produced an enthralling heartbreakingly awesome book. Her discriptions of each character and the way the story takes you along a completely believable journey. Encompassing you in the pain and grief felt by Agnes at the loss of her son is simply heartbreaking.

OMG heartbreaking

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This book is incredible. Jessie’s narration is BEAUTIFUL. Download it now. Listen forever. Maggie is a wizard of words.

JESSIS IS A QUEEN

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This is a tale superbly told. The writing of the death scene stood out as it was close to home. One of my own twins died and I was there at her last breath so I found this very moving. I was not so keen on the narration sadly, finding some of the pronunciations weird and indistinct, which surprised me and I wished I had listened to the original recording instead. Try them both and choose before you buy.

Stunning writing

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The narration is stunning, it took me a while to realise it is the same actor who plays Agnes in the film. I was enthralled and savoured each moment, each alteration in pace and each depth of desire and emotion. This is a book I will return to.

Senses and emotion and detail

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