'Hamnet,' Maggie O’Farrell with The Literary Adventures of Amber and Eleanor the Cat

As an avid lover of the written word, both from my own creativity and that of others, my fellow Mountain Times journalists have given me my very own column to discuss all things books and boy, oh boy, am I excited! A passionate pastime of mine, and  part of my professional life as a book cafe owner, literature has always been the pinnacle of my existence and, by default, my beloved cat, Eleanor’s. So without further ado, I give to you, a brief synopsis of Maggie O’Farrell’s historical fiction novel, Hamnet.

Historical fiction with facets of William Shakespeare’s real personal life, Hamnet sets the stage of what life could have been like for not just the world’s most beloved playwright, but more so, the life of his wife, Anne Hathaway [Agnes] and their three children. Set in Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, Hamnet becomes the blueprint of the “hows” and the “whys” of some of his most beloved works. O’Farrell introduces readers to a young, slightly withdrawn William Shakespeare. The son of an intense and at times, abusive tanner [leathersmith], Shakespeare is determined to do everything and anything he can to avoid becoming the worn out hands and jaded mouth of his father. 

Unlike other historical fiction novels and films with regard to Shakespeare’s life, O’Farrell does detail some of the inner workings of our great playwright’s mind, but soon shifts the focus and story’s main identity to that of Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes [Anne Hathaway]. Although not much is truly known of the real lives of Shakespeare or his wife, O’Farrell’s research in what is documented as fact gives way to creative speculation and allows the reader to witness just how complex and complicated their lives really were. An orphaned child, Agnes’ character is defined as a “healer.” Engrossed in the memory of her mother’s work as an herbalist, Agnes carries those traits throughout her life with Shakespeare, even aiding neighbors with illness and injury. And while O’Farrell did an outstanding job showcasing such a strong female character, the reality of her weakness was emphasized through the character’s journey upon the loss of her beloved son, Hamnet.

Dancing in and out of every chapter, O’Farrell manages to intertwine England’s most devastating and deadly ordeal with the plague, and how it likely took the life of Anges and Shakespeare’s twin son, Hamnet. As the chapters navigate the beginning of the relationship between Agnes and Shakespeare and the “present” issue of her children fighting for their lives, Agnes’ character and unique abilities both as a healer and a mother are tested. For a large part of his children’s lives, Shakespeare is earning his namesake and literary notoriety in London, creating and performing all the while his wife is struggling to keep her children alive. 

Although O’Farrell explains that there is no definite proof of the actual cause of Hamnet’s death, it is widely accepted that the young boy likely died from the plague, given the age, time frame and rapid nature of his passing and burial. It is also historically accurate and accepted that the tragic loss of Hamnet was Shakespeare’s inspiration in creating “Hamlet,” one of his most prolific plays.

As a historical fiction nerd through and through, I found O’Farrell’s “Hamnet” to be well written and extremely gripping. Although biased to strong female characters and authors, I believe O’Farrell’s secret, five star quality agenda in this novel was not to emphasize a man the world already knows and loves, but to give credit to the behind the scenes hero of his life and muse, Agnes. Both Eleanor the cat and I give this book five stars for its overall story, characters, and, in Eleanor’s opinion, the many mentions of cats and the prolific role they played in exterminating plague infested rats.