Little enough do we know about the Bard, William Shakespeare, but even less are we privy to in the lives of his most common family. A scant note about his father being an Alderman, the age gap with his wife, and the births of three children at Stratford is all that populates the historical eulogy of the Western world’s most famous writer. And yet his myth looms large centuries after his death, tempting researchers, writers, and enthusiasts to plumb the quilling depths to embellish the Elizabethan era in search of a lifelike Shakespearean family that comes off the page (and stage). O’Farrell may not be the first to be intrigued by the historical potential of the Bard, but she is one of the few who focuses the story away from its most famous player and brings to life the mysterious wife, his forebears, and the children who carried on his name. The story purports to be about Hamnet and Judith (being titled simply for the son who may have inspired Shakespeare’s most well-known play), but the whole family was so uniquely wrought that the story transcended my expectations entirely. Agnes was an easy favourite in the tale, as she plays the part of the surprisingly witchy girlfriend and matures into a woman who stands outside her time period alongside the husband who must leave their small town for London to forge the path that will bring him fame (and more importantly happiness). The pair are unexpected and illbegot according to the town, but their story is one that plays quietly towards Shakespeare’s own themes about troubled families, star-crossed lovers, and the risks one must take to forge a life. ( )

A truly remarkable novel, so finely wrought, conjuring up a powerful sense of the past, creating palpably real characters. A must for Shakespeare fans, but even if you don't know your Stratford-upon-Avon lore, there's a lot to be found here. ( )

As other have remarked, reading this book during the time of Covid 19 gives it an immediacy it couldn't have claimed in 'normal' times. This is story of a family, and how they cope with the death of one of its members, 11 year old twin Hamnet. It's particularly the story of Agnes, mother to Hamnet and wife of the man who's never mentioned by name, Shakespeare: and largely told by alternating the narrative between the time of Agnes' courtship, and the period during which their three children begin to grow, and Shakespeare moves to London. Reading the book, I was immersed in understanding the day-to-day business of bringing up an extended family, of small town life, and later, when Hamnet dies of the plague, of grief the which affects the characters in different ways. I relished the side-stories - understanding how the plague came to Europe for instance.
This is an involving story of love and loss which commanded my complete involvement while I was reading it. ( )

I read it. It was fine, but the sentences were all very short, a sort of skimming of a story which didn’t slow for any one character to be really felt.

Shakespeare as a Family Man?

I enjoyed this imagining of Shakespeare as a husband and father. The author takes what is known about Shakespeare's family and builds a backstory for his life. In doing so, O'Farrell puts Shakespeare in the background. The story mostly focuses on his wife and to a lesser extent, his children.
One of the main themes are independence, for Shakespeare, this means getting out from under his father's thumb. For Agnes, it means keeping her mother's traditions as a healer. Another very important theme is loss and grief...as both Shakespeare and Agnes both struggle with the loss of Hamnet.
4 stars: The only criticism of the story is the portrayal of Agnes as a proto feminist nature healer. While it did added to the theme of independence, this trope is over used. ( )