HamnetHamnet
Score Modern
What it's about
In Stratford in 1596, Agnes, an unusual woman who keeps bees and understands herbs, has three children with her husband, a Latin tutor who now works in London. When their twins fall ill with the plague, it's their son Hamnet, eleven years old, who dies. Maggie O'Farrell imagines the family's life before and after his death, and how a grieving father, never named in the book, came to write a play called Hamlet.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Women's Prize, and became a film. It's a gorgeously written portrait of a marriage and of grief.
You'll love it if you liked
Wolf Hall
The Covenant of Water
A Thousand Splendid SunsGood to know
The death of a child is at its heart, so it's sad. It moves between time periods, and Agnes is the real center of the story.
By the numbers
- Readers81 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics81 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller55 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz14 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #9 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #10 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #44 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #81 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Maggie O'Farrell
If you like this, read next
All the Light We Cannot See
The Help
Pachinko
Shuggie Bain
The Nickel Boys
The Great BelieversExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Hamnet worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Women's Prize, and became a film. It ranks #81 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 87.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Hamnet about?
In Stratford in 1596, Agnes, an unusual woman who keeps bees and understands herbs, has three children with her husband, a Latin tutor who now works in London. When their twins fall ill with the plague, it's their son Hamnet, eleven years old, who dies. Maggie O'Farrell imagines the family's life before and after his death, and how a grieving father, never named in the book, came to write a play called Hamlet.
How long does it take to read Hamnet?
About 9 hours (352 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Hamnet won?
Women's Prize for Fiction winner (2020); NBCC Award (Fiction) winner (2020).
What should I read after Hamnet?
If you liked it, try Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese or A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.