The Book Review

chevron_right

Book Club: Let's Talk About 'Hamnet'

Nov 28, 2025

Guest

Jennifer Harlan, an editor at The New York Times Book Review, Leah Greenblatt, a critic at the same publication, and Sarah Lyall, a writer-at-large for The New York Times, delve into Maggie O’Farrell’s poignant novel 'Hamnet.' They discuss Shakespeare's son Hamnet and the deep themes of grief and family woven throughout the story. The panel examines the character of Agnes, Shakespeare's wife, highlighting her intelligence and emotional labor. They also explore the connections between 'Hamnet' and Shakespeare’s plays, as well as the powerful transformation of private grief into art.

01:02:00

forum

Ask episode

web_stories

AI Snips

view_agenda

Chapters

menu_book

Books

auto_awesome

Transcript

info_circle

Episode notes

insights

INSIGHT

Grief Drives Historical Imagination

Maggie O'Farrell reimagines scant historical facts into a vivid, human story centered on grief and family.
The novel connects Hamnet's death to the creation of Hamlet, blending history with imaginative empathy.

insights

INSIGHT

Two-Part Structure Amplifies Loss

The book's two-part structure builds tension then explores aftermath, deepening emotional impact.
Part one reads almost like a thriller; part two meditates on how grief reshapes each family member.

insights

INSIGHT

Agnes Reclaims Hathaway's Story

Agnes (Anne/Anyas) becomes the emotional center, redeeming a historically sidelined wife.
O'Farrell gives her agency as a healer, observer, and pivotal partner to Shakespeare.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Book club setup and Hamnet overview

00:40 • 4min

chevron_right

Plot and historical facts summarized

04:11 • 3min

chevron_right

Agnes/Hathaway's portrait and significance

07:10 • 2min

chevron_right

Immediate reactions to Hamnet

09:19 • 6min

chevron_right

Leah's reservations about mysticism

15:21 • 5min

chevron_right

Defending Agnes's intelligence and role

19:53 • 2min

chevron_right

The second-best bed and reclaiming Hathaway

22:20 • 5min

chevron_right

Connections between Hamnet and Shakespeare's plays

Reader comments and emotional responses

29:31 • 2min

chevron_right

How Shakespeare's life reframes the novel

31:32 • 1min

chevron_right

The play as mourning transformed into art

32:50 • 5min

chevron_right

Dualities, narrative structure, and perspective

38:04 • 6min

chevron_right

Key scenes: twins, dying, and the wordless grief

43:42 • 4min

chevron_right

Agnes's death-scene interiority and rhythm

47:13 • 2min

chevron_right

Transition to the film adaptation

49:13 • 6min

chevron_right

Film viewing order and performances

55:05 • 58sec

chevron_right

Post-Hamnet reading recommendations

56:03 • 7min

chevron_right

Wrap-up and December book announcement

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Grief is a Thing with Feathers

Max Porter

#5465

• Mentioned in 7 episodes

The winter's tale

William Shakespeare

#1998

• Mentioned in 18 episodes

Lincoln in the Bardo

Yannick Garcia Porres

George Saunders

Javier Calvo Perales

The novel is set in 1862 during the American Civil War and revolves around the death of Willie Lincoln, the 11-year-old son of President Abraham Lincoln. After Willie's death from typhoid fever, his spirit finds itself in a limbo known as the bardo, a concept borrowed from Tibetan Buddhism. Here, he encounters a diverse group of ghosts who are also trapped between the world of the living and the afterlife. The story delves into themes of grief, both personal and national, as Lincoln grapples with the loss of his son amidst the broader context of the Civil War. The novel is characterized by its unique narrative style, which includes a multitude of voices and historical quotes, and its exploration of the human experience of suffering and love.

#627

• Mentioned in 41 episodes

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott

Written by Louisa May Alcott, 'Little Women' is a semi-autobiographical novel that details the lives of the March sisters in 1860s Massachusetts. The story is loosely based on Alcott's own childhood and that of her three sisters. It explores themes of domesticity, work, and true love, and is known for its portrayal of the sisters' distinct personalities and their struggles with societal expectations. The novel follows their experiences with poverty, illness, and personal growth, and it has been praised for its realistic and empathetic depiction of family life and the challenges faced by women during that era.

#1869

• Mentioned in 19 episodes

Hamnet

Lolita Chakrabarti

Maggie O’Farrell

The novel is set in Warwickshire in the late 16th century and revolves around the life of Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, and their children. It fictionalizes the events surrounding the death of their son Hamnet, who died of the plague in 1596 at the age of eleven. The story delves into the grief and emotional turmoil faced by the family, especially Agnes, and how this tragedy influenced Shakespeare's writing, including his play 'Hamlet'. The narrative alternates between different timelines, exploring Agnes's early life, her marriage, and the years following Hamnet's death. The book is a poignant study of motherhood, childhood, and the depths of grief, offering a vivid portrayal of family life during the Tudor period.

#13440

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Things in Nature Merely Grow

Yiyun Li

#435

• Mentioned in 55 episodes

Macbeth

Imdad Hussain

William Shakespeare

Macbeth is a tragedy that explores themes of power, ambition, and the consequences of sin. The play follows Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman, and his wife Lady Macbeth as they navigate a complex web of prophecy, murder, and political intrigue. The witches' prophecy sets off a chain of events that leads to the downfall of Macbeth and the restoration of order in Scotland. The play is known for its dark and haunting atmosphere, its exploration of the human psyche, and its commentary on the nature of tragedy and the human condition.

#185

• Mentioned in 98 episodes

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

The play revolves around Prince Hamlet's journey to avenge his father's murder, which was committed by his uncle Claudius. Hamlet's father's ghost appears and reveals that he was poisoned by Claudius, who then married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Hamlet feigns madness while he investigates and plots his revenge. The play explores themes of betrayal, mortality, and the human condition, culminating in a tragic finale where nearly all main characters die, including Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, and several others.

#729

• Mentioned in 38 episodes

King Lear

William Shakespeare

King Lear, written by William Shakespeare around 1604-1606, is a tragedy that follows the story of King Lear, who decides to retire and divide his kingdom among his three daughters: Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. The division is based on the eloquence of their declarations of love for him. However, Lear's youngest and favorite daughter, Cordelia, refuses to flatter him and is disinherited. The play unfolds with Lear's descent into madness, the betrayal by his elder daughters, and the subplot involving the Earl of Gloucester and his sons. Ultimately, the play ends in tragedy with the deaths of Lear, Cordelia, and several other main characters, highlighting themes of deception, power, and the consequences of poor judgment.

History has not graced us with many details about Shakespeare as a person, but we do know that he and his wife had three children, including a son named Hamnet who died at the age of 11 in 1596, four years before Shakespeare went on to write his great tragedy “Hamlet.”

Maggie O’Farrell’s novel “Hamnet” — one of the Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2020, and the source of Chloé Zhao’s new movie of the same name — starts from those scant facts, and spins them into a powerful story of grief, art and family steeped in the textures of late-16th-century life.

In this episode of the Book Review Book Club, host MJ Franklin discusses “Hamnet” with his colleagues Leah Greenblatt, Jennifer Harlan and Sarah Lyall.

Other works mentioned in this podcast:

“Hamlet,” “King Lear,” “Macbeth,” “The Winter’s Tale,” by William Shakespeare

“Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott

“Grief Is the Thing With Feathers,” by Max Porter

“Lincoln in the Bardo,” by George Saunders

“Fi,” by Alexandra Fuller

“Things In Nature Merely Grow,” by Yiyun Li

“The Accidental Tourist,” by Anne Tyler

“Will in the World” and “Dark Renaissance,” by Stephen Greenblatt

“Gabriel,” by Edward Hirsch

“Once More We Saw Stars,” by Jayson Greene

“The Dutch House,” by Ann Patchett

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Home Top podcasts Popular guests Top books