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Fiction » Contemporary Fiction

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Buy now Listen now

Hamnet

by Maggie O'Farrell

*** Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020 ***

Recommendations from our site

“It’s a great story, and beautifully told…see how she ensures that Shakespeare’s wife and children are never overshadowed by their father. In less skilled hands, not naming Shakespeare would grate and fail. With Maggie O’Farrell, this not-naming seems effortless and natural. As we said in our judge’s quote, a bravura performance.” Read more...

The Best Historical Fiction: The 2021 Walter Scott Prize Shortlist

Katharine Grant, Historical Novelist

Maggie O’Farrell’s novel Hamnet, a fictionalised account of the short life of Shakespeare’s son, won the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction. It’s also read beautifully as an audiobook by Ell Potter.

Narrator: Ell Potter

Listening time: 12 hours and 42 minutes

Great Actors Read Great Books

Commentary

Maggie O’Farrell’s lyrical eighth novel, Hamnet – a fictionalised account of the short life of Shakespeare’s son – appeared during the height of Covid-19 panic, so don’t miss out

Editors’ Picks: Notable Novels of Summer 2020

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