This book made me so I believably angry for Anges' sake. God, men suck. The prose is absolutely beautifully crafted, and although the plot is slow and not particularly eventful or suspenseful, the female characters keep it moving. Life is unfair, and Hamnet does a disgustingly good job at portraying how one trauma can eviscerate someone's life, making them feel like a different person. Grief, betrayal, oppression eats and eats at you, sometimes transforming you as life outside moves along, business as usual. 

Hamnet also explores the politics of a household. One might assume because of the setting it merely comments on the position of women during that time period. I disagree. 

I had a lot of feelings about the ending; I wanted a resolution but completely understand the power of the way O'Farrell chooses to trail into the imagination instead. Hamnet absolutely moved me, I feel its influence remain with me.