Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

 

In Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1596, a young boy searches frantically for one of his relatives to let them know his twin sister is gravely ill. When his mother is eventually found it looks as if her premonition will finally come true and she will be left with only two children. 

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell is my book group read for October. I've read some of the author's much earlier work, but never felt drawn to Hamnet despite all the praise it has received. One of the brilliant things about being part of a reading group is reading books I might otherwise avoid. Unfortunately, this story really didn't grip me.

I enjoyed the aspect of the story that focused on Hamnet and his twin sister, Judith. You really feel his devotion to his sister and the helplessness he felt as he tried to find a member of his family. As he raced through the streets of Stratford, you get a sense of the hustle and bustle of Elizabethan England. There is also that sense of horror when you realise that the illness is probably the bubonic plague.

The part of the story that didn't engage me was the romance between Hamnet's parents approximately fifteen years earlier. The change of name of the mother and the complete lack of a name for the father baffled me. I was also bewildered by the structure of the narrative. The two story lines are intertwined, and from the outset we are aware of Hamnet's death. This removed all suspense and uncertainty during some of the scenes, particularly the birth of Hamnet.

The writing is evocative; you can feel the dust, smell the odors of food and rubbish, and imagine the crowds. There was a startling reminder that anyone who had an affinity for nature, who used plants for healing, was treated with suspicion. It was astonishing to see how much freedom children had, but also shocking how much responsibility was placed on them, tasks that children today wouldn't be expected to carry out. I found it amusing to see that teenagers haven't changed much in 400 years; refusing to get out of bed on a morning, demanding food, keeping everyone awake at night, not doing as they are asked.

I am sure that the story will appeal to fans of historical fiction; however, the narrative just didn't captivate me, and the possibility of a hint of mystery was lost because of the structure.

Author Details

Maggie O’Farrell, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, is the author of HAMNET, Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020, and the memoir I AM, I AM, I AM, both Sunday Times no. 1 bestsellers. Her novels include AFTER YOU’D GONE, MY LOVER’S LOVER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE, which won the 2010 Costa Novel Award, INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE and THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, and THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT. She is also the author of two books for children, WHERE SNOW ANGELS GO and THE BOY WHO LOST HIS SPARK. She lives in Edinburgh.

The Cider House Rules by John Irving

 

Homer Wells has spent all his life at St. Cloud's Orphanage. Doctor Wilbur Larch, the orphanage's director, hopes that one day Homer will take over the vital work he does. All Homer dreams of is a family of his own.

I first read The Cider House Rules by John Irving almost forty years ago, having discovered the author when I read a battered copy of The World According To Garp. I quickly read everything by the author I could lay my hands on, and from 1986 his books became ones I'd purchase as soon as they were published. When I discovered there was going to be a sequel to The Cider House Rules, I knew I'd have to re-read the book to remind myself of the story.

A forty-year gap between reads meant that the book was virtually a new read; I remembered vague elements of the story, but much of that probably comes from the themes that run through lots of the author's novels. It's a hefty read at just under 800 pages, the longest novel I've read in a long time, but the style of writing just draws you in. Even the smallest characters are fleshed out, and you can clearly visualise each and every one. 

What really surprised me as I read was how relevant the book still is today. One of the major themes of the story is women's right to choose. Dr. Larch sees himself as doing God's work; on one hand, he's saving children by running an orphanage for unwanted children, on the other, he's saving women by performing procedures on those with unwanted pregnancies. Set in a time when these procedures were frequently carried out in unsanitary backrooms by people without medical training, the descriptions are bleak and brutal, showing the extremes women were prepared to face. Dr. Larch offers a non-judgmental alternative.

Another big theme that runs throughout the story is that of family. The orphanage is isolated and relatively poor, yet the children are showered with love. The bond between Homer and Larch is like that of a father and son. Larch is torn, just like any father, he wants Homer is leave and find his place in the world, but at the same time he would love Homer to stay and take over the vital work he does. When Homer does leave, he is welcomed into the Worthington family, a family that treats him like a son, the family he has always dreamt of. All the threads combine to show that family is more than just blood.

Many of the themes that recur in John Irving's novels are seen in the narrative; the consequences of war, religion and sexuality run throughout. Themes such as wrestling and writing get brief mentions, but don't feature as heavily as they do in some of the author's other novels. 

While I did enjoy the re-read, I still wouldn't put this near the top of my favourite novels by the author. However, I am now tempted to re-read some of his other novels, to look at them with a fresh eye and see if they've stood the test of time as well as this one has. I'm also eager to read the sequel, Queen Esther, which is published on 6th November.

Author Details

John Irving published his first novel, Setting Free the Bears, in 1968. He has been nominated for a National Book Award three times-winning once, in 1980, for the novel The World According to Garp. He also received an O. Henry Award, in 1981, for the short story "Interior Space." In 1992, Mr. Irving was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2000, he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules-a film with seven Academy Award nominations. In 2001, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

October 2025 Reads

 

Knowing I had a holiday in October to look forward to, I decided I’d use the week to make a slight dent in the TBR pile. With so many good books available for review, I find that the TBR pile simply grows and grows, and I know that I’m probably missing out on some fantastic books. Hence, there are a few older books among my October reads.

I’ve always loved Sharon Bolton’s books, so I leapt at the chance to take part in the blog tour for her latest, The Token. The opening chapter is very dramatic and has you wondering where the story can possibly go. The narrative then jumps back a few days and takes a completely different turn; seven strangers receive tokens and are told they will inherit a billionaire’s fortune when he dies. Why have they been chosen, and how are their lives impacted?

I’m trying to work my way through the David Raker series by Tim Weaver. Last month, I read Never Coming Back, the fourth book in the series. An old friend asks Raker to help her find out what happened to her sister and her family, who disappeared from their home almost a year ago. The scope and geography of the story take the series to a whole new level, with Raker taking on a decidedly evil adversary. This is a somber story, but it offers a little window of hope at the end.

The Queen Who Came In From The Cold by S. J. Bennett is the fifth book in the Her Majesty The Queen Investigates series. The story is set in 1961 and sees the Queen involved in a spy trying to defect from Russia. It is all set against a backdrop of British double agents and the space race. There is also quite a glamorous feel as the Royal Yacht Britannia is being used for a state visit to Italy, and England is obsessed with James Bond and the upcoming visit of the Kennedy's.

The return of The Thursday Murder Club in The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman was like visiting old friends; I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed them. A friend of Joyce’s daughter asks for help after his life is threatened. His subsequent disappearance has the group springing into action. This is very much Elizabeth’s story as we see her regain some of her spark. There is a fine balance of humour and danger, with a lovely bit of karma for good measure.

New Year’s Eve must be pretty lonely if you have recently moved to a new country and your husband is completely focused on the opening of his new business. This is the predicament Becca finds herself in in The Afterparty by Ruth Kelly. It is no wonder she jumps at the chance to reconnect with a friend she hasn’t seen in a decade. Things take a nightmare turn when Becca wakes in the hospital with no knowledge of how she got there, and her friend is missing. Becca becomes the prime suspect in this unsettling story with massive twists.

Believe by S. M. Govett was the first of my TBR holiday reads. This is a brilliant psychological thriller that has you feeling rattled throughout. Natalie has never recovered from the trauma of being attacked by her boss. Ten years later, her husband is accused of the same crime. She is torn between being loyal to her husband and believing the other woman. The story is turned completely on its head when the accuser is murdered; an added complication is that Natalie is suffering blackouts and can’t account for huge chunks of time.

The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware has sat on my TBR pile for ages. The publication of a sequel reminded me that I hadn’t read it, but the TV adaptation moved it to the top. Travel journalist Lo Blacklock is given the opportunity to sail on the maiden voyage of a boutique cruise ship. In the middle of the night, she is convinced she witnesses the woman in the cabin next door being thrown overboard. The only problem is that the owner and crew are adamant that the adjacent cabin was unoccupied. Lo’s mental health is called into question, and her life is in danger, as she searches for clues to prove what she saw.

The Names by Florence Knapp is another of those books I kept putting off reading, and I’m kicking myself for doing so. On the day Cora registers her son’s birth, she faces three options: to follow tradition and name him after his father, to use the name her young daughter likes, or to give him the name she has chosen. The story splits into three separate threads as we follow the boy through life and see how the choice of a name can have such a huge impact on the life he leads. This is a powerful and emotional read.

The Slough House/Slow Horses series is a favourite of mine. Having read them all, I decided to check out some of author Mick Herron’s other books, starting with Down Cemetery Road. This is the first book in the Oxford series, featuring private investigator Zoé Boehm. Boehm doesn’t really feature much; this is more about bored housewife Sarah Trafford, who is investigating an explosion at a neighbour’s house. Sarah is intrigued by one of the people who died in the explosion, a soldier who supposedly died four years earlier. Sarah finds herself mixed up with unscrupulous members of the intelligence service.

When I discovered that John Irving had written a sequel to The Cider House Rules, I decided to re-read the book before the publication of Queen Esther in November. It’s almost forty years since I originally read the book, so the majority of the story felt fresh. Homer Wells was brought up in St. Cloud’s orphanage. As he gets older, he begins to help Dr. Larch with the medical procedures carried out at the orphanage; Larch hopes that Homer will one day take over his role and continue the work he does. Considering this was written forty years ago, the message regarding women’s rights is just as relevant today.

I finished the month with my book group read, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. This is a fictional telling of the death of Shakespeare’s young son. The writing is evocative, I felt as if I was immersed in the hustle and bustle of Elizabethan life. It certainly made me appreciate how convenient modern life is. I was gripped by the story of Hamnet, but wasn’t engaged by the romance element of the story.

I managed two audiobooks during the month, the first being The Woman Downstairs by JD Kirk. This is a new author to me, but I’ll certainly be checking out more of his books after listening to this twisty tale. Diane is sympathetic towards her new neighbour, who is fleeing an abusive relationship. Things quickly escalate when the abusive partner turns up and Diane is dragged into a living nightmare.

Back in September, I fell in love with the small town of Maple Falls when I took part in the Tandem Collective Readalong of The Cinnamon Spice Inn by Harper Graham. I was over the moon to get a review copy of the sequel, The Spiced Cocoa Café. Cassidy is new to town as it gears up for Christmas. She is immediately attracted to Liam, a local, but both have reasons to swear off the idea of romance. Fate keeps throwing them together, and they find it impossible to keep their hands off each other. This is definitely for those who like small town romances that are extra spicy.

Publication dates to watch out for:-

The Token by Sharon Bolton will be published on 6/11/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Queen Who Came In From The Cold by S. J. Bennett will be published on 6/11/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron

 

A gas explosion in a quiet suburban Oxford street shocks everyone. A husband and wife are dead, and their young daughter is hospitalised. The only problem is that the husband died four years earlier, and the child has disappeared from the hospital. Neighbour Sarah Trafford is convinced something strange is happening and is determined to find out more.

I'm a huge fan of Mick Herron's Slough House/Slow Horses series (you can find my reviews for all the books on my blog), so the rest of the author's books are something I've planned to read when I can find the time. The news that Down Cemetery Road has been made into a TV series forced my hand as I'd much rather read the book before watching a series.

Down Cemetery Road is the first book in the Oxford series and features private investigator Zoë Boehm. When I read the book, I was surprised how little Zoë Boehm features; bored housewife Sarah Trafford is the main protagonist, and she teams up with Boehm's partner, Joe Silvermann. Boehm makes a brief appearance at the beginning of the novel and then returns for the last third of the story.

It is difficult not to compare the novel with the Slough House/Slow Horses series. The intelligence service features, but it is clear that much of what they do is secretive and unpleasant. The humour is dark, with plenty of sarcasm and irony. Down Cemetery Road was the author's first novel, written seven years before the first Slough House book, and it feels very much as if Boehm is an embryonic Jackson Lamb.

The mystery behind the explosion is intricate and sordid, with lots of red herrings to keep you baffled. A range of characters keeps you on your toes, as it is impossible to know who is trustworthy. Two huge twists involving big characters certainly astonished me. Throughout everything is Sarah Trafford's tenacity and foolishness to find answers; how can someone come back from the dead, and what happened to the child? The search for answers is an extremely dangerous one.

I'm looking forward to seeing how well the book is adapted for TV, but I'm even more interested in seeing how the character of Zoë Boehm develops over the rest of the Oxford series.

Author Details

Mick Herron is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Slough House thrillers, which have been published in over twenty-five languages and are the basis of the award-winning TV series Slow Horses, starring Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb. Among his other novels are the Zoë Boehm series, also now adapted for TV starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, and the standalone novels The Secret Hours and Nobody Walks. Mick’s awards include the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and the CWA Gold, Steel and Diamond Daggers. A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, and now lives in Oxford.

The Names by Florence Knapp

 

Cora has a decision to make. Should she follow family tradition and register her son with his father's name, even though she doesn't like it, or should she break with tradition? Can a name be that important?

I have seen loads of praise for The Names by Florence Knapp, I've no idea why I've let it linger on my TBR pile for so long. Saving it for a holiday read has certainly allowed me to immerse myself fully in this wonderful, stunning debut novel.

Cora is married to Gordon, a well-respected GP, and they have two children, nine-year-old Maia and a newborn son. It is expected that their son will be named after his father; it's a family tradition. Cora doesn't like the name and dreams of something different. The narrative splits into three distinct timelines, each with a seven-year gap, as the consequences of Cora's actions unfold on the day she registers her son's birth.

The three separate timelines allow us to see into the life of the boy, and the man he becomes, based on the name he is given: Bear, Julian or Gordon. Florence Knapp has created three very distinct characters based on the names. Alongside watching the child grow, we also see the effect the name has on the immediate family, much of it stemming from the day Cora names her son.

This is a powerful and emotional read. I found myself filled with such mixed emotions depending on which version of the child we were reading about. It is amazing to read a book that has you swinging so abruptly between sadness, hope, joy, fear, excitement, relief, and satisfaction, to name just a few, as you turn the pages. I cannot believe how much anger and disgust I felt at times towards some of the characters. There was also a feeling of frustration, the type where you want to pick up some of the characters and give them a good shake.

I've kept this review deliberately vague; this is one of those books where you really do need to read it with very little knowledge of what happens for the full impact to take effect.

The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

 

Travel journalist Lo Blacklock is on the maiden voyage of a boutique cruise ship when she witnesses the woman in the next cabin being thrown overboard. The owner and crew are adamant no one was staying in the cabin and everyone aboard is accounted for. Lo is still convinced she saw a murder; she just has to find a way to convince everyone.

The Woman In Cabin 10 is the book that brought author Ruth Ware to my attention, but for some reason, I didn't read any of her novels until The It Girl. The Woman In Cabin 10 slipped further and further down my TBR pile until the announcement of a sequel AND a Netflix adaptation. I am so glad I read the book first!

This is the third book in a row I've read that featured a female main character whose mental health makes them an unreliable narrator. The author takes time to build the backstory of Lo's fragile state of mind, and it's one that most women can empathise with: a lack of security, feeling powerless, the invasion of personal space.

Hoping that a trip aboard a luxury yacht will help her overcome her fears doesn't go to plan for Lo. She's still struggling with nightmares when she hears a scream. You get a real sense of frustration as no one believes her and feel angry at the intimidation she faces; you also feel her shame as her mental health is brought into question. Having her mental health questioned also makes Lo doubt herself, another emotion that is easy to empathise with.

Little snippets of news from home are interspersed with the narrative. This news doesn't follow the linear timeline and adds to the rising tension; it has you fearing for Lo's safety. It becomes impossible for Lo to trust anyone on board. The danger level increases as Lo uncovers the truth behind what happened in cabin 10, and she has no means of escape. I found the setting became very claustrophobic, which really added to a feeling of panic. I could feel my heart racing. The pace increases rapidly towards the end, and I was willing Lo on with every page I turned, desperate for her to reveal the truth to the world.

Author Details

Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs Westaway, The Turn of the Key, One by One and The It Girl have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times, and she is published in more than 40 languages. She lives on the south coast of England, with her family.

Believe by S. M. Govett

 

Natalie has never fully recovered from the trauma of being raped by her boss ten years ago. Her life revolves around routines to protect her fragile mental health. When her husband, Ryan, is accused of raping his assistant, her life begins to spiral out of control.

It's always a little unnerving starting a novel that has had tons of brilliant reviews; you're filled with apprehension, hoping that the book will live up to expectations. This is exactly how I felt when I started Believe by S. M. Govett; thankfully, I had nothing to worry about, as it certainly deserves all the praise it has received.

The slow opening builds the backstory. We learn of Natalie's rape ten years earlier, and the trial in which the accused was acquitted. Shortly after the trial, Natalie started receiving anonymous hate mail, resulting in her having to move house and take out a restraining order. When the letters suddenly start up again after eight years, you immediately feel sympathetic towards Natalie as you realise how much the traumatic event continues to impact her life. You also feel anger directed towards the sender.

When Ryan is accused of rape by a colleague, Natalie's fragile hold on reality is shattered. She knows deep down that her husband would never commit such a terrible crime, but she struggles to comprehend why any woman would fabricate lies. As I read, I could understand the turmoil Natalie felt, wanting to support her husband, but also wanting to accept his accuser's version. Within twenty-four hours, the colleague is dead, and the case becomes even murkier.

The storyline alternates between Natalie and DI Helen Stratton. Natalie is desperate for understanding, fiercely trying to push through her mental health crises to uncover the truth about her husband, all while the police are looking for evidence to prove his guilt. The two perspectives keep the pace moving rapidly; you can feel the elation of the police as they uncover clue after clue, while also feeling Natalie's rising panic in her search for answers. Both women are equally driven, and at times their quest for answers blinds them. Natalie, in particular, is an unreliable narrator; her grasp on reality is tentative to the point where she isn't even sure about her own actions, and we begin to doubt her.

As the tension builds, shocking secrets are uncovered. Natalie loses trust in those she has always relied on, and we begin to question her actions. The twists come thick and fast towards the conclusion, and the big reveal will have your heart racing as the police narrow in on the guilty.

Author Details

S.M. Govett read Law at Trinity College, Oxford, before qualifying as a solicitor in the City. After realising that didn't suit her, she started tutoring before turning her hand to writing, which she discovered was her true calling. She has since authored several bestselling YA novels, including The Territory trilogy and We Go On Forever. She also co-wrote the screenplay for the feature film, T.I.M., which was the no. 1 film on Netflix upon release. Believe is her debut adult thriller.