This is my new favorite book and definitely the best book that I’ve read in 2020. I can completely understand how this won the Women’s Award for Fiction. Wow. Maggie O’Farrell can write like the superstar that she now is.
This is based on Shakespeare and his life, with enough creative latitude to not be purely historical. There are duel timelines, alternating between Shakespeare as a child/young man and that of his wife and children. The focus of his life is how he met his wife and their marriage, children and extended families. This also involves the push for him to go to London from his hometown in Stratford to pursue a career different from inheriting his father’s business. He obviously joined the actors and began writing and directing. The alternate story is about his family that he has left behind in Stratford and the death of his son.
Ultimately, the build up to that event was beautifully done. The story revolves around how members of the family coped with this tragedy and grieved the loss. This is such a universal experience, although for some it will be a parent, grandparent, spouse, sibling or for fewer, a child. This is particularly heartbreaking but so exquisitely written that it’s easy to get lost in the story.
Absolutely 100% recommend! Fantastic book!