May-June 2026 On the Same Page Selection
What does it mean to live with loss, and how does love endure after grief? In Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell brings to life the family of William Shakespeare through the eyes of Agnes, a mother, healer and deeply intuitive woman. Set in 16th-century England, the novel follows a young family before and after the sudden death of their son, Hamnet. Tender, immersive and beautifully written, Hamnet is a moving story about parenthood, marriage and the ways love and memory carry on.
Maggie O’Farrell is the internationally bestselling author of Hamnet, winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is also the author of The Marriage Portrait and the memoir I Am, I Am, I Am. Known for her vivid storytelling and emotionally rich characters, O’Farrell’s work explores family, love and survival across history and the present day.
This program is sponsored by Friends of the SanFrancisco Public Library.
“A bold, beautiful, heart-breaking novel. Maggie has taken on both the most famous writer in the world and the mantle of history with effortless grace. In the process she’s written the book of her life.”
–Tracy Chevalier
Related Events
Book Club: Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet
Discuss Hamnet, a deeply moving novel about family, grief and remembrance. Through its intimate focus on marriage and the loss of a child, the book invites readers to reflect on love, resilience and how people carry grief in different ways. A beautiful and emotionally resonant book that stays with you long after the final page.
June 13, 11 a.m., Virtual Library
June 10, 6 p.m., Main Library, Mary Louise Stong Conference Room 1st Floor
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