Ep. 62 Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell vs. Hamnet (2025)

Send us Fan MailShakespeare’s most famous tragedy might have started with a quieter one, and that’s what makes Hamnet so hard to shake. I’m Lluvia, and I’m putting Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling historical fiction novel Hamnet up against its 2025 film adaptation directed by Chloe Zhao, starring Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal. If you love book vs movie debates, this one is a masterclass in how the same story can land differently depending on structure, pacing, and what details the camera can’t hold.I talk through Agnes as a healer in late 16th century England, how her “strangeness” reads as power and danger, and why the novel’s attention to nature and the woods gives the family story so much texture. Then we get into the adaptation choices: the book’s bold time jumps versus the film’s chronological approach, what gets streamlined, and what the movie beautifully preserves in tone, grief, and performance. Yes, I go into spoilers once I hit the turning point, including what the Hamlet name means and how the story frames the loss of Shakespeare and Agnes’s son.I also dig into the moments that wrecked me most: the twin bond between Hamnet and Judith, the plague as both a plot engine and a chilling reminder of how illness travels, and the way art can become tribute without “fixing” anything. I end with my ratings for both versions, why the book takes the win for me, and what’s coming next on Books vs. Movies with The Lord of the Rings.Subscribe for more book-to-screen breakdowns, share this episode with a friend who loves adaptations, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.All episodes of the podcast can be found on our website: https://booksvsmovies.buzzsprout.com/shareConnect with me: Instagram | Threads | Bookshop | Goodreads | Blog