Author Guide
Maggie O'Farrell Books in Order
Complete reading list for the Baileys Women's Prize winner — six key novels with Hamnet at the centre.
About
Maggie O'Farrell is a British-Irish novelist born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. She has written nine novels, all notable for structural experimentation, emotional interiority, and the particular violence of private grief. Hamnet (2020) — about the death of Shakespeare's son — won the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and is widely considered one of the finest British novels of the decade.
Where to start: Hamnet is the obvious entry point — her most celebrated and most accessible novel. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox for her earlier, quieter work.
All Maggie O'Farrell Novels
Key novels listed in publication order.
1
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
2006
Hidden GemA woman discovers her grandmother was committed to a psychiatric institution 60 years ago. Hidden gem.
2
The Hand That First Held Mine
2010
Two stories of motherhood and love, sixty years apart. Costa Novel Award winner.
3
Instructions for a Heatwave
2013
A family falls apart in the 1976 heatwave after their father disappears without explanation.
4
This Must Be the Place
2016
A retired actress living off-grid in Ireland, and the husband who found her. Structurally adventurous.
5
Hamnet
2020
MasterpieceShakespeare's 11-year-old son dies of plague. His wife Agnes grieves. Baileys Women's Prize winner.
6
The Marriage Portrait
2022
Most RecentLucrezia de' Medici, 16 years old and newly married, suspects her husband is planning to kill her.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Maggie O'Farrell's best book?
Hamnet (2020) is her masterpiece. But The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (2006) is arguably equally devastating and less well-known.
Is Hamnet based on a true story?
Inspired by historical fact. Shakespeare's son Hamnet died in 1596. O'Farrell imagines the life of the family around this real event.
Do I need to read Maggie O'Farrell in order?
No. Each is a completely standalone novel. Hamnet is the natural starting point for new readers.