One Woman, a Million ones
by María Angeles Machado Panete
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In this fictional historical based novel, the author leads us into every hook and nook of a 16th century household. The manicured elaborated atmosphere of that gloomy time draws us into the family daily routine. Enthralled by their ups and downs, suspense makes it difficult to put the book down. Seeping through all the story, a timeless character stands out: Agnes, a woman, a million ones. Early on, she realizes that feeling of not belonging, of being wrong. However, she is determined to live her life to the fullest. She can read minds, change outcomes by using her psychological assets. Her wisdom is valued and required. She can navigate through troubled waters. She controls her world till life strikes her on the face. Suddenly, certainties desert her. She feels helpless, impotent, crumbled and scattered around. Small things can undo her. Nagging doubts keep tormenting her: She should have realized, how could she have been so blind... Time and the apparently harmless questioning of a friend awakens in her the will to find answers and, eventually, come to terms with the reality of human life.
Thank you Marián for this fantastic perspective and take on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel by making Agnes rather than Hamnet himself the hub and alma mater of the novel, a really fresh and challenging decentering of the character’s title! It is Agnes, indeed, the central working consciousness through which many events of the novel are sifted. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThat's why I ❤️this novel so much ::its multilayered perspectives... It's true. I felt identified with Agnes many times. Thanks a lot Marian❤️❤️❤️
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