The Marriage Portrait

Books | Fiction / Literary

4.2

(263)

Maggie O'Farrell

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom the author of the breakout bestseller Hamnet—winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Women’s Prize—an electrifying new novel set in Renaissance Italy, and centering on the captivating young duchess Lucrezia de Medici.Florence, the 1550s. Lucrezia, third daughter of the grand duke, is comfortable with her obscure place in the palazzo: free to wonder at its treasures, observe its clandestine workings, and to devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler of Ferrara, Moderna and Regio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father just as quick to accept on her behalf.Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now make her way in a troubled court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her new husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate he appeared to be before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble?As Lucrezia sits in constricting finery for a painting intended to preserve her image for centuries to come, one thing becomes worryingly clear. In the court’s eyes, she has one duty: to provide the heir who will shore up the future of the Ferranese dynasty. Until then, for all of her rank and nobility, the new duchess’s future hangs entirely in the balance.Full of the drama and verve with which she illuminated the Shakespearean canvas of Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell brings the world of Renaissance Italy to jewel-bright life, and offers an unforgettable portrait of a resilient young woman’s battle for her very survival.

Historical Fiction

Buy now:

More Details:

Author

Maggie O'Farrell

Pages

352

Publisher

National Geographic Books

Published Date

2022-09-06

ISBN

1039005632 9781039005631

Community ReviewsSee all

"A thirteen year old betrothed to her dead sister’s fiancé. This is a survival story that illuminates the very few freedoms and choices that women had in 16th century Europe."

Merry

"Historical fiction pulsing with life and suspense. Lucrezia de’Medici gets paired off with a duke from an Italian family. Fifteen years old, she strains against the duke’s domination, rebelling in small ways even as she suspects the duke of planning to kill her. Maggie O’Farrell has a gift for capturing and conveying the small things, the habits, the feelings, the despair that make up a life, as she did brilliantly in Hamnet. The Marriage Portrait does not rise to that level, but it comes close, and Lucrezia’s sense of claustrophobia as she copes with the controlling duke, his nasty sisters and the nearly complete loss of individual freedom represents a feeling that women at many ages share. The ending was challenging: Which future should I believe, the one introducing magical thinking or the one so sadly likely?"

D M

Diane Morello

"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Listened to this on audio & it was perfection from beginning to end. Alternating between short chapters (including the 1st chapter) where young 15 year old Lucrezia de Medici is already married to 27 year Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara & is convinced he intends to kill her, with longer chapters beginning with her birth and her upbringing in her father’s loving Florence castle household. Although her upbringing has its eccentric aspects (her father kept a menagerie of exotic animals in the basement (lions, tigers & the like!), she has many siblings, was loved and she was witness to her parent’s loving marriage. This book is a fast read that is beautifully descriptive & well written. I especially loved the way the short chapters about Lucrezia & her fears of the Duke killing her can be interpreted in multiple ways- as the feelings of a homesick young girl, as her being an unreliable narrator, as an immature & inexperienced girl in regards to relationships or perhaps as someone who has become paranoid due to lack of company for long periods of time. The reader’s thoughts on this change as the book progresses. Although this is based on a real person, it’s best to just complete this until the author’s note at the end. "

M C

Melissa Craver

"The heavy foreshadowing of the end ruined this read for me. It was far-fetched and fantastical and I kept hoping the author wasn't going to go there. Sadly, she did. "

D r

DaRo reads

"Lucrezia’s story is compelling and makes you really think about society in the time of the novel but also now. It was a deep literary read, thought provoking and heartbreaking "

J C

Jasmine C

"Beautifully written with amazing detail but the story didn’t hold my attention. It felt like reading fine literature but the story itself fell a little flat. "

H O

Heidi Oneil

"Meh. Not bad not good. Slightly boring "

A T

Ana Trejo

"Period peice based on true events. Sad story. "

J W

Jamie-Lee Warner

"Compelling story that fleshes out historical accounts. Thought-provoking with well drawn characters, and appeals to the senses."

S M

Sunshine Mulligan

"Excellent historical fiction. Gripping, sad and illuminating to the hardships, often fatal, women have been made to endure."