The Marriage Portrait
Maggie O'Farrell
An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here. The author of award-winning Hamnet brings the world of Renaissance Italy to jewel-bright life in this unforgettable fictional portrait of the captivating young duchess Lucrezia de’ Medici as she makes her way in a troubled court. Florence, the 1550s. more
355 pages, Hardcover
First published Knopf Publishing Group
4.02
Rating
131895
Ratings
13140
Reviews
Maggie O'Farrell
39 books 12168 followers
Maggie O'Farrell (born 1972, Coleraine Northern Ireland) is a British author of contemporary fiction, who features in Waterstones' 25 Authors for the Future. It is possible to identify several common themes in her novels - the relationship between sisters is one, another is loss and the psychological impact of those losses on the lives of her characters.Community reviews
Marriage was her destiny, but death at a very young age was her fate. The canvas the author paints in this ‘Marriage Portrait’ is Lucrezia’s story. A powerful and evocative reimagining / retelling of the true story of 16-year-old Lucrezia di Cosimo de’Medici, whose untimely and suspicious death was believed by many to be the work of her husband. Skilfully written with sharp contrasts between the beautiful imagery created and the sad story of Lucz’s short life. I knew I had to be prepared for a sobering read because this brilliantly crafted story was drawn on real historical events. more
This doesn’t compare to Hamnet and, for various reasons, took forever to read. While the writing is quite good there is simply too much of it. more
That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,Looking as if she were alive. - 'My Last Duchess' by Robert BrowningIn school, we studied Browning's 'My Last Duchess'-- a poem about a Duke presenting a portrait of his late wife who, it soon emerges, he himself had killed. The poem always gave me a chill, especially the way in which the Duke casually gloated over his hand in her death. I never knew the poem was based on the true story of Alfonso II, Duke of Ferarra, and his young bride Lucrezia de' Medici. Here, Maggie O'Farrell weaves a beautifully-written and compelling version of these historical events. more
I read my first Maggie O’Farrell novel in 2014 and since then I’ve read every one she has written as well as her memoir. I can’t resist her beautiful and alluring opening sentences which I found here and as I remember also in The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and The Hand That First Held Mine. At first, I didn’t feel the emotional impact as I did with Hamnet, but then before I knew it, Maggie O’Farrell brings the character, Lucrezia de Medici to life and right to the heart. No wonder why she’s one of my very favorite writers. The story behind this novel is fascinating. more
This was actually a really good story, with especially the last hundred pages being filled with intrigue and suspense. However there is just SO so much superfluous description; it’s like when in school you had to bulk up the word count in an essay so you just threw in a bunch of adjectives. I became quite adept at scanning through description to reach plot points, however, that’s not the way I like to read a book. And don’t get me wrong; I love a bit of scene setting, I love to know in detail what everyone is wearing and thinking and what the room they’re in looks like etc. but this description was so uninteresting and flabby, in a book that could have been mega given it’s plot. more
This opening ‘instant classic’ paragraph paints a picture that stays with the reader — not only —from start to finish— but long after…. due to its compelling surprise ending. “In 1560, fifteen-year-old Lucrezia di Cosimo de’ Medici left Florence to begin her married life with Alfonso II d’Este Duke of Ferrara”. “Less then a year later, she would be dead”. “The official cause of death was given as ‘putrid fever’, but it was rummoured that she had been murdered by her husband”. more
My heart is singing and racing as O’Farrell hums, stuns and spins a tale of an arranged marriage of a 15 year old girl, Lucrezia, to Alfonso, the Duke, 27 years of age. This girl with insight beyond her years. The premonition she will die at the hands of her husband. O’Farrell weaves a story of such vivid colours. The details in everyday moments, in paintings, in her portrait. more
i absolutely adored MOs previous book about shakespeare but, after reading this, i realised it was the content i enjoyed, not so much MOs storytelling. because this reads more like a water-downed textbook, rather than historical fiction. which, i guess if you are interested in the subject, that would be ideal. obviously it worked for me in her previous book. but i was hoping for this to read more like a story inspired by history rather than something that feels like a potential biography… :/still, a really fascinating mystery in history. more
"If she is to survive this marriage, or perhaps even to thrive within it, she must preserve this part of herself and keep it away from him, separate, sacred. "If you've ever strolled through an Art museum and entered a room filled with ornately framed portraits dating back from the Renaissance, your curiosity may be piqued by all those stern faces. The women, draped in velvet and anchored down with jewels, have either a look of indifference or a look of sadness about them. If only their stories were revealed in truth. Maggie O'Farrell is the standard for all characterizations portrayed in novels. more
One of my favorites of 2022Maggie O’Farrell has once again written a book that takes you directly to a different time and place. A time when women, even royalty, were just pawns in a game, meant to provide heirs. And woe to the woman who can’t meet that crucial requirement. The setting is Italy in the 1560s. Lucrezia is only 12 when her parents mark her as the intended spouse of the Duke of Ferrara, after her older sister, his fiancé, dies. more
“The Marriage Portrait” drops us into the panicked mind of a teenage girl who knows her husband is plotting to kill her. In a few months, she’ll be dead. That certainty must have been alarming for the girl, but it’s an ongoing challenge for the author. Where, after all, is the suspense in a doomed life. Fortunately, this author is Maggie O’Farrell, one of the most exciting novelists alive. more
**Time for another unfavorable review of a popular book**Though I love beautiful prose, I find that when a book is overwritten, I am pulled out of the story. Instead of being absorbed in the pages or feeling invested in the protagonist's troubles, I am constantly kept on the surface because of the constant reminder that. well, I am reading. I am reading words that the author thought sounded pretty together, and that's why there are so many of them on the page, because the author could not quite stop themselves. When it comes to writing a plot- or character driven- narrative, sometimes less is more. more
*Shortlisted for the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction*“Across the room, propped against the wall, is herself – another self, a former self. A self who, when she is dead and buried in her tomb, will endure, will outlive her, who will always be smiling from the wall, one hand poised to begin a painting. ”Set in mid-sixteenth-century Italy, The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O' Farrell is a reimagining of the life of Lucrezia di Cosimo de Medici, and her short marriage to Alfonso II d’Este, Duke of Ferrara. In reality, less than a year after her marriage Lucrezia passed on having succumbed to putrid fever, though it was rumored that her husband was responsible for her death. The narrative follows Lucrezia the youngest daughter of Cosimo I de Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany from her early years with her family, her love for art, and her betrothal to Alfonso II d’Este almost twelve years her senior, after the death of her older sister who was originally to be his bride – a political alliance between two powerful families. more
2. 5You have two choices. To read the Wikipedia page of Lucrezia de' Medici, Duchess of Ferrara, or read this over described, over elaborated, over embellished book of 450 pages about an uninteresting character and the rumor about the manner of her death, only to reach the same conclusion. more
I bought it, I read it, I loved it. and was charmed by Maggie O' Farrell's descriptive and vivid portrait of a woman attempting to free herself from the role created for her in life. I have loved some (not all) of Maggie O' Farrell's novels. Among my favourites were The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death and her last book HamnetThe Marriage Portraitis a beautifully drawn historical fiction story where fact and fiction blends seamlessly together. I loved the sense of time and place and Florence of the 1550s. more
Maggie O'Farrell has done it again with her extraordinary novel The Marriage Portrait. As I started reading, I immediately felt that rare, electrified feeling I get when entering a great novel. Set in the mid 1500s, It tells the story of Lucrezia's short marriage to the Duke of Ferrara through her own eyes and perceptions. As an artist, she experiences the world around her in a fresh and deeply felt way- all the smells, sensations, textures, colors, images of the landscape and people around her. I often don't have patience for descriptive writing but I savored every sentence of O'Farrell's lush prose. more
Well Maggie – you’ve done it again. This is a beauty. I spent the entire time reading Maggie O’Farrell’s – The Marriage Portrait in a state of painful, exhausting (and yes, even sweaty) suspense. Two reasons for this – (1) The author’s writing and pacing is perfect and (2) My strong feelings and support for Lucrezia commenced as soon as I met her. , and became stronger as the story progressed. more
The Marriage Portrait reimagines a fascinating story of Lucrezia de Medici. The story begins with Lucrezia fearing for her life just after a year of being married to Duke Alfonso. Why. That’s what drives the plot. It also weaves the backstory of Lucrezia. more
I’m still slightly haunted by this book which is both alive and frightening at the same time. Alive because O’Farrell is a master (mistress) of turning words into places complete with smells, sights, and sounds. Her lush descriptions of the 16th century carried me away, and occasionally made me forget its frightening theme. From the beginning, the author tells you exactly where her book, inspired by the true story of the death of an Italian young bride, is going. We get to know our young heroine, Lucrezia. more
Based on the real life story of Lucrezia de’Medici, married at 15 to the Duke of Ferrara, she had a suspicious death. rumored to have been poisoned by her husband. This was in 1500’s Renaissance Italy. I love this author. this is the fourth novel that I’ve read of hers. more
Outstanding and riveting. After reading Maggie O'Farrell's book Hamnet, I knew I was in for a treat by being able to listen to her The Marriage Portrait. In this story, she bring the heartbreaking story of Lucrezia de Medici. I is the time of the Renaissance and in Italy Lucretia, the daughter of the grand duke is only thirteen, but as tragedy has taken her older sister, the one to be married to the ruler of Ferrara, Moderna and Regio, Lucretia finds herself being married to this thirty year old man. Alphonso, her new husband, is at first quite solicitous, but Lucretia, is in a strange court, unaware of customs, and frightened of the intrigues and whispers, as everyone including Alphonso's sisters seem to be terrified of their brother. more
After seeing so many raving reviews for this book, and because it was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick for December 2022, I decided to give this book a chance. This is one book that I am so glad that I did. This was such a nice break from the monotony of thrillers that I have been reading. I will admit I was hesitant, as reading about an arranged marriage in the 1550’s didn’t seem all that appealing to me. But trust me- you will feel as if you are living through the pages with this book. more
“I am going to commission a new one immediately,” Alfonso exclaims. “An allegorical scene or a religious one. Or, now I look at her here, I am thinking perhaps just a three quarter profile, exactly as she is. A marriage portrait. What do you think. more
This is my first book by Maggie O'Farrell, my first read of the year, and a surprisingly haunting story. I've always been fascinated with the Medici family and historical Italy--the darkness of a superpower that once was. This is the story of Lucerezia, daughter of Cosimo de’ Medici, set in the 1550's. When her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding, Lucrezia is forced to marry the duke and her father is just as quick to accept. Her husband, Alfanso, seems refined with artists and musicians circling his orbit. more
DNF 60%The Marriage Portrait is very beautiful (The tigress didn’t so much pace as pour herself, as if her very essence was molten, simmering. ), but sometimes the meat of the novel is lost in the pretty prose. It’s difficult to follow the progression of the plot. The book takes a long time to get where it’s going, and while that isn’t necessarily a flaw, it does make it difficult to get immersed in the story. It often feels symbolic for the sake of being symbolic, and the writing is sometimes overdone where simple prose would leave a bigger impact (She presses it to the pad of her index finger, watching as the blood flees from it, creating a white depression in her flesh, cringing away from its power. more
Dear Bookish Friends, Maggie O’Farrell is not an author. She must be some kind of a wizard who puts us in a time machine to transport us to Italy in the 16th century to witness the glory and cruelty. It’s a time span in Europe when women were ruled by the mood swings and commands of their fathers, mothers, brothers or husbands. It’s also a time span when art, poetry and theatre kept on flourishing in Italy leaving its worldwide footprint till today. Managing the intra-dynamic relationships in a fortress is a masterwork, whilst ensuring not to lose the inner compass to manoeuvre dangerous twists. more
Another really enjoyable Maggie O'Farrell novel, due to be published in September 2022. It starts with a historical note about fifteen-year-old Lucrezia di Cosimo de'Medici who married the Duke of Ferrara and died a year later. There was a rumour that she'd been murdered by her husband. Fascinating, yes. This is her fictionalised story, and she's such a great character - strong-willed and artistic despite being brought up to be married off to whomever it best suited her father. more
4. 5 stars. One of my favorite poems is Browning’s My Last Duchess, so I was immediately interested when I knew Maggie O’Farrell was writing a book based on the life of Lucrezia de Medici, whose portrait is said to have inspired the poem. The book seemed to get off to a slow start, where O’Farrell normally pulls me in immediately, so I was in fear of disappointment, but I need not have worried. By the time Lucrezia married and headed off to Ferrara, I began to feel as if I knew her intimately. more
3. 5In the Marriage Portrait, Maggie O'Farrell provides a fictionalized account of the life of Lucrezia de Medici, the 3rd daughter of Cosimo I De Medici, Duke of Florence, and Eleanora de Toledo. Born in 1545, Lucrezia married Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, at 15 and died a year later. Although the official cause of death was a pulmonary disorder, rumor had it that her husband poisoned her. O'Farrell builds on this framework to create a tense, suspenseful work of historical fiction rich in historical detail yet lacking in subtlety. more