This is a very elegantly written mystery. Beautiful descriptions of royal life mid-1500 provide the background, then tension builds slowly as the marriage occurs. The author relies on the very believable idea the "the woman, not the man, will be blamed". While the intrigue is compelling, it is the subtle language and entertaining details that make this a rich read, Perfect for book clubs.

I've had a paperback copy of Hamnet on my shelf for almost a year. I've put off reading it so I can catch up on my NetGalley queue, but after reading this spectacular novel I'm going to dust it off and read it.

Maggie O'Farrell has an astonishing way of fleshing out the paltry, little-known details of the sad life of a medieval noble teenage girl. She gives Lucrezia de Medici so much depth and validates her terror in knowing, instinctively, that her husband Alfonso is going to murder her. This novel is part thriller, part history, part mystery with a touch of romantic imagination thrown in, and it's tremendously readable. Her characters are well-rounded, which, despite my rooting for Lucrezia, gave me pause. (Does Alfonso really want to kill his wife, or is he just another duplicitous noble?)

If you've read and loved Hamnet, you'll love this. If, like me, you haven't...well, you'll still love it.

**Happy Pub Day**
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and let me just preface this by saying, there is historical fiction and then there is Maggie O’Farrell. After the brilliance that was Hamnet, I was a bit apprehensive about reading her next effort. I was worried it could never measure up, but I needn’t have been.

I adored this novel. The setting, Renaissance Italy, is perhaps my favorite time period. Add in palace intrigue and O’Farrells luminescent prose and I was in literary heaven. O’Farrell’s ability to construct layers within this story is reminiscent of the art of painting itself. Each layer adds another sense of depth and clarity to the overall narrative. She paints a clear and glorious picture of time and place and character. I was entranced and moved by this story of a lively and strong willed girl trapped by the mercy of the men who surround her, whose sole function is to produce a royal heir. Exceptional storytelling in this this portrait of a marriage by one of our most gifted authors.
Thank you to @knopf and @netgalley for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest and fair review.

When I was a teen I loved reading books about the intrigue and romance of the Renaissance. Lady Jane Grey, the tragic nine day queen of Henry VIII was a particular favorite. The Marriage Portrait centers on a very similar teenager — this time in 16th century Florence — who is a pawn in the political maneuvering of the nobility of the region. The book is inspired by real people but O’Farrell has taken some liberties with the facts as they have come to us.
Lucrezia de’ Medici is a quiet rebel from her earliest days. Her intellectual and artistic gifts are not valued since the role of a young woman of noble birth is clearly defined as a means to further a family’s power. When she takes the place of an older sister who has suddenly died as the betrothed of Alfonso, ruler of Ferrara, Moderna and Reggio, she is forced to make a new life far from home with little support or guidance.
It is disturbing to read how circumscribed the lives of upper class women were at that time. We shake our heads at the customs of Eastern harems, little realizing Western women of this period were also treated as little more than prisoners.
Maggie O’Farrell writes with an eye for detail and an ability to recreate the suffocating world of Lucrezia. She does, however, write with the compassion and understanding of a 21st century woman. As a result, unlike the tears I shed for the doomed Lady Jane, I found great satisfaction in this story.

Maggie O'Farrell brings us a brilliant novel depicting the short life of Lucrezie de'Medici. Lucrezia lived in the 16th century. Was married off as a young teen to the Duke of Ferrara. He needed a wife and wanted nothing more than an heir. But did he really have to kill her? I loved reading about this tragic young woman and her family. This novel is bound for book glory!

This book was odd. I think that I am still processing it. I love that it is a historical novel. I truly apricate that it goes back and forth in time so that we get a better understanding of why Lucrezia believe that her husband is going to kill her. I just find it interesting that at the beginning of the book Lucrezia is deemed this wild spirit that cannot be contained and by the time she marries her husband she comes off as meeker. To be fair being married so young and under the circumstances that she is forced to marry her husband I can understand a level of meekness. Every once and a while you see that tigress come out but overall, she kind of just lets her husband walk all over her. Now maybe this is because of his warning that if she doesn’t do what he wants then he will make life super hard for her. I just feel like she was underplayed. I do apricate that she had a real friend who was able to come to her new home and be witness to all that occurred. Though I do feel extremely bad how that ended up. I just don’t know if I loved this book or was kind of underwhelmed by it. I do know that patrons are going to be excited to read it once it comes out.
Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Maggie O'Farrell is brilliant at taking obscure historical figures and writing fascinating stories about them and The Marriage Portrait is no exception. Her ability to create a setting that feels vibrant and alive with detail is my favorite thing about her writing. There were moments while reading this book that I felt the panic and confusion of young Lucrezia, I could see the paintings she made, and I swore I could taste the delicacies prepared for her to eat. O'Farrell has taken very few historical facts and turned them into a full fledged story of passion, deceit, and the struggle for power and survival in 1500s Italy. Highly recommended. I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Following the critically acclaimed Hamnet (2020), O’Farrell creates another mesmerizing portrait of a Renaissance-era woman whose life is shrouded in mystery. “My Last Duchess,” Robert Browning’s poem about Lucrezia de’ Medici (1545–61), gave voice to the longstanding rumors that its subject was murdered by her husband, Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara. Was she, and if so, why? A member of Florence’s large ruling family, Lucrezia, a restless dreamer who adores animals and creating art, is devastated to learn, at age 12, about plans for her to wed her late sister’s fiancé. While Alfonso appears charming, she later witnesses his cruel streak. O’Farrell shines at instilling elegantly described scenes with human feeling, such as Lucrezia’s wedding preparations and her sense of inner strength while viewing the sunrise transform the sky at Alfonso’s country villa. The author proves equally skilled at evoking suspense. This she accomplishes by alternating between Lucrezia’s earlier life and the time when Alfonso brings Lucrezia, his 16-year-old bride, to an isolated stone fortress—perhaps to kill her. The potential motive won’t surprise anyone familiar with noblewomen’s dynastic roles. Historical-fiction readers will love the cultural details, while Lucrezia’s plight speaks to modern themes of gaslighting and women’s agency. The leitmotif of “underpainting,” hiding truths beneath the surface, echoes throughout this poetically written, multilayered novel.

(Reviewed for Booklist, Sept. 1, 2022 issue)

What great descriptions of Italian terrain and castles in the mid 1500s and of the emotions of a young girl married and moved away from her home and family. The author is especially skilled at depicting the ties between sisters. Even though I suspected the ending early on, the suspense was skillfully written and kept me anxiously reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alfred A Knopf Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

Just as she did in Hamnet, O’Farrell takes a woman who’s mostly been a footnote in history (Lucrezia de’ Medici) and discovers a fiercely compelling heroine.

Lucrezia Medici was betrothed to to Alfonso, Duke of of Ferrara at the age of 13. They were married when she turned 15 and she died at the age of 16. O'Farrell has taken the historical facts mixed them with Browning's poem, "My Last Duchess" and the result is Marriage Portrait; using her talent and imagination to give the facts life.
The tone of the book is set in the first chapter . Lucrezia has been married for almost a year but hasn't become pregnant. Alfonso, she realizes, has brought her to a lonely castle to kill her. Chapters alternate between flashbacks to her pre-marriage life and the present. As the 3rd daughter and 5th child of her family she was always different. Her vivid imagination, artistic talent and depth of feeling set her apart from her siblings. She resented the proscribed life expected of her and yearned for freedom. Sadly, she was born to be a political pawn as was the role of noble daughters.
Life with Alfonso brings a different and threatening new life. While there is more physical freedom she soon realizes that it comes at a price. Alfonso is a mercurial and desperate man. An heir to the dukedom is critical and when Lucrezia doesn't produce a child her future is sealed - just an artist's apprentice assisting in painting her portrait offers a glimpse of a different life.
Marriage Portrait is part history, part love story with fairy tale elements. but those qualities are offset by cruelty and the need to maintain power. It's an intriguing story offering a glimpse into Renaissance life but somehow I remained uninvolved with the characters unlike O'Farrell's Hamnet that broke my heart.

I was excited to start this book. I usually love Historical Fiction. While I did enjoy most of this book, I also felt like too much of it dragged on. Lucrezia was an interesting character that had a sad life. I was sad for her through most of the book, while at the same time cheering for how strong she was. I am glad I read this book. I feel like it must have been a great depiction of what life was like for woman in the 1950s. I wish we could have stayed out of Lucrezia’s head a little bit. She had very long winded thoughts that really had no importance to the story. That said, if you enjoy Historical Fiction, you should try this book. It was an interesting story that really makes you want to know what happened to Lucrezia in real life.

From the writer of Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell, this is a richly detailed historical novel about Lucrezia di Cosimo de’Medici. It follows her childhood in Florence to her short, married life to the Duke of Ferrara, and her mysterious death less than a year after their marriage. While at times the subject matter and time period (especially for young women) is rather bleak and claustrophobic, the novel does a superb job at transporting readers to Renaissance Italy. O’Farrell is at her best when exploring the psyche of the young and brilliant Lucrezia, perpetually stymied in her attempts to express herself artistically and emotionally. I admired this book more than enjoyed it, but I will certainly be recommending it to historical fiction fans, especially those who enjoy richly-detailed settings and O’Farrell’s previous book.

I was so excited to see a new Maggie O'Farrell novel, and it didn't disappoint! Lucrezia de'Medici makes a compelling and interesting character and O'Farrell's lush descriptions bring 16th century Italy to life. Highly recommended for all public libraries and a great choice for book clubs, especially those with an interest in historical fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reading copy.

Maggie O'Farrell's last book, "Hamnet," was one of my very favorite reads of the last decade. For this reason, I was I was excited when I saw "The Marriage Portrait" offered on NetGalley. "The Marriage Portrait" is the fictionalized story of Lucrezia de’ Medici, who married the Duke of Ferrara in 1558, at the age of 16. Lucrezia died less than 18 months after her wedding and there were persistent rumors that her husband was to blame for her untimely death. This famous tale was recounted in "The Last Duchess" by Robert Browning in 1842.

First, I have to admit that "The Marriage Portrait" was almost bound to be a let-down for me, coming as it did on the heels of "Hamnet." I realize it is patently unfair to compare any book to one as good as that, but it is difficult to avoid doing so. "The Marriage Plot" is no "Hamnet," much in the way that anything else written by Barbara Kingsolver is no "Poisonwood Bible." That being said, this is still a satisfying read.

The descriptions are vivid and O'Farrell does a great job creating a realistic image of the day-to-day lives of the fabulously wealthy and influential Medici family. Although we all know the basic outlines of the limitations placed on women's lives throughout much of history, it was interesting to learn more about their experiences is this particular milieu. I also enjoyed O'Farrell's renderings of the sumptuous gowns, palaces and gardens. I liked her depiction of the book's heroine less. I can't put my finger on why, but Lucrezia didn't really come to life for me. I wouldn't say she was one-dimensional or stereotypical, exactly, but something along those lines. Just a little "too-too," if that makes sense.

Overall, I would recommend without reservation to readers of historical fiction and/or fans of O'Farrell's.

I am a librarian and I received an advanced copy of "The Marriage Portrait" from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars

Maggie O'Farrell is a master story teller who tells her stories with lush and gorgeous prose. Lucrezia de Medici is married at 15 to Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara. The book opens with Lucrezia convinced that her husband plans to kill her. It has been a year and she is not yet pregnant. The author recounts Lucrezia's childhood as the daughter of the Duke of Tuscany. She is a magical daughter that can tame a tiger and draw like a master. Maggie O'Farrell draws the families with all the beauty available to her in the English language. The tension in Lucrezia's marriage is palpable with every day she is not with child. The Duke's cruelty is introduced bit by bit interspersed with his loving overtures of his young bride to a point. Then the tension builds. How will he kill her?

The reader is in excellent hands with Maggie O'Farrell. My fondest wish is that she continues to write her exquisite books for many years to come. A big thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for an Advanced Reader's copy.

A gripping historical novel set in 16th century Italy. The main protagonist is Lucrezia Medici Ferrara who married the Duke of Ferrara at age 13. Wonderful writing with a surprise ending. Highly recommended!

Another remarkable story by Maggie O’Farrell. Her ability to weave a story about events so long ago is magical. Truly enjoyable perspective of a woman lost to history, yet fully realized in O’Farrells writing.

O’Farrell, author of the award winning bestseller Hamnet, succeeds with another well written historical novel set in renaissance Italy. This is the fictionalized story of Lucrezia de' Medici who was wed to Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, at age 13 (15 in the novel) after her older sister who was intended to marry him dies. In less than one year she has died, presumably murdered, for not conceiving an heir. In the after notes we learn that Al went one to marry twice more with no progeny. Excellent writing, structure and character development, repeating the success of Hamnet.

Thrilling story, great characters and wonderfully written. Even though we knew from the outset what was going to happen it was a fun and exciting journey getting there.