The Marriage Portrait

The Marriage Portrait

Maggie O'Farrell 

Publication date: September 6, 2022 by Knopf Publishing Group

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷

Summary: 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. 

My Thoughts: My opinion of Maggie O'Farrell's writing isn't among the majority. While I read and enjoyed her previous book titled Hamnet I wasn't as wowed by it as so many others were. With this new release I went in with an open mind as I will read ANYTHING about the Medici family and the Renaissance period.

The premise was appealing. In the pages of this book readers learn about Lucrecia, the third daughter of the grand duke, and her life as she transitioned from the nursery to being a wife. O'Farrell did an excellent job of mapping out all of the characters and the dynamics of society at that time. Both the surroundings and the clothing were sumptuously described for the readers.
I didn't care for the portrayal of Lucrecia. She came off as a simpering child who did not have the ability to grow up and adapt. So much of the time spent on Lucrecia was devoted to her wandering mind and it was difficult to get through. I also felt that the timelines didn't appear to have enough differentiation between them. If the reader doesn't pay attention to the time noted at the beginning of the chapter it can get confusing.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.