The Marriage Portrait

"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 than a year later, she would be dead. The official cause of her death was given as 'putrid fever', but it was rumoured that she had been murdered by her husband.." so begins Maggie O'Farrell's fictionalised account of the short life of Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara. The story, which moves backwards and forwards in time, begins in the winter of 1561 with the young Duchess being taken by her husband to a remote country residence, where the unhappy and highly imaginative Lucrezia becomes convinced that her husband is trying to poison her. Aware that her husband is a man with many faces and even more aware that she has failed to provide him with an heir, Lucrezia begins to fear for her life. But is the Duke really planning to kill his young wife, or has Lucrezia's imagination got the better of her?Ms O'Farrell's Lucrezia is a very vibrant and likeable heroine and the author's rich descriptions of Renaissance Italy and Lucrezia's life within that setting made this an immersive and entertaining read. The present tense used by Ms Farrell gives the story a sense of immediacy and even though I knew how the story was going to end, the present tense narrative made me feel as if somehow Lucrezia might escape her fate. (Just a note here, I knew a little about Lucrezia di Cosima de'Medici before starting this book, but the teenaged daughter of a friend who is now reading this book didn't and she commented that she wishes the author had put the historical note about Lucrezia's demise at the end of the book instead of at the beginning). I also enjoyed the little twist at the end of the story - which, although not entirely convincing, made poor Lucrezia's demise a little more palatable to take. All in all, a gripping and vividly imagined story and a novel I would definitely recommend.5 Stars.

Not as in love with it as Hamnet, but a great book. I’d recommend it to people who enjoy books about that era.

A great book to take on holiday - easy to read - quite a page-turner and if you like historical fiction this will tick all the boxes. It is based on the true story of the 16th century last Duke of Ferrara who makes a marriage to a 13 year old Medici daughter of another Duke. It is not completely historically accurate although the essentials do match history. Well written with a lot of lovely descriptions of places, scenes, people etc. The actions takes place over a few years and in several places but jumps back and forth in time - although this could be confusing, the chapter heads make it clear where and when you are at.

I love Maggie O'Farrell books and always look forward to a new publication. I gave it 5 stars because her writing is always a joy to read but, in all fairness, I don't think this is one of her best books. Still a really good read though.

I enjoyed reading this book, despite seeing how badly women were treated during this period. Very atmospheric and paints a great picture of the time. Like Hamnet really. It just didn’t seem as original after having read Hamnet previously.