It’s the mid sixteenth century and the teenage Lucrezia de' Medici must marry her dead sister’s fiancé to cement the political relationship between Florence and Ferrara.

The history books don’t tell us much about Lucrezia and her short life and unhappy marriage, but fortunately Maggie O’Farrell has done the research, made a few changes for poetic licence (and because everyone has such similar names), and given us a rich historical novel exploring the sumptuous violence of courtly life and the treatment of medieval women valued more for their wombs and blood lines than their own selves. Lucrezia comes to life on the page and I never quite knew what was going to happen.

A recommended read for Hamnet fans and lovers of historical fiction.

Another outstanding novel from Maggie O'Farrell!

This book really spoke to me! I love historic fiction, but sometimes it takes me a while to sink into the time and place. Maggie O'Farrell, though, has a talent to drop you firmly into a scene, and to leave you feeling settled and also intrigued, immediately.
She presents such knowable characters, her prose is beautiful and the way she plots her books has you turning the pages.
We follow the main character, Lucrezia di Cosimo de’ Medici from her birth, through her childhood and into her marriage, aged just sixteen, to Alfonso d’Este. She is convinced her husband is trying to kill her and she doesn't see seventeen years.
A brilliantly imagined novel of the short life of this woman.

There are so many scenes in this book that will stay with me, but one in particular I loved: Lucrezia is eight years old and her father, Cosimo de’ Medici, has bought a tigress to join his menagerie of other exotic, caged animals in the palace. She and her brothers and sisters are allowed to go down to see them. What follows is an evocative scene where Lucrezia manages to slip from the group and makes a brief connection with the animal. Such a vivid moment and one of many to remember.

Thank you to Maggie O'Farrell, NetGalley and Tinder Press for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

This is the story of 16 year old Lucrezia, the third daughter of Cosimo de’ Medici, who is suddenly propelled into marriage to a man she has never met after her older sister, Maria dies on the eve of her marriage to Alfonso d’Este, about to become Duke of Ferrara. Lucrezia who is the wayward sister, having little interest in boys and even less in jewels or clothes, preferring to spend time with her painting and enjoying the delights of nature. She especially loves animals and is in awe of her father’s newest acquisition to his menagerie.

But her father, Cosimo believes in creating diplomatically advantageous marriages for his daughters to bolster his position and ensure his lands are secure from hostile invaders or usurpers. So when Maria dies and Alfonso d’Este requests the hand of Lucrezia in marriage instead, he is quick to agree.

Lucrezia’s story is immortalised in Robert Browning’s famous poem, My Last Duchess set in 1564 and is based on the real-life Duke Alfonso II who ruled Ferrara, Italy in the latter half of the 16th century. In the poem, he’s talking about his first wife Lucrezia de’ Medici, 3 years after she died under suspicious circumstances shortly after marrying the Duke.

I was really interested to see what story Maggie O’Farrell would lay behind this famous portrait and I was not disappointed. She writes with such skill and empathy that it is impossible not to fall for this fabulous character who is both naïve and tenacious as she comes to terms with realising that the man she married is interested in only one thing from her.

The novel opens in the winter of 1561. Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara, has been unexpectedly taken to a country villa, which more resembles a fortress than a place of rest and recuperation, by her husband, Alfonso. None of their usual entourage is in attendance and Lucrezia does not even have a maid with her. As they sit down to dinner it dawns on Lucrezia that Alfonso has created the perfect conditions for getting rid of her with no witnesses.

Maggie O’Farrell’s novel moves backwards in time to show us Lucrezia as a young child in the sheltered environment of the Medici Palace in Florence and overshadowed by the more conventional beauty of her sisters.

We learn about her childhood, and how her life was so suddenly altered by early marriage. Her only example was that of her parents who had very much a loving marriage of equals when it came to ideas and affairs of state, but for Lucrezia no such potential for growth exists in her marriage to Alfonso. He is a man of two sides; sometimes loving and tender, seeing his wife in a way that both pleases and surprises her while at the same time shutting her out of all his concerns and any matters of court.

O’Farrell’s prose is lively, engaging and enchanting. Her Lucrezia springs off the page like a delighted faun seeing the world for the first time, delighting in nature and with no idea that the woods are full of huntsmen with rifles.
Lucrezia de Medici poss by Bronzino

As Lucrezia takes her place at the Court and is at all times accompanied by Alfonso’s sisters, we see this wild faun become tamed and increasingly feeling caged as she is constrained by her husband’s insistence on adherence to his customs of manners. And when she is called upon by him to sit for her marriage portrait – to be painted by the impressive artist Bronzino, we feel the shivers of a woman realising that she is the subject of coercive control. We care about what happens to Lucrezia and that’s because O’Farrell has brought a fully realised woman onto the page and into our hearts.

Verdict: Maggie O’Farrell’s writing is rich and full of empathy for Lucrezia. She paints a wonderful picture of a young woman out of her time, constrained at every turn and unable to grow her considerable potential. This book is a dream to read and is a book to lose yourself in. My time flew by and I could read it all again, so much did I enjoy it. A hugely enjoyable, fascinating and immersive read.

I'm not normally a fan of historical fiction, but I am a fan of Maggie O'Farrell, and so I trusted in her writing and she didn't let me down. Whilst this isn't Hamnet (which I loved) it is beautifully written, and I was fully caught up in the Dukedoms and the court life. The way the story is told keeps this relentless pace - you know what's going to happen, but you become more and more involved in Lucrezia's life, and increasingly worried on her behalf as we move from her childhood and early marriage to her final days, back and forth, building the tension.

I could really sense the place, and time, through the writing, and the huge cast of characters is wonderfully handled.
**spoiler**





I could feel the twist coming, but still it made me gasp, as I half expected something else to happen, and something to stop her escaping the castle. But my slight niggle with the ending is poor Emilia. I just wish in that final imagining of Lucrezia's new life, there had been something about Emilia. I thought it was coming, with the mention of the underpaintings, and that the face of the girl would be Emilia's, but instead it was Lucrezia again, and that made me like her just a tiny bit less.

Looking forward to see what she writes next!

For the last few days I have been lost in renaissance Italy through the pages of this wonderful book. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell shows us the political machinations of the Italian aristocracy and Lucrezia, the young girl at the heart of it. I was vaguely aware of Lucrezia from Robert Browning’s poem, My Last Duchess, which my daughter studied recently. In the poem, Lucrezia’s husband ponders on his late wife and there are hints that he had her killed. In this novel, we find out much more about Lucrezia and her marriage through the wonderful prose of Maggie O’Farrell

The world building in this novel is incredible. Maggie O’Farrell brings Florence and Ferrara vibrantly to life. You can easily visualise the colourful surroundings, the heat of Italy, the violence of the storms, the textures of the fabrics, sounds echoing through the palaces, even the smells emanating from the kitchens. This attention to minute detail makes it easy to visualise the world Lucrezia inhabits.

Lucrezia is a talented artist, painting miniatures of scenery, animals and people. Often she paints over previous work, creating hidden layers of paintings. In a similar way, there are many layers to the book, and many things about herself which Lucrezia must keep hidden away beneath a façade. The story moves back and forward in Lucrezia’s life and builds up her story like the layers of a painting. We see her as a young girl, as someone promised in marriage against her will, through the early days of her marriage to its final days.

Maggie O’Farrell builds a clear picture of this young girl. She is a possession, a political pawn, her marriage a convenient political alliance. She has no agency, no say, no opinions allowed which are contrary to those of her husband who is shown to be a cold and cruel man. She is utterly at the mercy of the men in her life. And yet she is full of spirit and courage, not someone who will be easily disregarded or made to bend to her husband’s will.

Maggie O’Farrell is an exceptional storyteller in my opinion and had me utterly gripped by her beautiful writing throughout The Marriage Portrait. It may be partly about the marriage portrait which Alfonso commissions, but it’s equally a portrait of their marriage. This is a stunning piece of historical fiction and easily earns a place in my top reads of this year.

Do take time to read the fascinating author’s note at the end where Maggie O’Farrell talks about the facts she used in the novel and explains the variations from what is known about the real Lucrezia.

We are told how it will end as the story begins, we then get to know Lucrezia as a child, as she grows....but never to be a woman, despite the life she has to lead.

As always Maggie O'Farrel's writing is engaging, it paints pictures for you, allowing your senses to imagine themselves into 16th century Italy. We are drawn into Lucrezia's world and cannot help but caring about her life and the injustices that she faces. However that all sounds a bit somber, Lucrezia is not a somber character at all and I adored her passion for animals, nature and her desire to capture it all in paint and chalks.

I loved being transported in place to Florence, Ferrara and other areas in Italy, and in time to the 16th century to be a fly on the wall.....if only I could have reached out to help..

How do you follow Hamnet? Such an acclaimed book that touched a lot of people, Hamnet was never going to be an easy one to move on from.

I love Maggie O'Farrell's work, she is one of my favourite writers. Her last three books, not just Hamnet, but I Am I Am I Am and This Be The Place all had a big emotional heft for me. So it was with great interest and excitement that I picked up the Marriage Portrait.

O'Farrell has stuck with historical fiction and this is a large book, nearly 450 pages so there's a lot of detail to pick up. It's one of the things she does well, the sights, smells, touch of a place, and in this case sixteenth century Italy.

The Marriage Portrait is the imagined biography of Lucrezia di Cosimo de Medici d'Este, Duchess of Ferrara, and wife of the Duke of Ferrara who is widely considered to be the subject of Browning's poem My Last Duchess.

In this novel, Lucrezia is the youngest daughter of Cosimo and his wife, widely known as La Fecunda for her child bearing ability. They live in Florence, rearing their children to rule or make good marriages to other rulers. The book opens with Lucrezia, married and a Duchess, travelling away from her home to a small country estate of her husbands. She is convinced he is going to kill her. The action of the book flits between what this modern Lucrezia does in her terrifying situation and the history of how she got to be here. Everything, from her conception and birth, to the death of her sister Maria who was supposed to be the Duke of Ferrara's wife, and her experience of modern life.

It is rich in detail, as I mentioned before, and it is also a book to be savoured. I read it fast, and I also had to read the advance copy on an e reader which always spoils the enjoyment of reading for me. However, I did feel that The Marriage Portrait lacked the emotional heft of her recent books, and I wasn't moved by the story. When it comes down to it, perhaps I'm not judging it fairly: by anyone's standards, it's a good book. But by the standards by which I've come to read Maggie O'Farrell, it's only ok.

Having said that, I finished it in the evening, went to bed and woke the next morning with flashes of scenes still in my mind. As I said, she's so good at the detail work, it does paint a picture in your head. Fittingly, in this case.

I loved Hamnet, and Maggie O’Farrell has produced another epic story. Based in Italy’s renaissance the story of an arranged marriage between Lucretia and Alfonso, she is young and must produce an heir to the throne. A story of survival.

In a million years I would not have chosen to read a book set in Italy in the 16th Century - yet here we are! Its Maggie O'Farrell and her ability to connect with someone not interested in historical fiction in the main is unrivalled. I have been totally transported to Florence and beyond, and mesmerised by the brilliant characterisation of Lucrezia, the heroine of this story.
A fictionalised story of the teenage Duchess Lucrezia, who as we are told right at the start of the novel was found dead a year after her marriage, suspected murdered by her husband. Telling the story of her childhood leading up to her proposed marriage to the Duke Alfonso d'Este and beyond - she is a brilliant, dazzling star of this novel. I loved her immediately.
A great read, and for me far more readable than Hamnet.

I did find this a little harder to get into than say, Hamnet, but I think that’s probably because I had prior knowledge of Shakespeare his family and the inspiration for his play, Hamlet. Whereas I had no prior knowledge for this one. However, that doesn’t matter for long. It quickly becomes more recognisable and it doesn’t really matter if you have any knowledge of these historical figures or not.

It is a bit convoluted at times, a bit busy and you begin to wonder whether it is all necessary. You’ve got pages and pages describing things like a single carriage ride or an action that could have been explained in a couple of paragraphs instead goes on for a couple of pages. There is a risk of the reader losing interest and feeling tempted to skip through.

I did like the two time periods - one pre-marriage and one post - especially when Maggie drops things into the pre-marriage story that don’t seem particularly important and then you see what they mean post-marriage.

I didn’t care much for the main character of Lucrezia. I know she’s still a child and the way girls and women had to behave in this period was very different to not, but I found her to be quite irritating, a bit of a wet weekend. It was like she couldn’t decide if she was going to be the meek mouse who obeys her husband or if she was going to be strong and stand up to him, she kept flitting between the two. And considering we are meant to feel sympathetic for her and her situation, because she didn’t endear herself to me, it wasn’t easy to feel compassion for her and I wasn’t really bothered by what happened to her.

I did get confused slightly at some point when something is give. Quite a lot of page time, it is never really spoken about again. Such as Lucrezia seeing a tiger for the first time. This goes on for some time, but we never find out the point of it. It is mentioned again near the end but again, to no conclusion. I feel if something is going to have that much time dedicated to it, it needs to have some sort of affect on the storyline otherwise it seems a bit pointless. And at over 440 pages, it stretches out a bit too long, resulting in a fair bit of padding.

I’m torn with this book. I love Maggie O’Farrell’s stories and have got quite the collection going. I think she is a master writer and storyteller and her love of history is clear to see, and she tells stories that I don’t think many authors would attempt. But for all the positives about her as an author, and for all the hype this book has been getting, it fell short of what I’ve come to expect from her work sadly.

Beautifully written and gorgeously evocative of 16th century Italy. I think the first and last quarter of the book was the best and as a consequence it did drag in the middle. I think the flashbacks contributed to this as I just wanted to get back to the Fortessa!
I think there were almost too many clues and signposts to the ending, so it lacked the shock factor for me.
I definitely felt immersed in the period and loves all the references to art and painting. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend - especially to anyone interested in Italian history.

Wow! I’m ashamed to admit that Hamnet was the first book I read by O’Farrell and I wasn’t sure if it was a one-off belter so I’m thrilled to discover that The Marriage Portrait is equally superb. A perfect blend of historical fact and fiction all exquisitely written. I knew nothing of Lucrezia de’Medici d’Este, Duchess of Ferrara before starting, but am now intrigued to research her and her family further.
The best read of the year so far for me. It rightfully deserves all the plaudits I’m sure it will receive.

"Death has come for her. It is knocking at her door; it is sliding its fingers through the keyhole; it is searching for a way past the lock."

The Marriage Portrait is a historical reimagining of the brief life of Lucrezia de' Medici. It takes inspiration from Robert Brownings poem titled My Last Duchess.

The writing was beautiful and entrancing though at times too wordy, in my opinion.
As much as I enjoyed its writing and was intrigued by the mystery around this young noblewoman's premature death , I felt disappointed with the ending which I found it to be unrealistic and poorly plotted.

I would still recommend this book for fans of historical fiction who enjoy a lyrical and an enticing slow-paced story.

The Marriage Portrait is Maggie O'Farrell'a follow up to the award-winning, best-selling Hamnet. To say there is a lot of expectation upon this books shoulders would be an understatement. So how do you follow up Hamnet? Once again O'Farrell is taking us into a distant past, proving she is as adept at writing history as Hilary Mantel. The story, inspired by historical fact as Hamnet was and spinning off from the truths into a fiction which could so easily be real.

In the winter of 1561, Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara is taken by her husband to their remote villa Lucrezia fears he plans to kill her. If this sounds like the beginning of a historical thriller, it is, but does so not by piling on the thrills and the chills, but by simply portraying the mind of her sixteen year old heroine and how she tries to cope as the darkness draws in.

O'Farrell has always been a writer of great prose, and her abilities have been expanded greatly through Hamnet and this. That I say this is a lesser novel than Hamnet is not a criticism, it is an extraordinary fine novel by itself. Had she published this before Hamnet we might easily be calling this her masterpiece. Unfortunately it sits in that novels shadow. And it shouldn't, we should allow the Duchess to shine by herself, for this is a dazzling novel.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

As always with an actual person from historical fiction, I didn't know anything about them.
This worked in my favour, as once I'd read the opening pages and Lucrezia claiming her husband was out to kill her, well I had no idea if he was, or if he did.
A great sense of setting for all the scenes I thought, with vivid characters send interesting side plots, that slowly reveal truth of what's going on.
This book has restored my faith in O'Farrell, who is a much liked author for me.
I hope it does well.