The Marriage Portrait

Starred review from July 11, 2022
This lush, provocative historical from National Book Critics Circle Award winner O’Farrell (Hamnet) follows a young woman who is married off at 15 amid the complex world of 16th-century Italian city-states. O’Farrell bases her heroine, Lucrezia de’ Medici, on a real-life figure depicted in Robert Browning’s poem “My Last Duchess,” who was murdered by her husband. When the reader first meets Lucrezia, she’s been married for not quite a year and faces mortal danger in what O’Farrell describes as a “wild and lonely place.” The narrative moves back and forth from the nearly deserted fortress where Lucrezia plays a game of cat and mouse with the duke of Ferrara, the husband who might be attempting to kill her, and the events that have brought her here. As a child of a noble family in Florence, she was untamable and passionate about making art. Now, the duke grows increasingly impatient with her as she fails to produce the heir he needs to secure his position. O’Farrell excels at sumptuous set pieces: Lucrezia’s encounter with a tiger her father keeps in the basement beneath their palace, the wedding where she is draped and almost swallowed up by her gown, her meetings with the mysterious figures at her new home, particularly her enigmatic husband. By imagining an alternative fate for Lucrezia that deviates from the historical record, the author crafts a captivating portrait of a woman attempting to free herself from a golden cage. Fans of the accomplished Hamnet won’t be disappointed by this formidable outing. Agent: Christy Fletcher, Fletcher & Co.

June 10, 2024

O'Farrell (Hamnet), winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Women's Prize for Fiction, has written another compelling story based on Lucrezia de' Medici, who lived during the 16th century. Lucrezia is a precocious and curious young woman, a bright student, and a gifted painter. When her older sister, Maria, suddenly dies before her wedding to Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, Lucrezia, who is only 15, is forced to take her place as Alfonso's bride. When she is 16, Lucrezia must leave her safe but confining home and move to Ferrara to marry the duke. As soon as she arrives in Ferrara and spends time with the politically ruthless and cruel duke, she realizes that her life is in mortal danger, as she is expected to produce an heir, but it is apparent that the duke is infertile. Genevieve Gaunt engages the listener with her emotional and expressive narration, adding depth to this historical figure and her battle for survival. VERDICT For patrons who enjoyed Hamnet and seek out historical fiction about strong women who cleverly fight against the unforgiving restraints of their time.--Ilka Gordon

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.