I've read two of O'Farrell's previous books: "I am, I am, I am," and "Hamnet", and loved both so when the arc for the Marriage Portrait became available on NetGalley I immediately requested it. This book did not disappoint. It was weird and beautiful and the historical details were spot on. If you look back through my Goodreads you'll find that I'm a sucker for a story on an overlooked historical woman so this one definitely fits my tastes.

Lucrezia Medici is the overlooked daughter of the Duke of Florence, a difficult, precocious child she was allowed to roam free with very little adult supervision. Or should I say parental supervision as Lucrezia found herself a second home in the kitchens. Lucrezia is an imaginative child who from an early age shows a talent for art and is allowed to explore her talents since she is a third daughter and pretty insignificant. However, that all changes when her older sister dies and Lucrezia is forced to marry her sister's fiance Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara. The marriage starts off seemingly okay but quickly takes a darker turn as Alfonso is prone to mood swings. Lucrezia has only her maid for companionship as she's carted across Italy and forced to adjust to her new reality. Obviously, things don't end well for the new duchess but there are some twists I didn't see coming. Lucrezia is only sixteen but she comes across as much older probably since she has to deal with an unfortunate husband like Alfonso.

I really like O'Farrell's distinctive writing style that combines lots of details and introspective character work. If you've read Hamnet this book has a very similar writing style. Again I like it but just a tidbit for future readers. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend for fans of historical fiction or fans of O'Farrell.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

The Marriage Portrait is a historical fiction novel that takes place in in 1550's Florence, Italy. I love learning about that time period and place in history. The author does a great job at creating the world of the main character, Lucrezia.

I'm sure readers of the author's previous novel, Hamnet, will enjoy The Marriage Portrait as well.

I am a library associate and received an advance reader copy from #NetGalley.

During the 1550's the de Midici family in Florence was one of the leading power families of Renaissance Italy. It seemed only natural to increase their power by joining forces with another powerful family and marry their youngest daughter Lucrezia to Alfonso d'Este. It didn't matter that Lucrezia was very young and had led a sheltered life and that Alfonso was much older and a widower. It also didn't matter that he was a tyrant. Lucrezia was a pawn in a powerful chess game and there to produce male heirs. She was considered to be quite a beauty so Alfonso commissions a marriage portrait to be painted mainly so he could show her off as his latest possession. The paint on the canvas would barely be dry before the marriage would end. The author paints a stunning landscape of powerful men, their subservient women and all the family drama and violence in between. This is historical fiction that is compelling, captivating and illuminating sure to appeal to art lovers, fans of the Italian Renaissance and deadly power struggles. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Well-written and -imagined novel of the last year of the life of Lucrezia de ‘medici, who was found dead of unknown causes at the age of 16 in the castle of her husband, the second Duke of Ferrara in the mid-sixteenth century. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, but i did enjoy the author’s previous novel, Hamnet, and decided to give this one a try. I’m glad i did. The author’s research and historical approach result in quality historical fiction that is not dumbed down or overly romanticized. I was engaged throughout and especially appreciated the fictional resolution that the author conjured. I can recommend this one with confidence.

For those who are interested in life in Renaissance Italy, Maggie O'Farrell's story of Lucrezia de' Medici Orsini and her marriage to Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara may be of interest. The narrative flow is not entirely sequential, with each chapter including a location and date at the beginning to help orient the reader. Some may find this confusing. The complex relationships between Lucrezia, her family, her husband, as well as Lucrezia's complicated relationship with reality and fantasy are compelling. Some may find the marital relationship of a teen and a man nearly twice her age off-putting.

I am a big fan of Maggie O’Farrell so I am may not be a completely objective reader. She has a special way of writing that places me in the story And transports me. I enjoyed thisand would recommend.

I first read and loved Maggie O’Farrell’s contemporary novels and thought they were wonderful, but her two most recent books, both historical novels have been even more outstanding. Lucrezia is a completely realized character as are even many of the minor figures. Renaissance Italy comes alive. I found every page riveting. If I-have a quibble, it is with the astounding genius of Lucrezia ‘s artistic ability., but this in no way lessened my enjoyment of the book.

A fascinating and tense story about the brief life of Lucrezia de'Medici and her marriage to Alfonso d'Este. The Renaissance setting is gorgeously written, and I felt utterly engaged in Lucrezia as a character. (4.5 stars)

This is my first book by Maggie O'Farrell, and I will be back for more! I love history told in a story especially about Italy during the Renaissance. Lucrezia de' Medici is married off to a duke at a young age, as many girls were during this time period. It is not a happy marriage and ends in her death. How did she die? That is the question.

I enjoyed Maggie O Farrell’s previous book ‘Hamnet’, so I was looking forward to reading about another character based on an actual historical person.
Lucrezia in The Marriage Portrait is a fascinating character and I enjoyed reading about her both in this work of fiction and in the pages of history. The Marriage Portrait got me researching more about Lucrezia and looking up the few paintings of her.
This book is well written and makes you feel like you are learning something as well as enjoying a great story! The characters whether real or fictional all work within the novel and their adventures are as thrilling as trying to meet a tiger to saving a life.
I look forward to recommending it to our library patrons.

I was seriously disappointed in this novel, having LOVED O'Farrell's Hamnet. The subject/place/time would seem to be perfect: "palace DeMedici intrigue", Florence/Ferrara, Renaissance BUT the story did not come together for me. Too many instances of Lucrezia's reminiscences integrated with her reality.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC. ...

Set in Renaissance Italy, "The Marriage Portrait" introduces us to Lucrezia de Medici and the world of powerful royal families in Florence and Ferrara. Maggie O’Farrell’s prose paints a vivid picture of the times and the restrained, sheltered existence for most women. This novel is based on historical figures and the hauntingly beautiful Bronzino portrait of the young Lucrezia. If only the portrait could speak to us! We know from the beginning that Lucrezia fears she is going to be murdered by her bridegroom. But we watch her grow and develop, hone her artistic skills and her attention to the natural world around her. While, the novel didn’t touch me quite as deeply as the author’s Hamnet, it is an intriguing and satisfying read.

Very well written and thought-provoking. I don't usually read historical fiction. I went into this one blind and didn't know if I wanted to continue after I read the opening chapters and looked up the history of the people being depicted. However, I'm happy that I forged on. Library patrons will enjoy this work.

I found this book intriguing. It was unique and well written. I found the main character captivating.

When I heard that Maggie O'Farrell had a new book coming out, I could only hope it would be half as good as Hamnet. I just finished The Marriage Portrait and think it's even better! She brings Renaissance Italy to life in this very interesting work of historical fiction.

Set in Florence in the 1550's and based on a real person, the author depicts one year in the life of the young Duchess Lucrezia de Medici. I especially liked the descriptive writing of the times. I could not put this book down.

This was a very intense, captivating book. It conveys an overwhelming sense of how claustrophobic, helpless and frightening life must have been for many of the young noblewomen in those times. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this book up because I love the Renaissance, and Lucrezia is such an interesting character to base a book around. Sadly, this book was largely a disappointment for me. I did like how the author fleshed out Lucrezia and gave her some personality, though it did seem weird at times and sort of out of character so to speak for how history remember her. Since this is fiction, that's not a huge deal, but I did find myself wondering why the author took this route many times. Lucrezia reveals early on that she knows her husband is going to kill her, and I was expecting something more intriguing and dramatic than what we actually got. My biggest issue was with the perspective, the author chose to write from a weird, third-person omniscient pov that I guess makes sense for how she's using characters besides Lucrezia, but makes for very strange prose that was a chore to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for giving me the chance to read the Marriage Portrait during this fateful summer when women's rights are constantly in the news. O'Farrell does a brilliant job of describing how little agency women had in the 16th century and limns the interior life of a teenager who quietly rebels against the constraints of her time. She is a self-taught artist, linguist, and keen observer of the world around her and the daughter of a powerful couple, Cosimo I and Eleanor of Toledo, who appear to have had a loving relationship filled with many children and shared power. Eleanor acted as regent when Cosimo was away from Florence. Lucrezia doesn't view herself simply as vessel for the perpetuation of a dynasty but her attempts to be a true partner to her husband, the Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, are thwarted by his insistence that women have no role to play in ruling his duchy. And Alfonso, who can be violent and cruel, blames Lucrezia for the failure to provide him with an heir. Time is running out for the young Duchess.
O'Farrell knows welll the writing of Robert Browning and his poem "My Last Duchess" (1842) which is said to have been inspired by Alfonso and is sometimes thought to be a commnetary on the constrained role of women in the Victorian era. The Marriage Portrait is a timely offering.

O’Farrell is a master of combining history with mystery in beautiful prose. The Marriage Portrait, like Hamnet before it, takes a little-known character from history and immerses them within a story that entwines around more characters that we are more familiar with. Lucrezia is a little-known daughter of the powerful Medici family who died young shortly after becoming duchess to another powerful family in the region. The story of her life growing up with the Medicis was the most interesting part for me, as Lucrezia is stuck in a kind of limbo between much older sisters and much younger brothers and her parents seem not to know what to do with her, though the intrigue surrounding those in the castle of her husband, Alfonso, leave you on edge as well. I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction and thank Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for the review copy.