The Marriage Portrait

A Novel

By: Maggie O'Farrell

Narrated by: Genevieve Gaunt, Maggie O'Farrell

Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION FINALIST • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • The author of award-winning Hamnet brings the world of Renaissance Italy to jewel-bright life in this unforgettable fictional portrait of the captivating young duchess Lucrezia de' Medici as she makes her way in a troubled court.

“I could not stop reading this incredible true story.”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Pick)

"O’Farrell pulls out little threads of historical detail to weave this story of a precocious girl sensitive to the contradictions of her station...You may know the history, and you may think you know what’s coming, but don’t be so sure."—The Washington Post

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 devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, 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 enter an unfamiliar 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 beauty and emotion with which she illuminated the Shakespearean canvas of Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell turns her talents to Renaissance Italy in an extraordinary portrait of a resilient young woman’s battle for her very survival.

©2022 Maggie O'Farrell (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: TIME, THE WASHINGTON POST, GOODREADS • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE NOMINEE

"[A] glittering, propulsive new novel . . . Few writers play as confidently with the nuts and bolts of language, and historical characters netted from the past. O’Farrell adroitly shrinks Lucrezia to her own vanishing point, even if the probable cause of the duchess’s demise was a pulmonary embolism rather than poison. O’Farrell’s creative license beautifully frames the chasms that open up between husband and wife, implicating an institution that has galvanized our canonical writers, including the Victorian poet Robert Browning, whose dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ was inspired by Branzino’s portrait of Lucrezia.”—Oprah Daily

"O’Farrell intelligently connects Lucrezia’s trapped circumstances with the art that her husband, a notable patron and collector, commissions to immortalize her . . . There is a blinding power to the heightened, almost fetishistic beauty of Renaissance art, this novel suggests as it portrays a world of far greater brutality and fierceness.”—Wall Street Journal

"[O’Farrell] has spun pure gold out of this tragic history . . . The Marriage Portrait builds a rich interior world while vividly re-creating an era, in this case the Italian Renaissance, a period overflowing with intrigue and pomp, rustling heavy fabrics and glowing frescoes, blood and lust and the desire for power.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Excellent

I had the privilege of hearing Maggie O’Farrell speak and read the first Chapter of her book “The Marriage Portrait”, in Charlottesville, Virginia. I had not read or listened to any of her previous works but was invited by a friend to attend the reading. I was instantly drawn into the story. The question and answer session following the reading made the story that much more intriguing. I couldn’t wait to read the book! But after hearing Maggie’s beautiful accent and doing a little research on the narrator for this book, I had to listen to it! Listen to this book! You will be glad you did!!!

Exquisite!

I’ve been reading and reading all year long waiting to find my favorite book of 2022. I have found it in The Marriage Portrait.

From the exquisite and evocative prose, to the unforgettable and perfectly wrought characters, to the evocative scenes of 16th century Italian court life, to the sublime and detailed descriptions of the natural world from the eye of an artist, to the horrors of being female at that time in history, to the unexpected plot twist—this book is even better than O’Farrell’s Hamnet (which I loved). It’s not a pleasant story but it is pure pleasure to read.

Enchanting, exciting, enticing…

When you hear that this novel, set in 1500’s Italy, is about a young woman, aged 15, who through her marriage to Alphonso, a new duke, becomes a duchess and leaves her beloved family to make a home with him, don’t be fooled that it is old-fashioned or boring or tedious historical fiction.

It is a thriller!! It is compelling!!

Thank you Maggie O’Farrell for once again creating such an interesting and throughly enjoyable novel.

The only con is that it ended.

O’Farrell’s best yet!

The story is captivating, characters well developed and narration superb. Details were obviously well researched. Be sure to listen to the author’s note at the end.

Great Reader!

The actress who read this made it even better than it would have been if I’d read it in book form.

Excellent!

What a wonderful rendition of 15th century Italy. I went to my history books to refresh myself. Just a great story with a very lovely twist. I’m so glad I took a chance on this. Love the writing style, and the narrator was superb. Thank you, thank you.

An amazingly detailed story.

The vivid way the author describes things allows a listener to picture the scene and exactly what and how things are transpiring. I will be looking for more books written by her. The story was well told and was a surprise in the end.

What an incredible story

Told with Maggie o’farrel’s ability to help us see and feel another time and place.

Great listen!!!

I could barely ‘put it down’. Interesting story so well written. The reader is superb!

Listening feels like watching brush strokes

Details were tight on every character, will listen again. Pleasant! Satisfying ending, for sure.