"The animal was orange, burnished gold, fire made flesh; she was power and anger, she was vicious and exquisite; she carried on her body the barred marks of a prison, as if she had been branded for exactly this, as if captivity had been her destiny all along."
The Marriage Portrait
by Maggie O'Farrell
Genre: Historical Fiction
About: When Lucrezia is not yet thirteen years old, her family begin a marriage contract between her and Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara - a man twice her age, with power and resources she has only a vague notion of. He seems to love her, he's kind and attentive and requires only one thing from her: an heir. If she can give him this, all will be well. But if not...
The Good
Maggie O'Farrell is a master at setting. This genre can often get bogged down by the historical details - describing the dress, how the household is run, the foods etc. But O'Farrell effortlessly transports you to the 1500s by creating relatable characters. Lucrezia observes what she needs to, details and feelings are given to us naturally and through necessary character insight. There are some beautiful descriptions that tell us so much about the world, the characters and give significance to a particular moment. Nothing is redundant. Everyone moves in the world as if we're really seeing a glimpse into their ordinary day-to-day life. Of course there are dramatic moments and tension creeps throughout the novel as Lucrezia and Alfonso's relationship develops (I loved the jumps back and forward for this), but there are so many small moments that build a much larger picture. The hierarchy in this time period is explored with power dynamics subtly shown. Alfonso and Leonello are weighted characters with the amount of presence they each draw, though their interactions with Lucre are fairly limited.
The Bad
I did prefer Hamnet to The Marriage Portrait. I still loved this one, but I think the ending didn't create the same emotional release that Hamnet's did. I also connected more with Agnes than Lucrezia, probably because Agnes is a mother and Lucre is a fifteen year old girl. I related a lot to Lucre, but there wasn't that deeper connection that I felt with the characters in Hamnet.
The Somewhat Iffy
Everything did come together and I really like the mystic that O'Farrell gives to historical events, however it does take quite a bit of suspending your disbelief with the ending. For Alfonso or Leonello to not notice the difference in Lucre's body or look at her face is strange, as is the servants not comparing the portrait to the deceased. It was explained away well enough that I could get on board with how it all played out, but it did rely on coincidence instead of Lucre actually planning it.
Overall
The characters and setting are so expertly cast that the story folds in on you, drawing you deep into an unsettling and gripping narrative.
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