the marriage portrait lucrezia

One experiences, viscerally, Lucrezias exhaustion and terror when she is abandoned in a strange place a few hours after her marriage, her giddy excitement and expansive feeling of freedom in the early days of her marriage, her revulsion and fear as her husbands fury and contempt emerge . She is no ordinary mortal. It first appears in the written record at the end of the 18th century, when it was in the Pesaro collection in Venice. . The marriage contracts are negotiated and signed despite Lucrezia's protestations, and soon preparations for the wedding are well underway. Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now enter an unfamiliar court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. She was Lucrezia, part of the eminent Medici family of Florence, who died at age 16, only a year after marrying the duke. Her characters are captivating and believable, and the landscape of Renaissance Italy is a veritable gift to the senses, so powerfully does OFarrell evoke the sights, sounds and smells of forest, castle and barnyard. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O' Farrell | Review The Marriage Portrait: A novel Kindle Edition - amazon.com His hands about her throat? It is also influenced by a poem I have read Robert Browning's My Last Duchess about Lucrezia de Medici and her suspicious death. OFarrell is a marvelous stylist, and The Marriage Portrait is full of the same kinds of intense details that made Hamnet come alive. 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? In one thrilling chapter, Lucrezia encounters a tiger that the duke has had captured and conveyed to a menagerie he maintains in the palazzos basement. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. To Lucrezia, as she steps over the threshold, it looks as if a woman has been cut into four pieces and calmly arranged around the furniture.. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust into the . Lucrezia and the tigress regarded each other, for a stretched moment, the childs hand on the beasts back, and time stopped for Lucrezia, the turning world stilled.. Growing up, Lucrezia was different from her siblings. Had the world been operating normally, I would have gone fairly quickly to Italy to research the various locations and to gaze upon the portraits of Lucrezia and her family. Born into the wealthiest and most politically powerful family of the Italian Renaissance, teenage Lucrezia was married off to the handsome and ruthless Duke of Ferrara and was dead within the year. Lucrezia makes an appearance unnamed and of course entirely wordless in Robert Brownings poem, My Last Duchess. In it, she is already dead, and Brownings Duke keeps her portrait hidden behind a curtain, which is only drawn back by his hand. I also went in search of the portraits Id been gazing at for two years. By Hamilton Cain Published: Sep 7, 2022 Save Article Author photo: Murdo Macleod Her novels includeHamnet (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award),After Youd Gone,The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox,The Hand That First Held Mine(winner of the Costa Novel Award), andInstructions for a More about Maggie OFarrell, A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: TIME, THE WASHINGTON POST, GOODREADS REESES BOOK CLUB PICK CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE NOMINEEI could not stop reading this incredible true story.Reese Witherspoon (Reeses Book Club December 22 Pick)[A] glittering, propulsive new novel . If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. A couple of years ago, Maggie OFarrell published a stunning, award-winning novel called Hamnet. In it she took inspiration from familiar stories the towering tragedy Hamlet and the life of its author, William Shakespeare and shifted the perspective, writing a moving and gorgeous book about the title character, Shakespeares son Hamnet, and about the playwrights wife. She knows that she is not the perfect wife but the rebel inside her will not stay hidden. The Marriage Portrait Analysis - eNotes.com Here, in this remote villa, she is entirely at the mercy of her increasingly erratic husband.What is Lucrezia to do with this sudden knowledge? The Marriage Portrait Chapter Summaries - eNotes.com The official cause of death was given as putrid fever a catch-all diagnosis that could imply any number of diseases or conditions. Lucrezia is written as a girl whose intellect and talents, particularly her skills in languages and art, are underappreciated by the society in which she lives. It is now in the National Gallery, London, which bought it in 1927. Her relationship with Cosimo, Lucrezia's father, is a. OFarrell creates another mesmerizing portrait of a Renaissance-era woman whose life is shrouded in mystery . Live this time period. 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. Brownings Alfonso might have closed a curtain over the portrait of his duchess to declare her his possession, but OFarrell rips that curtain away and gives her a life. Tampa Bay TimesI loved The Marriage Portrait so much that I did not want to finish it. The final twist is so unexpected and so gorgeously executed that it brought this reader to tears. She said nothing, however, allowing her mare to follow him along the path, through dripping trees, over the arch-backed bridge and into the courtyard of the strange, fortified, star-shaped building, which seemed, even then, to strike her as peculiarly empty of people. "Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts, "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books". The twist at the end is interesting, but unbelievable. Truly loved it. Set in the mid 1500s, The Marriage Portrait is the reimagining of the short life and times of Lucrezia, the third daughter of Cosimo de' Medici and his Spanish wife Eleonora. Fans of the accomplished Hamnet won't be disappointed by this formidable outing. Lucrezia, away from her family, has little in the way of allies. The Marriage Portrait is novel based on real events: the short life of sixteen-year-old Lucrezia de Medici, who may or may not have been murdered. She and Alfonso have traveled from their palazzo in Ferrara to a remote fortress, where she is isolated from the court and even from her ladys maid, the loyal Emilia. Lucrezia was the fifth child of Cosimo de' Medici, the. It is Nicki but I suspect Hamnet may have raised the bar very high! The knife in a dark corridor? Lucrezia is taking her seat at the long dining table, which is polished to a watery gleam and spread with dishes, inverted cups, a woven circlet of fir. Readers might imagine, given their familiarity with Brownings poem and based on the historical note with which OFarrell opens her novel, that they know how Lucrezias story will end. The author proves equally skilled at evoking suspense. Booklist [starred review]A vivid depiction of the harsh manners and rigid expectations for women within ducal courts in 16th-century Italy . Full of the beauty and emotion with which she illuminated the Shakespearean canvas of Hamnet, Maggie OFarrell turns her talents to Renaissance Italy in an extraordinary portrait of a resilient young womans battle for her very survival. Maggie O'Farrell's 'The Marriage Portrait' dazzles How could her mother and father agree to such an arrangement?Maggie O Farrell excels at immersing her readers in another time and place and in The Marriage Portrait the sights and sounds of Florence are wonderfully depicted, providing a very strong visual of life there in the mid 16th century. Lorissa Rineharts authoritative biography makes it clear why Dickey Chapelle, a courageous photojournalist and the first female war correspondent to be killed in combat, deserves wider recognition. The Marriage Portraitby Maggie O Farrell will be published August 30th with Tinder Press and is described as an unforgettable reimagining of the life of a young woman whose proximity to power places her in mortal danger. The Marriage Portrait follows on from the incredibly successful and very much loved Hamnet by Maggie O Farrell, a book which was released in 2020. Until then, for all of her rank and nobility, the new duchesss future hangs entirely in the balance. OFarrells storytelling is masterful. OFarrell [is] one of the most exciting novelists alive. The Washington PostA transporting narrative revives a teenager mostly forgotten by history. People MagazineCaptivating . She is haunted by the specter of maternity, both that it may and may not come,. WOMENS PRIZE FOR FICTION FINALIST REESES 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 (Reeses Book Club Pick)OFarrell pulls out little threads of historical detail to weave this story of a precocious girl sensitive to the contradictions of her stationYou may know the history, and you may think you know whats coming, but dont be so sure. The Washington PostFlorence, the 1550s. The text states that she leaves through the propped door, but Alphonso will never come after her because he thinks he killed her. The Washington PostFlorence, the 1550s. I cannot wait to read this one! It seemed emblematic of the way I felt she has been treated withing her own family and her husband and by history: overlooked and underloved. The Marriage Portrait Lucrezia, third daughter of the grand duke, is comfortable with her obscure place in the palazzo: free to devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. Rumours spread that she had been in fact been poisoned by her husband, Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara. She looked, to me, very much like someone who had something she wanted to say. and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, All that glitters was most definitely not gold for Lucrezia and her fear jumps off the pages as she becomes aware of the destiny that awaits her. Once married, she is out of her league in the tense, gossipy Ferrara household, where she is frightened by her husbands mercurial moods and his sisters cagey secrets. The tension in the plot builds slowly at first, but soon The Marriage Portrait becomes impossible to put down . 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 . Teenage Lucrezia is both an innocentsmall, frail, and fascinated by art and beautyand a wise-before-her-time witness to the pitfalls and emotional costs of royal life in 16th-century Italy. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell: 9780593315088 cookies The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell: 9780593315088 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION FINALIST REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER The author of award-winning Hamnet. Please try again later. Giving the end at the beginning made me apprehensive throughout the story and slow my reading down very much because I loved the main character so much. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. But in the end I still appreciate OFarrells writing and wound up liking the end. She also recounts the history of Lucrezia's betrothal at a young age to Alfonso; he previously had been betrothed to her older sister, who died before they could wed. 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. Start earning points for buying books! Filled with gorgeous luxury and brutal political intrigue, The Marriage Portrait is a book youll get lost in. Copyright 2023The Book Report, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. From Lucrezias early encounters with a tiger in her fathers menagerie to her final days in a wooded fortress, The Marriage Portrait will please readers who relish good historical fiction as well as anyone looking to the past to better understand the present. The palazzo of Lucrezia's father was a changeable building, unstable as a weathervane. Eleonora, Lucrezia's mother, is a smart, driven, organized woman who runs her house on a rigid schedule and with high expectations. Life in the Medici palazzo may be luxurious, but its also confining the dukes children are literally never alone and almost never allowed outside its walls. Hope you enjoy. H ere is a novel inspired by a poem describing a painting portraying a young woman who actually lived. A tumble from a horse made to look like an accident? He is setting an elbow on either side of his plate, telling her about coming to this lodgeas he persists in calling itwhen he was a child, how his father used to bring him hunting here. It had better be done well, would be her advice to him, because her father is not someone who will take a lenient view of his daughters murder. Required fields are marked *. WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION FINALIST REESES 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 (Reeses Book Club Pick)"OFarrell pulls out little threads of historical detail to weave this story of a precocious girl sensitive to the contradictions of her stationYou may know the history, and you may think you know whats coming, but dont be so sure." I took a photograph of it next to an adult woman (me) for scale. His strive for perfection and his express desire to be correct at all times is noted by Lucrezia, adding to her concerns about him as a man, as her husband.A beautiful and creative soul with a sadness in her eyes, Lucrezias image was actually captured in a renowned painting that has been attributed to Bronzino. They include her ladies maid, the artist commissioned to paint that titular portrait, her new sisters-in-law, and Alfonso himself, who is portrayed initially as thoughtful and kind but whose cruelties and desperation become increasingly apparent --- and troubling --- as the narrative unfolds. The Marriage Portrait Summary - eNotes.com Aware of her youth and inexperience he allows her the time to adapt to married life away from the eyes of the court. Here, however, OFarrell flips the script and tells the story of Alfonsos bride, the one who was portrayed in the portrait at the center of the poem. Marias unexpected death caused the family much pain but, life had to move forward and political allegiances had to be established, so a decision was made. There are several others of Lucrezias numerous siblings on display but no Lucrezia. Thank you xx. The Marriage Portrait | ReadingGroupGuides.com To reimagine and recreate my fictional versions of these long-dead Renaissance people, I peered at portraits on the website of the Uffizi Gallery. Florence, the 1550s. Together these indicate the subject's chastity and conjugal virtues, as does the bouquet of violets on the table.[4]. A compelling portrait of a young woman out of step with her times. Alfonso charms her, bringing her first not to his palazzo but to a country house called a delizia, where she revels in being able to wander outdoors without a retinue. She sets down her cup; she lifts her chin; she turns her eyes on to her husband, Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, and wonders what will happen next. Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. A captivating portrait of a woman attempting to free herself from a golden cage. . When Maria dies of an unspecified illness just days before the wedding, 15-year-old Lucrezia is offered in her place. The story of the young dutchess Lucrezia de Medici, I listened while walking the dogs, making dinner, and driving to work. Maria is hardly cold in her coffin when Alfonsos emissaries propose that Lucrezia would be an acceptable substitute. 19962022 BookPage and ProMotion, inc. | 2143 Belcourt Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212. . Read Before You Stream: Kids Books With New TV and Movie Adaptations, Browse All Our Lists, Essays, and Interviews. "I could not stop reading this incredible true story." Reese . As imagined by OFarrell, Lucrezia is a free spirit and artist, attuned to the natural world and accepted, if not warmly embraced, by her large Florentine family. She was free-spirited and had a passion for nature, animals and the world around her. What chance does she have against Alfonso, ruler of a province, and a trained soldier? "Brilliantly read by Genevieve Gaunt, I could not pause The Marriage Portrait. At the time there was a menagerie in the de Medici Palazzo and Maggie O Farrell creates a fantastical scene when Cosimo de Medici requests for a tiger to be added to his collection. Her next novel, The Marriage Portrait, is a vivid depiction of the harsh manners and rigid expectations for women within ducal courts in 16th-century Italy. . In THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT, O'Farrell imagines Lucrezia's childhood in the Florentine court, her love of animals and learning, along with her free spirit. Together they travel to his familys Palazzo where a new life awaits them. Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now enter an unfamiliar court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. OFarrells 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 Branzinos portrait of Lucrezia. Oprah DailyOFarrell intelligently connects Lucrezias trapped circumstances with the art that her husband, a notable patron and collector, commissions to immortalize her . The Marriage Portrait. Unbeknownst to Lucrezia this was the day that would change the course of her young life in the most unimaginable way. The way things were, however, meant that like everyone else, I was stuck at home. Lucrezias fate will be decided when her older sister Maria dies suddenly. The Marriage Portrait is based on the life of Lucrezia deMedici, born into one of Italys most illustrious families. Maggie OFarrell, FRSOL, is the author of HAMNET, Winner of the Womens Prize for Fiction 2020, and the memoir I AM, I AM, I AM, bothSunday Timesno. I trawled books and webpages for photographs and maps of various palazzos and castles and villas. Letsgetstarted. Much as she did with her moving, vivid Shakespeare tale, Hamnet, OFarrell takes the tiny bit we know about this historical figure and weaves it into a transportive journey. You can view Barnes & Nobles Privacy Policy. "The Marriage Portrait" is the fictionalized story of the 16th-century Italian noblewoman Lucrezia di Cosimo de'Medici. Thrilled to hear that xx, Your email address will not be published. Not Sell My Personal Information. How can she ensure her survival. . FINALIST 2023, Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. As Lucrezia rides by, she sees that the womans eyes are occluded, sightless, her face turned up towards the sky, as if appealing to its power, as if its brightness is the only thing she can see.. For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here. You may know the history, and you may think you know whats coming, but dont be so sure. But the author and her heroine have a lot of tricks up their sleeves, and readers will remain guessing until the final pages. A Wild and Lonely Place The Marriage Portrait, like O'Farrell's 2020 runaway bestseller, Hamnet, is written in a lavish if rather solemn present tense that tries to bring the past to life: "The two girls grip each. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. by Maggie O'Farrell, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. How does The Marriage Portrait amplify aspects of the human experience portrayed in her other novels that you have read? BookPage is editorially independent; any publisher-sponsored content is clearly labeled as such. [1], It first appears in the written record at the end of the 18th century, when it was in the Pesaro collection in Venice. Her novels include AFTER YOUD GONE, MY LOVERS LOVER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE, which won the 2010 Costa Novel Award, INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE and THIS MUST BE THE PLACE., and THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT. James Corwin SPOILER: Wow.I didn't think there was anything subtle about this ending, it was a huge surprise after we're told on pg 1 that a year after her marriage, Lucrezia would be dead! The subject holds and points to a print of the Roman heroine Lucretia committing suicide. There is a version of the Bronzino portrait, painted by Alessandro Allori, held in North Carolina Museum of Art, but could I find one in Europe? I hope you enjoy it. Book review: The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O'Farrell | ISBN 9780593320624 We support credit card, debit card and PayPal payments. Lucrezia de' Medici (1545-1561)work of art Created circa 1560 Artist Alessandro Allori Nationality Italian Birth/Death 1535-1607 Dimensions 32 1/2 x 24 3/4 inches (82.6 x 62.9 centimeters) Medium Oil on panel, Painting Credit Gift of Mrs. George Khuner Object Number G.64.35.4 Culture European Italian Classification Paintings Department Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593320624.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.Florence, the 1550s. . The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell the layers beneath OFarrell changes the perspective on that sinister little masterpiece, bringing alive the painted duchess, Lucrezia di Cosimo de Medici, fifth child of the powerful Grand Duke of Tuscany. Buy, Sep 06, 2022 Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now enter an unfamiliar court where her arrival is not universally welcomed.

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