Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

74 reviews

heather_freshparchment's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Infertility, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Medical trauma, and Vomit

ktfytz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I gobbled this book up - I love Maggie O'Farrell's writing. Its descriptions are beautifully detailed and ornate, absorbing you into historic worlds but never overwhelming you. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Child death, and Death

acorny's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The writing was beautiful, the story tragic but predictable. Felt true to the time period and I like the historical information at the end of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Confinement

veposve's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Death, Murder, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Rape

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Infidelity, and Blood

Minor: War

phoebeb2003's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

gorgeous. hooked from beginning to end, had me weeping over a tiger. I expect I’ll think of Lucré often. it really was just completely beautiful, one of the best books that I’ve ever read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

rzh's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual assault

ashylibrarian's review

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

This was a fine book, but I found it to be a bit boring and slow-paced. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, and Infertility

sarah_bettina's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Classism, Emotional abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Gaslighting

phrasecollector13___'s review against another edition

informative relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Renaissance's re-telling are simply not my type of reading.  Maybe I can work around Renaissance story if they are short or is an article simple and straight to the point.

Taking that in consideration, I didn't like this book, but I did enjoyed the reading.  It's a slowed pace book that I would pick up for when I would need a break from really rushing books and I want to slow down in the genre or a book I will pick to keep myself busy while in an appointment or when I'm bored.  I didn't found anything special about it.  It was simple and dull.  Also, it was predictable for me.  I really loved Lucrezia's rebel inner self, but she was too passive and... she was just a child in adult's matters.  It was heartbreaking that she could not understand what was going on around her and how she was left alone with herself and her maid (who was another child) and they had to "navigate" the adult world.  Since they were child who would not know how to handle/navigate the adult world, it challenging to read through the book.  I honestly consider this book more historical with a tiny little touch of fiction.  And I believe that's what manage me to read it to the end.

Which was one of the best part in the book.  I really like the twist fiction allowed the writer to gave us another conclusion to Lucrezia's story.  Since Lucrezia was showing feelings for Jacopo I just... loved their platonic relationship.  And for her by the end to decide to run away from Alfonso was a huge plot twist.  I thought that she was dying in that fortezza that night, but she escaped!  I would have loved to see a short story/novel about Lucrezia's and Jacopo's friendship (and possibly relationship) develop.  Now, that was a story I would have definitely enjoyed.  It was the innocence and their tenderness that moved me and I wish that Lucrezia could live the "love" story that her parents had, but Jacopo and her were born at the wrong period of time and in the wrong positions.

I believe the main reason this reading wasn't entertaining to me was because of the period the book was settle and that made it predictable and dull for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Murder, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Infertility

machenn's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Death, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder