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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
What I was wanting to read after Hamnet. I have so many things to say about it, but I will just say that it is worth the read. Yay!
Beautifully written historical fiction set in Renaissance Italy with an endearing and empowered heroine you can't help but root for. I really enjoyed reading this!
This book is a fictional retelling of Lucrezia de' Medici's short and tragic life, shifting back and forth between her childhood and life as a young bride and the early moments before her death. Essentially, Lucrezia was a Florentine noblewoman married off at 15 years old in 1558-60 to Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, before dying a year later of supposed poisoning by her husband.
This novel completely transported me to the castelli and fortezze of 16th century Florence and Ferrara, and I think this was partly due to the author's opulent and lifelike descriptions of paintings, animals, textures and (most importantly) people, concisely and aptly capturing the essence of their personality. Because I generally prefer plot- and character-driven novels, I'm surprised at how moved I was by the writing. It really cemented the protagonist's likability and relatability for me, emphasizing her strengths without hiding her vulnerability. Lucrezia is extremely intuitive, with an artistic sensibility (she's a gifted painter) and a defiant personality, unwilling to bend to the suffocating rule of Renaissance patriarchy. She fights to freely exist and maintain her sense of self despite the men in her life (her father, Baldassare, Alfonso) constantly threatening to control her and to crush the life out of her—literally and metaphorically.
I also appreciated how the writing subtly exhibited the violence of Lucrezia's relationship with her husband. Alfonso is always teetering the line between kind husband and heartless ruler; one who views marriage as nothing but an exertion of power over a woman and a tool for further political gain. This tension, as well as that resulting from Lucrezia's small but meaningful rebellions against Alfonso's rule, is what made the novel a page-turner in my opinion.
Critics have pointed out that The Marriage Portrait is not always faithful to the Renaissance social psyche, the core tenets of which (i.e., family duty and marital submission) were unlikely to be challenged by noblewomen at the time, but I'm of the opinion that historical fiction is always more poignant when slightly adapted to a modern-day audience... However, I will say that the middle part of the novel was a little too slow-paced for my liking. Also, this is definitely more of a relationship/character-driven book in which little happens plot-wise, so keep that in mind.
Otherwise, if you enjoy vividly written stories with a strong female lead trying to find freedom in a world of full of oppression, READ THIS BOOK!
This book is a fictional retelling of Lucrezia de' Medici's short and tragic life, shifting back and forth between her childhood and life as a young bride and the early moments before her death. Essentially, Lucrezia was a Florentine noblewoman married off at 15 years old in 1558-60 to Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, before dying a year later of supposed poisoning by her husband.
This novel completely transported me to the castelli and fortezze of 16th century Florence and Ferrara, and I think this was partly due to the author's opulent and lifelike descriptions of paintings, animals, textures and (most importantly) people, concisely and aptly capturing the essence of their personality. Because I generally prefer plot- and character-driven novels, I'm surprised at how moved I was by the writing. It really cemented the protagonist's likability and relatability for me, emphasizing her strengths without hiding her vulnerability. Lucrezia is extremely intuitive, with an artistic sensibility (she's a gifted painter) and a defiant personality, unwilling to bend to the suffocating rule of Renaissance patriarchy. She fights to freely exist and maintain her sense of self despite the men in her life (her father, Baldassare, Alfonso) constantly threatening to control her and to crush the life out of her—literally and metaphorically.
I also appreciated how the writing subtly exhibited the violence of Lucrezia's relationship with her husband. Alfonso is always teetering the line between kind husband and heartless ruler; one who views marriage as nothing but an exertion of power over a woman and a tool for further political gain. This tension, as well as that resulting from Lucrezia's small but meaningful rebellions against Alfonso's rule, is what made the novel a page-turner in my opinion.
Critics have pointed out that The Marriage Portrait is not always faithful to the Renaissance social psyche, the core tenets of which (i.e., family duty and marital submission) were unlikely to be challenged by noblewomen at the time, but I'm of the opinion that historical fiction is always more poignant when slightly adapted to a modern-day audience... However, I will say that the middle part of the novel was a little too slow-paced for my liking. Also, this is definitely more of a relationship/character-driven book in which little happens plot-wise, so keep that in mind.
Otherwise, if you enjoy vividly written stories with a strong female lead trying to find freedom in a world of full of oppression, READ THIS BOOK!
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I live near the museum where the titular portrait is located, super stoked to go back and see it again with more context about her life. Nobody's doing historical fiction like Maggie.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated