The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

4.03 AVERAGE

pav_richardson's profile picture

pav_richardson's review against another edition

4.0
hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

mollydmiller's review against another edition

2.0
“To ignore it is to drain it of its power.”
meredithlvaughn's profile picture

meredithlvaughn's review against another edition

5.0
EXCELLENT HISTORICAL FICTION!!!! Mix of history and art and I just loved every minute!
mvlibrary's profile picture

mvlibrary's review against another edition

3.75
dark emotional informative sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
ash_b_books's profile picture

ash_b_books's review against another edition

4.5
challenging dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

cfcasey18's review against another edition

3.0
dark informative slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

anw115's review against another edition

2.0
Mostly, this was NOT for me. It was not interesting nor compelling, but I finished it. If you like period pieces, this will be something you’d like.
salome_esteves's profile picture

salome_esteves's review against another edition

4.0
I'm not a massive fan of historical fiction set in the Renaissance. So I got into Maggie O'Farrell's books of her stories that take place later. But I became too curious and had to try her most recent work, even if the synopsis didn't quite appeal to me. Like many choices I've made that veer off my usual reading path, it was worth it because O'Farrell is a magnificent writer. Her books are always character-driven, and this one even more so because it delves into the concepts of portrait and identity for the self and the contexts surrounding the characters, mainly Lucrezia.
I highly recommend it. But it is a slow read. Although intriguing, it has a minimal plot and describes many moments of lying around, looking through windows, pacing, and other scenes of little movement. The last chapter, however, got my heart racing.

elpandarojo's review against another edition

2.75
adventurous mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

alibalibo's review against another edition

5.0
No one does historical fiction like O’Farrell. A different world entirely.