Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

16 reviews

hstcrow's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

This is such a solid historical fiction. Maggie O’Farrell is just so damn good at what she does. Lucrezia is a mystery and yet has an intimate closeness with the reader. Also stellar ending, I liked the reimagining.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Infertility, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty

sarah_bettina's review

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

leannanecdote's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Ableism, Misogyny, Animal death, Classism, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Murder

Minor: Miscarriage

musicalpopcorn's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

When Lucrezia is married to Alfonso II of Ferrara at the age of fifteen, she is taken from the only life she knows and thrown into one she will not survive. 

This book was lurid and imaginative. It kept me hooked from the very beginning. Lucrezia was a fantastic main character who is stuck questioning herself and her husband bit by bit until the end. She is the kind of main character that people love in historical fiction.

The only reason I’m not giving this book five stars is because they did Emilia dirty.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Rape, Violence, and Confinement

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, and Classism

tinyjude's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Another historical fiction novel from O'Farrell that pulls the strings of your heart.

Following a dual timeline, we see Lucrezia, the main protagonist and a big enigma in the real world apart from the fact that she died one year after she had been married to the Duke Alfonso of Ferrara (not suspicious at all; also she was like 15 years old and he doubled her age. Disgusting on so many levels), as she grows up with her family in Florence, being the less-favoured daughter of them all, always deemed as indomitable and worthless of attention or care at any point, as well as her time as a married woman (ehem child ehem) in Ferrara's state, her increasing sense of dread and fear, and her feeling of hopelessness, being trapped into a cage with her days already counted.

It was challenging to read through some of the horrifying things she and the other female characters have to suffer under the rule, command and oppression of the men around them. Whether they were in a economically and socially advantageous situation or were a kind-hearted maid, (we stan Emilia in this house) you couldn't avoid to felt sorry for their fates and lives knowing this was true at that time and, in many senses, still true despite the passage of time. But most of all, my heart stays with Sofia, Emilia and Lucrezia. And mourns and cheers at that bittersweet ending.

I was constantly afraid for Lucrezia safety and majorly concerned by her young age, the societal and marital expectations thrown upon her without almost any guidance or "sweet" lies, but also proud and enthralled by her constant defiance. Every moment in which she stood up for herself silently or loudly. Every time she did not yield to the iron grip of her husband. She is a very complex character for which you simply cannot avoid feeling pity and the need to protect her. And I absolutely adored every moment she relished among her paintings/tavole and instances of freedom.

Although it didn't make me weep like Hamnet, it surely impacted me in other ways that will haunt me for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Rape, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Classism, Confinement, and Misogyny

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Infertility

Minor: Animal death

charisw's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

This isn’t a bad book, but it’s not my cup of tea. The whole book felt so heavy for me. The main character’s complete and utter lack of agency and control, while an important theme in the novel, was really triggering for me. I hated reading it, honestly, because it felt so heavy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Infertility, Misogyny, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Torture, Classism, Sexism, Grief, Toxic relationship, Blood, Violence, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Gore, and Sexual assault

cadybooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Confinement, Death, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Infertility, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Eating disorder

Minor: War, Animal death, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Blood

epaige37's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, and Grief

Minor: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Blood, Classism, Physical abuse, and Violence

cstein's review

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

A gripping examination of a tragic social order.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Death

Moderate: Animal death, Infertility, Violence, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Gore, Body shaming, Classism, and Miscarriage

meenakshisathish's review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Gaslighting, Infertility, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, Misogyny, and Torture

Literary fiction, historical fiction, gothic, feminist