Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

66 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

heather_freshparchment's review

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

ashylibrarian's review against another edition

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

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

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

heini's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Murder, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Infertility

njoyfrethem's review

mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Not as good as Hamnet. Interesting and made me want to learn more about the history and art it's based on. A bit predictable. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Murder

bezzlebob's review

emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

What a way to kick off the year! This has everything I love about historical fiction - three dimensional characters, interesting pacing, riiiiiiiiiich descriptive writing, and layers. I guessed the main plot points in the latter third of the book, and for some people, that would spoil the experience. For me though, I loved feeling vindicated. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Death, and Physical abuse

Minor: Infertility

nnnghhh's review

dark informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Murder, and Rape

marymacb's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Murder, and Physical abuse