Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

9 reviews

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

---

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

risemini's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death, Violence, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Grief, and Rape

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

---

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

aseel_reads's review

challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.75

The author is very capable of writing a captivating story but I felt that the ending just missed the mark of delivering a blow to the emotions. I liked the choice of subject, I haven't read much historical fiction in this time period but at times, it was overly descriptive and I was just skimming it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape

Minor: Violence, Bullying, Miscarriage, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

_kellye's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Death, Child death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Infertility

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.

---

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

helen's review against another edition

4.0

This was a bookclub pick and I was nervous going into it because, y'know, I've read Lucrezia de’ Medici's wikipedia page, but I'm really glad I read it because the author takes the facts and weaves her own brilliant story.

The writing is vivid, immersive and suspenseful. She drops you into the head of a 16 year old Duchess in Renaissance Italy who has just realised that her husband is taking her to his remote fortress in order to kill her. The narrative then flashes backwards and forwards, showing you how she came to be in that situation.

O'Farrell uses a lot of painterly metaphors - particularly hidden paintings beneath paintings - and I think you can tell it was written in 2020, because there's a lot of exterior vs interior (Lucrezia doesn't get to go outside much, and when she does she revels in it). I also like how important servants were in the story.

It's all very skilfully done, and I was gripped throughout.

Content notes:

child bride, murder, violence, character death, misogyny, still birth (in the past), animal cruelty, grief, homesickness, on page sex

 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Violence, Death, Rape, Grief, Misogyny, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Miscarriage

ukponge's review

dark tense slow-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny

ninjamuse's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Physical abuse, Rape, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Bullying, Violence, Pregnancy, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Miscarriage and Child death