Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

24 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

chrystal_rose's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I’ve just finished and my mind is all over the place. I am sad, it is a bittersweet ending. I mourn for the women of this story and the real life women they were based on. In saying that I think it is worth the read. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Grief

Minor: Murder, Rape, Infertility, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship

jhbandcats's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

An intriguing look at the court of one of the royal fiefdoms of Italy in the Renaissance, this novel of a teenage girl’s ill-fated marriage just didn’t grab me. The writing was beautiful and the details richly described, but the story felt flat and bloodless. 

Despite the book being told from Lucrezia’s perspective, I never felt I got to know her. We learn of her lonely childhood with emotionally distant parents and siblings, her compulsion to paint the natural world around her, her increasing isolation and desperation, but she remained unknowable. The husband and his consiglieri are stock villains, the latter especially so. The loving and helpful maid was another stock character. 

That said, the scholarship is so exemplary that I found the novel more than worthwhile. I enjoyed learning about Renaissance Italy - Lucrezia was born two years before the death of England’s Henry VIII but the world of Florence and Ferrara seemed quite different from London. I confess I prefer Hilary Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell trilogy to this. 

Everyone says Hamnet is fabulous so I’ll have to try it, just not right now. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Abandonment, Death, Eating disorder, Animal death, Murder, Confinement, Infertility, Misogyny, Violence, and Vomit

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

dexkit10's review

emotional informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Death, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, and Domestic abuse

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

flashandoutbreak's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Confinement, and 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.

---

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

lorenag5's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity