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A review by nere
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
21 july 2024
for the first half, maggie o’farrell’s writing was so engrossing. it reminded me a bit of holly black’s writing. I can’t stop reading but I don’t entirely understand why. their words have a forward momentum.
in the second half though, it unfortunately fell off for me. I went into this entirely blind and devoid of expectation. and though usually this works in a books favor, for the marriage portrait, I increasingly felt I didn’t know where the story was going, and worse, I didn’t entirely care.
for the first half, maggie o’farrell’s writing was so engrossing. it reminded me a bit of holly black’s writing. I can’t stop reading but I don’t entirely understand why. their words have a forward momentum.
in the second half though, it unfortunately fell off for me. I went into this entirely blind and devoid of expectation. and though usually this works in a books favor, for the marriage portrait, I increasingly felt I didn’t know where the story was going, and worse, I didn’t entirely care.
“Look at this sun,” he exclaims. “Shining down on the land. Does it not beg us to be out in it?”
He strides towards the door, his shirt inflating with air, then quickly doubles back, as if he has forgotten something, pacing across the floor to her again. He bends at the waist and, sliding a hand around her neck, stoops and presses his lips to hers—a brief, emphatic pressure. It reminds her of her father, bringing his seal down on top of a document, marking it as his.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death