“The Marriage Portrait” Book Review
If you’re looking for things to be grateful for, be glad you weren’t born a noblewoman in the middle ages. The Marriage Portrait depicts Lucrezia de’Medici’s single year of marriage before her husband allegedly poisoned her because of (his) failure to produce an heir. It’s a strangely lush, atmospheric read. Beautiful scenery is overlaid with the sinister knowledge that something is about to go very wrong.
Summary
Chapters bounce between Lucrezia’s childhood and her year of marriage. Her mother feels “almost guilty” for thinking troubling thoughts while Lucrezia was conceived, because unlike her well-mannered elder siblings, this baby has a mind of her own. She’s talented in drawing and painting, and perhaps more importantly in overhearing secret conversations and reading people. That last could end up saving her life, the fateful night her husband takes her to an isolated hunting lodge alone.
Lucrezia’s childhood is the story of a creative mind misunderstood and unappreciated. Today, she might become an artist or entrepreneur, but in the 1500s her only path was to be married off to the wealthiest, most prestigious man possible. When her older sister passes away before marriage, Lucrezia is pressed into her role and forced to accept not only her fiance but even her wedding dress.
Once married, the new Duchess is carted off to her new husband’s court and left on her own. She attempts to navigate court challenges like the rivalry between her sisters-in-law and the Duke’s insistence on absolute, unquestioning loyalty. At first she’s entranced by the fashion and art of this larger court as well as the attentions of her lovely sister-in-law, but she quickly discovers danger and tragedy under the surface.
Just a few months later, in the scene that both opens and ends the book, her husband spirits her away from the court for some quiet time, and Lucrezia must react to the realization that he plans to end her life.
Review
I enjoyed the experience of reading this, but it fell apart on closer inspection.
The good: From the first chapter of this engrossing story, I wanted to know what would become of this young Duchess eating lamb stew and reflecting on how her husband planned to end her life. Scenic details paint a picture of an Italian court in the 1500s, an intricate and beautiful backdrop for the mystery. I especially enjoyed chapters about Lucrezia’s childhood as a tiny, precocious misfit. Based on the author’s note, several noblewomen of the same era were likely killed by their husbands, so this is an interesting if sinister picture of women’s history.
The bad: These people! I wouldn’t want to know them, and I struggle to relate to them. Even Lucrezia is a contradiction. At first she seems like a passionate, empowered heroine carving out her own path as much as she could in the circumstances. But after being described as a perceptive reader of people, she quickly makes enemies at court and reacts to situations in thoughtless, nearsighted ways. It was horrible that she was in that situation in the first place, especially at 16, so maybe given the circumstances, simply surviving (if she manages to do so) is success enough. What’s more, the people around her are selfish from start to finish, whether secretly conniving or outright mean. Were Lucrezia and others victims of circumstance, or was this their true character?
In the end, the title is accurate: like it or not, this is a portrait, fictionalized but perhaps not that far off, of what life and marriage were like for some women in the 1500s. I wish I knew whether the author intended this conflicted reaction to the characters. Whatever the intention, thinking about how trapped Lucrezia and others were makes me squirm.
Read it or skip it?
Read it if you enjoy historical fiction with a dose of mystery, if you want to learn about women’s lives in other eras, or if you enjoy narratives with lush background descriptions.
Skip it if you prefer to read about relatable characters or if you don’t enjoy historical fiction.
Rating
- Overall: 3.5. I’m lukewarm on this one. I enjoyed it in the moment, but was left with a sour taste after reflection.
- Audiobook: 4. The narration was engaging and contributed to how much I enjoyed reading this.
About the author: Maggie O’Farrell
Maggie O’Farrell has written a few books exploring family relationships and hard times. Her best-known recent book is Hamnet, a fictionalized story of Shakespeare’s wife and son.
