Lucrezia’s character will stay with me for a long time. She is so well-drawn — bold for her time, but perfectly believable in her motivations and actions. Even when I knew her fate, I hoped against hope that she would find a path to freedom. Truly one of the most powerful reads.

Loved this book! Love this writer! Live this time period. Loved the descriptiveness of the characters, art, motives. Really made you think and rethink all the way to the end and beyond to figure out what really happened!!!

I loved Hamnet and was eager to read The Marriage Portrait. Sadly, this book is very slow-moving, with a lot of unnecessary details that don’t add to the story, but only serve to make the book longer. The twist at the end is interesting, but unbelievable. Not Ms. O’Farrell’s best work.

Very thoughtful portrayal of the royal courts of 16th Italy all too willing to murder child wives if necessary to preserve dynasties as told from the perspective of a once vibrant but now trapped victim. The vividness of descriptions by the author can be taxing to the point the feeling intended becomes labored. But the vividness and feelings evoked are most illuminating. Time well spent reading.

Después de leer Hamnet, este no decepciona! Muy bueno

Turns out this is my 3rd O’Farrell book in less than a year (Hamnet and her memoir essays the others). She’s got a knack for creating vivid details and weaving fascinating stories. Brava!

This book has one good thing and that's the occasional imagery. It follows an unlovable protagonist through a journey on which she experiences no character growth. Reading it is dull and the ending will make you feel angry. I mean it genuinely when I say that this book is a waste of time.

I love Maggie O’Farrell and have read all her fictional work. Giving the “end” at the beginning made me apprehensive throughout the story and slow my reading down very much because I loved the main character so much. But in the end I still appreciate O’Farrell’s writing and wound up liking the end.

Maggie O’Farrell places us right on location with her masterful writing and maintains suspense to the end. And no matter the era, we can relate to the societal expectations, restrictions, and how we try to cope.

This was a disturbing story but written beautifully. Hard to follow at times with the time frame changing. The mental and physical cruelty to women was horrifying