Review: The Marriage Portrait

By Hermione Reid

Maggie O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait is an English and History student’s dream novel. Shortlisted for the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction, The Marriage Portrait transports its reader back to the flourishing period of the Italian Renaissance.

In this historical fiction set in 1561, O’Farrell envelopes us into the life of sixteen-year-old Lucrezia di Cosimo de’ Medici. Lucrezia, is a strong-willed young woman who does not fit the desired mould of the reserved and obedient girl of her time. The Marriage Portrait follows her story as she is forced to marry a much older Duke she has no interest in. The plot gradually becomes more sinister as she is brought to an isolated country villa where she believes he intends to murder her. Lucrezia is in a race against time as she must defend her life from this perilous fate.

The Marriage Portrait is a novel inspired by Robert Browning’s poem, My Last Duchess; which in itself is inspired by the true story of Alfonso II d’Este, Duke of Ferrera who is thought to have murdered his young wife Lucrezia di Cosimo de’Medici. Some critics have suggested that O’Farrell is wrong to have changed the true ending to the story and has done so to make the story more palatable to a modern audience, advocating for a strong female main character defy the odds. In considering this critical perspective, I agree that she perhaps is jumping on a trend of feminist retellings; particularly prevalent in the genre of Greek mythology. However, I think it is important to remember this is of course historical fiction. Therefore, the novel isn’t restrained to historical accuracy it is simultaneously for entertainment purposes and educational or representational of the time period and the real people portrayed. Moreover, historical novels such as this are important as women are being represented differently in literature. Showing both the hardships of women in the past, and also the strength and determination within them.

Throughout the novel it was O’Farrell’s rich descriptions and storytelling that kept me engaged and allowed me to devour this book. One of the most notable sections for me was that which discusses the tiger. Lucrezia’s father has a menagerie of animals locked up under their palazzo, including a large tigress. The animal is viewed parallel to Lucrezia in the story as they are both locked in and suppressed by those around them. As Lucrezia meets the tiger:

“She could feel…the bitter longing for the vaporous and humid canopy of jungle and the enticing green tunnels…she alone commanded.”

Maggie O’Farrell’s exciting and vivid descriptions such as this throughout the novel serve to immerse the reader fully in the story and share the rage of emotion and relationships . Furthermore, O’Farrell’s novels are very accessible to different levels of readers and I agree with other reviews of The Marriage Portrait which have argued that the enchanted tone of this novel almost makes it read like a children’s book.

I am really drawn to O’Farrell’s work for a number of reasons. The first is that she is from Coleraine and it is so great to see a local woman being recognised globally for her work. Moreover, after reading her first historical fiction novel, Hamnet I was completely enamoured by her writing style and knew I had to read more of her work. Hamnet is another novel highlighting the lives of Early Modern women. It is a fictionalized story of William Shakespeare’s family, in which his wife is finally given a voice. Agnes, like Lucrezia, does not have much agency over her life. We observe as she tries to raise her family in the tumultuous landscape of 1596 England. It is a novel riddled with plague, love and grief. The concept of female agency is very much at the forefront of O’Farrell’s work. This to me is hugely impactful as she overturns traditional narratives, giving previously silenced women a voice. Something which is very much still ongoing with historians today.

I believe that Maggie O’Farrell’s work is such a vital asset to literature as she presents different perspectives on historical figures and issues that are already widely discussed. All the while engaging her audience with her rich and vivid storytelling. The Marriage Portrait is an excellent example of this and I would argue this is her best work to date.

Rated: 4 / 5 stars

Edited by Fleur Howe