The Marriage PORTRAIT

by Maggie O’farrell, Tinder Press, hardback £25, ebook £10.99

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Set in the mid-1500s, The Marriage Portrait tells the story of 15-year-old Lucrezia de Medici, who marries Alfonso d’este, the Duke of Ferrara.

Lucrezia is a captivating character, whose enthusiasm and creativity are

palpable – until she hears the news that she is to be married, following her older sister’s death. Everything changes for Lucrezia from then on, and she starts living in fear, terrified her husband will eventually kill her. The historical fiction book flits between her marriage and the events that lead her there, and is rich in detail and wonderfully descriptive.