The Marriage Portrait is the latest novel by award-winning author Maggie O’Farrell (most recently, for Hamnet). The story is set in the mid to late 1500s and is inspired by the life of Lucrezia di Cosimo de Medici d’Este, the Duchess of Ferrara. The protagonist is Lucretia, a fifteen-year-old forced to wed an older man, Alfonzo, for political advantage, as was the norm in that place and time. The “marriage portrait” is commissioned by her husband, Alfonzo, and is a metaphor for the free spirit of Lucretia confined by the absolute obedience, even in the face of evil, due her husband who, because she fails to get pregnant (spoiler alert – not her fault) arranges to kill her. Writers will appreciate the description of tangible physical details in a way that effectively carries emotion and meaning. Excellent writing. Here’s what Kirkus Reviews says:

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/maggie-ofarrell-1/the-marriage-portrait/