A Spoiler Rant Review of The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrel
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
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In a recent Friday Reads, I mentioned some complicated thoughts about The Marriage Portrait that I couldn't discuss because they are spoilers, and a couple of people asked for a full video about it. So here they are: my full, spoiler-filled thoughts about The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell!
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Since the last chapter was titled ‘the under painting and the over painting’ I also saw the ending as a reality versus fantasy. So her running off with Jacopo was a fantasy she wanted, but what really happened was that she was strangled by her husband. It’s similar to when she was painting the fantasy scenes, but painted over them to depict the still lives and objects in front of her since she knew she wasn’t supposed to have those thoughts. But that also don’t give an explanation for Emilia, unless that was also fantasy of her “poisoned” mind.
For me, while I found the plot predictable, it was more the little unexpected moments that really got me, like when Jacopo, presumed mute, whispers to her while she's sitting for the painting. The actual switcheroo almost felt like a magical realism device to kind of temper the harsh reality, and to maybe leave an ambiguous hopeful ending to end the book on Lucrezia's terms? Also, having just finished the book, some of the plot holes you mentioned weren't plot holes imo (e.g. her maid Emilia came to the fortress with the artist without Alfonso knowing, and Lucrezia told her to make sure no one knew she was there; in the final scene where she dresses up in the maid's clothes, her intention is to escape through the kitchen door and it says that but she just won't believe it will happen every step of the way, that it's not a possibility until she actually finds that it is, but then this could just be symbolic of her escaping via death?). I don't know, I really thought it worked if you're looking at it from a writing perspective rather than a plot perspective. Lucrezia is still her brazen younger self throughout but is forced into submission through shock and awe tactics, as women were at that time. I liked that in the end she was allowed to roam free into the trees, which the tigress never had the chance to do, even if it was really just symbolic or something she dreamed as she was dying (I think you could make a case that Emilia was hallucinated and when they said "the Duchess" was killed, it was really Lucrezia, her escapade being just a dream or another hallucination).
I feel like the whole point was that, similarly to the tiger, Lucrezia was confined and controlled to the point that her true nature of being defiant, independent, adventure seeking, is beaten down.
I just finished this book this morning and was so puzzled. I had the same thoughts as you about the ending. Also found that throughout there was lots of “telling and not showing”.
Excellent review, thank you for sharing! :)
I'm glad I'm not alone!
Oh I loved it. It was a good read in my opinion! I really loved the beautiful detail throughout the book. I sometimes have a hard time imagining settings in books but I did not have an issue with this book.
I agree with you on the ending. It felt rushed and hurried. I was having a hard time following along. At the same time it was wordy with descriptions that felt needless to me. She didn’t even think twice about her dear maid who she called a sister at one point which I also found strange.
She forgot about the lock because she was being poisoned
I appreciated hearing your review! I didn’t have the same perspective but it was illuminating to hear yours. I didn’t find it difficult to reconcile the fiery Lucre as a child and the “meeker” one as an adolescent. She’s sent away to a completely foreign place with no family, no one she knows or trusts, and soon after she arrives she is essentially raped (although society at the time would not call it that). She is actually so strong in spite of her lack of support and the abuse and manipulation she is subject to.
I also found it incredibly painful and tragic that Amelia died in her place. It felt like Maggie saying - hey, if you wanted Lucre to live, someone had to die. In either version (Lucre or Amelia dying), it is utterly tragic. An innocent life horrifically taken too soon.
Alfonso I found fascinating too! I think Maggie painted a portrait (ha!) of a man of his times - trained to be calculating and ruthless to protect and gain power. I saw a man who thought of himself as kind (for his time, station, and training), even if we did not see him as such. I think people are rarely willful villains at all times, delighting in the misery of others. It’s more often that people consider themselves good people who have to make hard decisions or have no idea the pain they cause others. He is repeatedly described as infantilizing Lucre which, to me, explains his cruelty and disregard for his wishes while at the same time showing her his charming and loving side. He is a “parent” who expects compliance in their hierarchy and doesn’t respect his “child’s” autonomy.
Thank you againfor posting this! I listened to the story on audiobook and had to re listen to the end because I wasn’t sure if poor Amelia really did die in her place. 😅 Hope your trip to Italy was lovely!
I agree completely. Lucrezia would not have known that saving herself would endanger Emilia and would not have walked through that door with no thought of her own only friend.
I just finished the book last night... you've done an excellent job articulating exactly what I'm feeling right now - thank you! I had such high expectations after Hamnet and am feeling disappointed for all the reasons you touched on in this video.
I'm glad you agree!
I do not find it plausible that Lucretzia would let Emilia die for her .. she’d was too smart to leave her beloved maid alone and suffer a miserable death/ end for her …
I was disappointed by how much of the ending felt implausible to me.
I agree with everything you said, Greg, thanks for the great review. Safe travels, and have lots of fun!
Thank you so much!
Thank you for the information about the Duke, it should come out in more reviews that he truly was awful! Well done. I do think that while it might be unsatisfying in a work of fiction to let the protagonist get beaten down by the system in this historical context that’s exactly what happened. Even the best, cleverest people can get trampled by those in power determined to maintain the status quo. Maybe even especially the best, cleverest people.
Also I think the tiger represents Lucre, which aligns with the concept that the brightest are often ripped to shreds.
I was lost when the maid is there with her at the end. When did we know her maid followed her? I was lost.
I don’t think Lucretia is manipulative of people. Her “wildness” involves being out alone outside of court. When she is forced to take her place in this world she retreats into herself and her painting.
Oh wow that husband really did that to his own sister? That's awful! Ooh okay I kinda like that twist though. I love when historical fiction is like "yeah there's no chance in heck this could have ever happened but I want to give my reader a happy ending." The Christie Affair did something similar, and despite being the least realistic take I've read on Agatha Christie's disappearance, it is by far my favorite! Ooh I love that they had heavy foreshadowing too, that's totally my jam too.
I really loved this book :). Although the ending was really rough to read and kinda disappointed me, I saw it coming. Lucrezia mentions early on how similar they look, and how they could be mistaken for each other. I was hoping she wasn’t going to go there, but alas… I still enjoyed it a lot.
Have a great time in Italy! The Marriage Portrait is one of my favourite reads of the year but I completely understand why it disappointed you, the ending was pretty set up from halfway through!
Thank you! I can see why so many people like this book but I wasn’t really on board.
Our book club was divided on the ending. Some thought it was just Luce imagining that happy ending and it wasn't conclusive that it actually happened... thoughts?
That's definitely how I read it. A fantasy fairy tale ending from her imagination in a drugged-state, dehydrated and emaciated as she was, contrasted with the realistic inevitable consequence, the cold brutality of Alfonso's rage at his own infertility.
Thank you for articulating some of the feelings I had about this book. The ending really bothered me, and I couldn't quite say why, but now I realize it's because as you said, what is the point? What is the point of going to all that trouble to imagine a scenario that fits what we know of the historical facts and then suddenly substitute this "happy ending"? It felt jarring to me.
You also articulated my slight frustration with the back and forth in time - I don't mind that technique at all, certainly many authors use it. I think it was because there was such a short time period between the two scenarios that it just felt forced and almost unnecessary. I liked the book, but didn't love it - not nearly as moving as Hamnet, for me anyway.
I'm glad I'm not the only one!
It does sound overly contrived. Thanks Greg. Have fun in Italy!
I loved the book and really found the writing captivating, as I did Hamnet, which is what drew me to this book.
I’m also a big fan of historical fiction filling in the gaps of characters/ stories of bygone eras. Which I feel the crafting and imagination of O’farell in the telling of this was sumptuous.
However I agree with you totally and was bemused on the point about the maid not being noticed by anyone at all at the end. Also she travels to the Fortezza to see to Lucrezia, however nobody noticed a young servant travelling on her own? Managed to getaway completely covertly from wherever she should have been? Then goes completely unnoticed in the Fortezza tending to the sick Lucrezia, that was my main real irritant in the novel. I also agree that I could not quite reconcile the spirited child Lucrezia to the almost meek submissive adolescent, and wish she had possibly stood her ground more.
Having said that I agree with a previous comment on here that the negative aspects are far outweighed by everything there is to love. I was completely immersed in the time, place, head and heart of Lucrezia and I know this one will stay with me for some time to come.
Alfonso would have clearly recognised that the woman he had just murdered was not Lucrezia, but he would have realised that he could insist that the body was indeed her and who was to gainsay him? He would have realised too that an escaped Lucrezia was not the least threat to him once he had brazened out the funeral.
Hmm, I think, for me, it's a lot about expectations. I also highly anticipated this novel. After a few disappointing reviews, I didn’t expect much. Then, after I read it, I thought that it wasn’t so bad after all. Now I wonder how I would have reacted to it if I had started with no expectations - good or bad. A personal lesson learned.
Thank you for making this video and convincing me not to read it. After not liking "Hamnet", I never thought I would consider reading anything else by Maggie O'Farrell. But like so many times, I fall for the cover and the historical figure and the premise of a Renaissance Italy setting... Your points are all well made and are enough for me to pass on it even without the flowery language I am sure she continued using.
I just DNFed it and after watching this review, I think I made the right choice. I loved Hamnet too, and this was my most anticipated book of the year, but I found it dull. I thought the tone was relentlessly melodramatic to the point it became tedious: this girl cannot drop a quill without half a page of overwritten anguish. I've switched to True Biz by Sara Novic which I'm enjoying much more.
I can't understand people suggesting that the language is flowery or poetical. I found it, yes, exceedingly precise and detailed, but in no way does Maggie Farrell use poetic similes or metaphors that surprise, startle and glow. She is a superb technician of description without flourish or embellishment. Every tree is a tree, every storm is a storm, every castle is a castle.
I wouldn't say that O'Farrell's description is without flourish or embellishment.
The literary quality of the writing far eclipses any plot weaknesses in the novel, The Marriage Portrait. O’Farrell is a genius whose ability to describe both the concrete and the psychological underpinnings of an individual are inspiring . Every page of writing is masterful. Take a lesson from the quality of the prose and realize that even Shakespeare’s greatest works have “technical” flaws. When you can write like O’Farrell, then I will accept your overly harsh criticisms of this amazing book. Brenda Goldblatt
😊I've only just finished this book so I am very late to the party !
I loved this book but noticed 2 'flaws' other than nobody questioning the whereabouts of Emilia (the missing maid)
Firstly, near the end of the book the author states that Lucrezia has not seen the Duke since she was forced to hand over the dress (from the portrait) Unless I am mistaken this isnt true. She meets the Duke to view the finished portrait in the scene where Jacopo whispers his escape plan.
This brings me to 'flaw' number 2.
When Jacopo whispers the escape plan regarding the kitchen door he (and Lucrezia) are both unaware of the location the Duke is planning to take Lucrezia to.
Although this is perhaps acceptable as the ending is more of fantasy than reality.
In such a beautifully written book however, the first flaw does puzzle me somewhat, in that no one else seemed to notice it ?
Anyhow I will read it back again to see if I am mistaken.
I personally loved the ending and the book as a whole😊
I loved the book, really found the ending problematic. Such a pity it wasn't different, it took away from the entire book, which was stunning. Absolutely agree the plot is clumsy, and that the book should have stuck to the tragedy of her story.
I was so mad at the ending of this book! I haven't read Hamnet and historical fiction featuring real characters from history is not my favourite, so I didn't have high expectations, I just read it because it was on the Women's Prize list. In the beginning I was really absorbed in it, the atmosphere of the book really pulled me in. I was pleasantly surprised my how much I liked it. Then I started thinking that there was too much tell and too little show, and that I wasn't always convinced by Lucrezia's thoughts and actions. And at the end, that yes, I saw coming, I was just thoroughly annoyed. Sure, I didn't want Lucrezia to die, but I knew from the start that she would and was expecting to feel angry and sad on her behalf. Instead she has the privilege of being beautiful so she gets rescued, leaving her maid, who is scarred because she sheltered Lucrezia from the boiling water (or at least that's how I read that scene) behind to face the consequences. Even though she didn't consciously set her up to die, she knew that Emilia had left everything she knew behind too, she was all alone and had zero protection should Alfonso decide it likely that Emilia knew where Lucrezia had gone. So the rich girl gets to live, a life of love and freedom and artistic expression, while the servant girl who never had any real freedom either gets sacrificed. Gah, I'm still mad about it.
Great review
The Guardian, on its website, out of UK has a story about the Montana Book Store Drag Queen Story Hour that you helped police that you may want to check out Greg.
Thanks for telling me-I went and found the article immediately!
@@SupposedlyFun Oh good, I’ve found trying to put links in UA-cam comments doesn’t always work, so I’m glad I gave enough description to get you there. Safe travels!
The actual 'marriage portrait' doesn't exist, thats fictional, the portrait on the cover was done in Florence before she was married.
I am always more interested in the tragedy
I've just finished reading the book and came on to find this perspective as well.
The writing and description were excellent but her character depiction was highly lacking.
What an easy gimmick to choose in order to subvert expectations (which like you said was quite evident really early on)
Also, her very superficial and lacking in depth portrayal of the maid serving just to serve the plot is really disappointing.
Finally, are we supposed to celebrate Lucrecias life but accept that the maid's wasn't even a greater tragedy?
I agree i would have prefered a different ending or if the story had been told from the maid's perspective - who i feel would have made for a much more interesting story.
I’m glad I’m not alone!
This book's ending is ludicrous and lacks historical accuracy. There is very credible documentation that establishes the real cause of death by autopsy by the physician who was very familiar with Lucretzia.
I listened to about three quarters of the book before throwing in the towel, and watched this video in order to find out what happened in the end, as I knew there was some kind of twist. I agree with all you say about the plot and its holes, but the main thing that I hated was O'Farrell's writing style and the dual timeline. So many sentences had the same structure - "She does this; she does that", and oh, the interminable rephrasing of the same idea! It seemed almost as if the novel is composed of a series of lists, image upon image to compound each idea. So tedious and over-written. The imagery of imprisonment is also overdone throughout the novel, and I found the use of the present tense and the close 3rd person viewpoint did little to make the characters come alive. Of course, in an audio book the narrator intrudes between the listener and the text, and the Audible narrator's delivery was very flat and monotonous, so I might have got on better with The Marriage Portrait if I had actually read it on my Kindle, but somehow I doubt it.
I completely understand your frustration, but I’ve always liked the device that a tragic figure from history escapes their fate and lives the life they deserve. So for me, while the the reading was sluggish for much of the last half of the book, the author doing a wish fulfillment twist at the end bounced my rating of it up by 3/4 of a point.
Sure she sets it up that the maid is almost the “whipping boy” for her, but I never expected Farrell to do the switch off, so for me it was her audacity of doing it, rather than disappointment, that I admired. And she really only unleashes it in the last chapter, so for me she has become Queen of the last chapter. I just couldn’t believe what she pulled off in the last pages of Hamnet, which of course I knew what was coming, but I was in complete awe of how well she did it. Also, all the Artist stuff really sustained me throughout as well, as Art History is my original background and I studied abroad in Florence.
So, providing you’re stopping in Florence at some point, are you going to visit the Plazzo Vecchio? I didn’t realize it was a Medici residence at one point, though in reality Lucretia was five when they left there to go live in the Pitti Palace and didn’t live there up until she left after marriage like in the book. All in all it hit a few favorite spots of mine, so I came away liking it more than you, but no it’s not going to make my top ten for the year, though Young Mungo will.
The writing is beautiful but the plot and ending were underwhelmed
I'm glad I'm not alone!
It's weird for Lucrezia to have a doppelganger as well considering that her looks are uncommon and unusual for an Italian (ginger hair).
Good point!
Bon voyage! I don't really care for O'Farrell 's writing very much.
Writing was too wordy and descriptive, at times. Ending was terrible. Agreed about the disconnect between her personality as a small child and as a teen. Ended up hating it. Am so mad.