The Marriage Portrait is a dazzling evocation of the Italian Renaissance in all its beauty and brutality.

Winter, 1561. Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara, is taken on an unexpected visit to a country villa by her husband, Alfonso. As they sit down to dinner it occurs to Lucrezia that Alfonso has a sinister purpose in bringing her here. He intends to kill her.

Lucrezia is sixteen years old, and has led a sheltered life locked away inside Florence’s grandest palazzo. Here, in this remote villa, she is entirely at the mercy of her increasingly erratic husband.

What is Lucrezia to do with this sudden knowledge? What chance does she have against Alfonso, ruler of a province, and a trained soldier? How can she ensure her survival.

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this blurb, it sounded right up my street. Lucrezia is on holiday with her husband Alfonso, whilst sitting down for dinner she knows why he has brought her here because he wants to kill her. It is a shame for me as this story didn’t live up to expectations, we get the before and now scenario which is good to get a little of the background. It is set in 1561 so I guess things were alot different back then. Maggie has clearly done her research into this book but I felt it lacked something, it was a little cringe and it made me wince a few times too. It made me feel uncomfortable that I jus wanted to finish it quickly. Not an author I would read again unfortunately.

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