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The Marriage Portrait
- Narrated by: Genevieve Gaunt
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
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The Marriage Portrait
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Summary
The woman in the portrait is perfect. So why does she feel so terrified, so alone?
Florence, the 1560s. Lucrezia, third daughter of Cosimo de' Medici, is free to wander the palazzo at will, wondering at its treasures and observing its clandestine workings. But when her older sister dies on the eve of marriage to Alfonso d'Este, ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage and her father to accept on her behalf.
Having barely left girlhood, Lucrezia must now make her way in a troubled court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate he appears to be before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble?
As Lucrezia sits in uncomfortable finery for the painting that is to preserve her image for centuries to come, one thing becomes worryingly clear. In the court's eyes, she has one duty: to provide the heir who will shore up the future of the Ferrarese dynasty. Until then, for all of her rank and nobility, her future hangs entirely in the balance.
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What listeners say about The Marriage Portrait
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Millie
- 18-12-22
Amazing story, beautifully told
Captivating language, each word a jewel in this tense, thrilling story of a young girl at the mercy of marriage tradition and familial rule. With the gorgeous backdrop of Italian court and country, it was gripping from start to finish.
My only quibble was the narrator who - although very clear in her fiction - has an annoying habit of unnecessarily elongating words mid sentence. Audible should check it out.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sigrin
- 20-05-24
A portrayal of deceit
Maggie o Farrell writes beautifully and I did enjoy the storyline, however the characters were either not very nice or difficult to engage with.
What really does not help is the narration by Genevieve Gaunt whose monotone narration with little intonation is really hard for you to connect to the story. However, every now and again she puts full effort in as though she or the person in the audible recoding studio had just woken up from the monotony of her voice. At times it made listening to white noise a more exciting concept.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matilda
- 10-02-23
Excellent
Really enjoyed the book, as I know the poem it is based on well. Even liked the liberty taken by the writer to give it a happier ending.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tasha Hannah
- 21-02-23
Simply beautiful
Utterly exquisite, heartbreaking and joyous at once. I wish I could stay in Lucre’s world for so much longer.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dizzy Miss Lizzy
- 18-03-23
Wonderful
Beautifully written, harrowing in parts . a brilliant social history of women.during that period of time .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Catherine Stratton
- 01-11-22
Wonderful
Loved it! Great read, couldn’t put it down as always with Maggie’s books - can’t wait for the next one
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Runmumstheword
- 02-11-22
Fell in love with the main character
Powerful, beautiful and everything I expected from this remarkable author. Didn't want it to end, felt so much for the character.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vaan
- 04-01-23
Loved it
Beautifully written. The characters come to life in the story, Lucrezia naive but tempestuous and Alfonso controlling and remote. Great narration too.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stephen
- 19-11-22
Gender and violence politics spun in gold
This story of Lucrezia's life imprisonment, and her refusal to quench the fire of true herself and of her artistry, is a compulsive story. It lays out our history of gender politics and domestic violence. This history is what we are currently striving to climb out of. Maggie O'Farrel's astonishing prose does not dissapoint.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SG
- 05-12-22
Into the heart of the main character
I really loved this book. Historically an incredibly sad, tragic story. O'Farrell, writing a work of fiction blended with fact, weaves a beautiful narrative that brings the reader into the heart of Lucretia, a bold interesting character. Keep hope alive for a happy ending.
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