Marriage Portrait

This was beautifully written, as expected (I loved Hamnet). It has a tense, claustrophobic quality that immerses you in the tightly controlled world of Lucrezia. Speaking of which; she is so full of humanity, something I think is quite tricky to pull off with historical figures. Could it have done with being a smidge shorter? Probably, but I was so gripped I didn't really care.

This was beautifully written, as expected (I loved Hamnet). It has a tense, claustrophobic quality that immerses you in the tightly controlled world of Lucrezia. Speaking of which; she is so full of humanity, something I think is quite tricky to pull off with historical figures. Could it have done with being a smidge shorter? Probably, but I was so gripped I didn't really care.

A well-written historical novel. It begins in medias res creating the tension that pervades the book and that might be necessary to keep you going through the descriptions of a young noble girl's life in 16th-century Florence. The ending is satisfying but it's telegraphed and quite artificial.