It’s the much anticipated announcement for our fall book! Kym and Bonny and I are beyond excited to tell you that we are reading . . .
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell.
I had the good fortunate of receiving a copy of this book from NetGalley over the summer and I finished it and reviewed it right before it’s release date. I shared my review last month, but I’ll share it again today:
Maggie O’Farrell is brilliant at taking obscure historical figures and writing fascinating stories about them and The Marriage Portrait is no exception. Her ability to create a setting that feels vibrant and alive with detail is my favorite thing about her writing. There were moments while reading this book that I felt the panic and confusion of young Lucrezia, I could see the paintings she made, and I swore I could taste the delicacies prepared for her to eat. O’Farrell has taken very few historical facts and turned them into a full fledged story of passion, deceit, and the struggle for power and survival in 1500s Italy. Highly recommended. I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’ll be perfectly upfront and say that I did not love this the way that I loved Hamnet. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a fabulous book and it’s got the potential for a wonderful discussion. Hopefully you can get your hands on a copy, either from a local book store or online or at your public library. We will be discussing it on January 10, 2023. I know that seems like a long way off but we didn’t want to try and schedule a Zoom discussion during the busy holiday season and this will give us all something to look forward to when the fun of winter is over and the drudge is about to descend.
I hope you’re as excited as we are about our new Read With Us selection!
I am on the (unbelievably long) waitlist. I might have to end up buying a copy… but that is okay, because I am eager to read and discuss with the best book group ever! XO
P.S. Your camping photos… the best! It looks like your weather was perfect!
I think this will be a good book to talk about with other people, so I’m really happy we chose it. I really liked it, too. Although . . . not as much as I loved Hamnet! 🙂
I’m excited to discuss it! I agree; it’s not quite Hamnet in terms of reading, but it might be more discussable.
I bought myself a copy and it’s next on my TBR list. Can’t wait to dig into it and then discuss it with the group!
ooohhh! another fantastic selection … based on what I’ve heard 🙂 I’m going to read this in October and look forward to (finally) joining in all the discussion!
I read it a couple of weeks ago and just loved it. It’s not Hamnet but good authors don’t write the same book over and over again. The Duchess was an interesting character and I enjoyed being in her mind during this journey. The discussion will be great!