The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

Ever since its publication in the fall 0f 2022, The Marriage Portrait has been at the top of my "free read" list, those books that can be read between books for book club and Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures. I absolutely adored O"Farrell's Hamnet  and was excited to delve into her take of Renaissance Italy. The novel is the very fictionalized story of Lucrezia de Medici, who at the age of 15 is married to Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara. 

The premise for the novel is attributed to Robert Browning's poem, My Last Duchess. as the Duke of Ferrara contemplates a portrait of his late wife and how her portrait is painted. The poem further intimates that the wife was poisoned, and more than likely by himself. 

Lucrezia is a bit of a hellion, full of spirit and independent beyond what was every expected of a woman of her time. This is attributed to the manor in which she is conceived, according to her mother, Eleanora, who had been inattentive the night her daughter was conceived. As a young girl, Lucrezia was fascinated with her father's menagerie, including a tiger that absolutely fascinates Lucrezia. 

The intended bride for the Duke was actually Maria, Lucrezia's older sister. However, when she dies, the honor is passed to the younger Medici. After their marriage the Duke whisks his new bride away to a villa where he intends to bide some time while he manages affairs of others in his family. The marriage is finally consummated in a scene that shows his lack of tenderness and power that he wields over his wife. She, being so young, has no idea of what to expect. O'Farrell is a master of steamy sex (reminiscent of the Apple shed in Hamnet), without going into details of the act. The style of writing by going back and forth in time is another hallmark of her writing. The reader sees the fear of Lucrezia as she suspects that she will be murdered and then back in time to witness how she got to that point. 

With the desire to have a portrait of his wife completed, the novel brings in 2 painters, Jacopo and Il Bastianino. They spend more time with her than Alfonso and Jacopo plays a very special role in her life. After years with out producing an heir, Alfonso takes her to Stellata, a fortress, without any of the servants. It is there that Lucrezia feels that Alfonso means to murder her. But considering that Alfonso has not produce even a bastard child, it would seem that the lack of an heir falls fully on his shoulders. 

O'Farrell had taken many liberties in writing this novel with it not being as historically accurate as it could have been. Her writing, tho, makes up for some of that. She is a master of the metaphor and descriptive passages. She endows Lucrezia with the power for women to be themselves and maintain power over their lives as she defies Alfonso's authority in the way she paints and her moves to outwit him. The novel was not as captivating as Hamnet, but it was a joy to appreciate O'Farrell's style of writing.  

Oil and Marble by Stephanie Storey

 

Chosen by the Gables Book Club for our April 2021 discussion was the historical fiction novel Oil and Marble.  It is a recounting of the rivalry between Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo in the first years of the 16th century. Each was working on a piece of art that would eventually define them through the centuries. Most of the members liked, but did not love the book. 

The novel is told in alternating chapters focusing on each of the artists. Michelangelo returned to Florence from Rome where his emotional sculpture, The Pieta, had recently been unveiled. It was not a triumphant return to his family, which was not enamored of his work as an artist. At the same time Leonardo had been commissioned to work on a mural, The Battle of Anghiari in Florence, while working on a dam and way to prevent the flooding of the Arno from washing out the city. The rivalry between the two artists started over the commission of a piece of stone, destined to eventually be sculpted into a piece of art. Leonardo lost that battle when Michelangelo created drawings that more impressed the city and church leaders. At the same time Leonardo meets Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a silk merchant. He is smitten with her and desires to paint her, a proposition he makes to her husband. 

Throughout the novel the reader is  privy to the hardships and struggles of both men to complete their projects. The physical pain and suffering of Michelangelo as he carves and polishes David, is intense and can almost be felt by the reader. The emotional battles of Leonardo as he falls in love with his Mona Lisa are almost as painful. As a backdrop to their hardships is the flooding of Florence, the burning of the Michelangelo home, and the conflicts of the Medicis, Borgias and the influence of Machiavelli. 

In her notes, Storey describes the liberties that she took in retelling this historical account. It was that liberty that many of the book club could not fully condone. However, for this reader, with that understanding, it was not unacceptable. Oil and Marble is an interesting read about the two men whose art is so important and well known over 500 years from its creation. The history of Florence as a city state is quite interesting and gives a perspective of life in that time frame. At the conclusion of the novel, Michelangelo meets a budding artist and encourages him. It is a direct tie-in to Storey's next novel, Raphael, which I will put on my "to be read list" for future considerations.

 

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian

Alternating between 1943 and 1955, Bohjalian crafts a mystery, historical fiction and psychological thriller in his book, The Light in the Ruins. Interspersed with those chapters is a narrator's viewpoint on the murders he has committed and is about to commit. 

Outside of Florence, there is, what once was a bucolic Tuscan villa - Villa Chimera. Owned by the Marchese and Marchesa Rosati, it is a sanctuary for their family from the horrific brutality of the war. Living with Antonio and Beatrice is their daughter, Christina, and daughter-in-law Francesca and her two children Their son, Vittore works in Florence at the Uffizi and their other son, Marco, Francesca's husband is serving in the Italian army. Life in the villa changes drastically one day when Nazi soldiers arrive wanting to see the caves of earlier Etruscan burial grounds. The soldiers subsequently occupy the villa for an outpost and Christina becomes romantically involved with one

In 1955 Serafina Bettini is working as a homicide detective in Florence when she is called to investigate the chilling murder of Francesca Rosati. The body is discovered in her apartment with her heart cut out. As the investigation continues, the reader begins to learn more about Serafina and her involvement in the war. She has suffered brutal wounds that have left her scarred and without a portion of her ear. 

As the narrative moves back and forth between the time periods and through flashbacks in the minds of the main characters, the connections between the characters begin to be elucidated. The serial killer's narration reveals that his/her revenge will be taken on the Rosatis, one by one.

The Light in the Ruins is another example of the masterful and powerful storytelling of Chris Bohjalian. It is gruesome, to be sure, but is also a gripping chronicle of the war in Italy. The struggle between citizens, the Partisans, and the Nazis shows the multi-faceted effects of a conflict. How does one balance doing what is right when it comes to saving one's family? Its strength lies in historical and political analysis. The revelation of the serial killer is a bit of a shock with so many possibilities - a man, woman, Italian, Nazi, an acquaintance or one who needs to exact revenge on the rich landholders?  The meaning behind the title of the book is illuminated at the end, much as the dock light in Gatsby does for that novel.  Bohjalian needs to be on the list of "must read" authors.

Inferno by Dan Brown

A master of illusion, Dan Brown hits the mark again with Inferno.  All the erudite critics aside, this was a fun and gripping read. I probably could have read it much faster if I didn't sit with a copy of Dante's Inferno, an art history book, and the Citymaps2go app by my side. Call me obsessive, but I need to visualize referenced quotes, paintings, and travels through a city, especially ones that I have visited and loved.

Robert Langdon wakes up in a hospital in Florence, Italy, with a gunshot wound to the head and a very bad case of amnesia. He has no idea of how or why he is there. Befriended by Dr. Sienna Brooks, he and she escape the hospital as those in pursuit murder an attending physician. Discovering a small projector that shows Brooks and Langdon an image of the Mappa dell' Inferno, and point to what is a macabre scene. That begins a frantic 24 hours as the two scramble to escape those who are in pursuit and to prevent a catastrophic event from happening. But are they the good guys or the bad guys following them? Running through Florence Italy, the two find secret passage ways and routes through the Pitti Palace,  Uffizi Gallery, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo, and of course the Baptistery of San Giovanni with Ghiberti's incredible bronze doors.   All the while the reader is treated to the history of the city and its marvelous collection of art works. Following a set of clues derived from Dante's Inferno, his death mask, and the painting.

Florence from the Duomo's Bell Dome

The Pitti Palace

Ponte Vecchio and the Arno

The Duomo and Brunelleschi's Dome

Of course, it's not always that simple and Brooks and Langdon are joined by a Dr. Ferris who seems to be in contact with higher powers. He is afflicted with a horrible rash and seems to be suffering breathing difficulties. Could what the are pursuing a type  of plague.

Ghiberti's Doors

San Marco, Venice

 Realizing that they are looking in the wrong place for answer, they are off to Venice before stumbling on the solution to the problem and the resolution of the novel.

It was a whirlwind of a novel that, except for looking at maps, and art would have taken no time to read. Dan Brown may not be the most literate of authors, but he can concoct a tale that maintains the interest of the reader. His books are scripted for films, but that doesn't mean the story is any less exciting. In Inferno the ending is believable and satisfying, more so than the far-fetched stunts at the end of Angels and Demons or The Lost Symbol. They are easy to read and engage the reader in the story. I see nothing wrong with a bit of pure entertainment once in a while.