'I thought I had made myself clear. I want something that conveys her majesty, her bloodline. Do you understand? She is no ordinary mortal. Treat her thus.'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 her appears 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 which 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.
CONTRIBUTORS: Maggie O'FarrellEAN: 9781472223852COUNTRY: United KingdomPAGES: WEIGHT: 666 gHEIGHT: 232 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Headline Publishing GroupDATE PUBLISHED: CITY: GENRE: ART / General, FICTION / General, FICTION / Historical / GeneralWIDTH: 152 cmSPINE:
Book Themes:
Italy, History of art, Historical fiction
Every bit as evocative and spellbinding as Hamnet. O'Farrell, thank God, just seems to be getting better and better . . . O'Farrell's writing is so vivid it melts away the time and space between now and 16th-century Italy . . . With The Marriage Portrait, then, O'Farrell hasn't just produced another magnificently transporting page-turner. She has given us an exhilarating, devastating look at women's captivity, creativity and ultimately, rebellion in a world run by some very cruel men, Finely written and vividly imagined, it is far from being simplistic, but there is an engaging simplicity to it . . . a very good one to be read, as publishers used to say, by "children of all ages", In O'Farrell's hands, historical detail comes alive . . . evocative, moving and sensitively rendered, O'Farrell is simply outstanding, Her writing is exquisite. Immersive and compelling
Maggie O'Farrell, FRSOL, is the author of HAMNET, Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020, and the memoir I AM, I AM, I AM, both Sunday Times no. 1 bestsellers. Her novels include AFTER YOU'D GONE, MY LOVER'S LOVER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE, which won the 2010 Costa Novel Award, INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE and THIS MUST BE THE PLACE., and THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT. She is also the author of two books for children, WHERE SNOW ANGELS GO and THE BOY WHO LOST HIS SPARK. She lives in Edinburgh.
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'I thought I had made myself clear. I want something that conveys her majesty, her bloodline. Do you understand? She is no ordinary mortal. Treat her thus.'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 her appears 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 which 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.
CONTRIBUTORS: Maggie O'FarrellEAN: 9781472223852COUNTRY: United KingdomPAGES: WEIGHT: 666 gHEIGHT: 232 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Headline Publishing GroupDATE PUBLISHED: CITY: GENRE: ART / General, FICTION / General, FICTION / Historical / GeneralWIDTH: 152 cmSPINE:
Maggie O'Farrell, FRSOL, is the author of HAMNET, Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020, and the memoir I AM, I AM, I AM, both Sunday Times no. 1 bestsellers. Her novels include AFTER YOU'D GONE, MY LOVER'S LOVER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE, which won the 2010 Costa Novel Award, INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE and THIS MUST BE THE PLACE., and THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT. She is also the author of two books for children, WHERE SNOW ANGELS GO and THE BOY WHO LOST HIS SPARK. She lives in Edinburgh.
Being the same age as the writer and growing up in the same area, the first few chapters took me straight back to my family home and I could virtually see and smell the sights and feelings he talks about. Wonderful story telling. From there, the book moves into adult life and growing up in apartheid South Africa as a white male and invites the reader to explore their own views and beliefs from that period. Inevitably, the book moves towards the "New South Africa" and into the post 1994 days, with it's highlights, hopes, euphoria and disappointments, problems and challenges.
This book is an easy read, but it is thought provoking in many ways and should be read by all South Africans, regardless of one's background.
I have read and own a lot of self-improvement books, this is the only one that has really propelled me into action. The short exercises in each chapter are well structured to enable you to learn about yourself and reasons behind your self-imposed limitations and gives great techniques and practical advise on how to overcome them, while also challenging you to think a lot about why you behave the way you do. I don't like writing in books usually - but this one is more of a workbook for myself now, so if you want to really give yourself a good shot at making some life changes - then this is the book for you.
AN INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN INDIGENOUS SPIRITUALITY
This is a great book, and its very clear about many things that I have been asking myself as an Africa. Through reading the book I feel awaken spiritually and now I understand why religion never worked for my ancestors and it did not work for me too, because its not for me as an African. The book reveals that my foundation as an African is African spirituality. The book is clear about our ways as Africans to worship God and it shows how special, unique and powerful we are as the Alkebulan people. In the book I also learnt the difference between religion and spirituality.
Well I would advice people to buy the book not only Africans but even other races because spirituality is universal in the world we live in we need spirituality as the world is becoming more and more immoral, dangerous and scary , and I know its ONLY spirituality that can change this world. We have tried religion it did not help people are immoral and religious at the same time. This book is our start as mankind.