Having enjoyed Maggie O’Farrell’s previous novel (Hamnet), The Marriage Portrait was a big disappointment. Set in 16th century Italy, it tells the story of Lucrezia de Medici and her betrothal at a young age to the Duke of Ferrara. The union of two aristocratic families is the intention, and Lucrezia’s role is clear: the production of a male heir.

The Marriage Portrait is overlong and overwritten. I found I had no interest in the fate of Lucrezia or the machinations of her cruel husband. I can’t recall when I last looked forward so much to a book from such a gifted novelist and ended up so disappointed.