Farrell has done it again! In the spirit of Hamnet, she takes another historical figure & builds a compelling fictional story around them—and this one's an edge-of-your-seat ride, too!

Using Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess" as inspiration, Farrell imagines the life of the "duchess" in the poem: Duchess Lucrezia de' Medici, wife of Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara. After Alfonso's first chosen bride dies (Lucrezia's sister Maria), Lucrezia, at 15, becomes his new wife. The poem captures the subjugation experienced by girls & women in 16th-century court—namely being controlled by a tyrannical, politically motivated husband. And, from reading the poem, it's obvious Browning knew the rumor about Alfonso—that he murdered Lucrezia, who unexpectedly died at the age of 16.

Farrell creates a thriller, in a sense, with the portion of the novel that describes Lucrezia's interactions & marriage to Alfonso. Is he slowly poisoning her? Is he in love with her, or does he want her as merely a broodmare to secure his dukedom? Why does he seem to be loving and supportive in one moment and harsh and tyrannical the next? I was on high alert the whole time—the lush language, especially when narrated by Genevieve Gaunt, is especially appealing.

The other part of the book focuses on Lucrezia's childhood in Florence, as the daughter of a duke. She's a free spirit and artist whose personality is repressed by the harsh realities women faced at the time. The scene where she pets a tiger in her father's basement menagerie reflects her unique personality and the confines that are imposed upon it.

If you're a historical fiction fan—and especially love a story that reclaims the narrative of a historically underrepresented woman (O'Farrell describes going to the real Lucrezia's grave and being told she's the only one to ever visit it), check out this book. It's a wonderful portrait of a vibrant, exceptional girl who died way too soon.