Book Review: The Marriage Portrait, Maggie O’Farrell

A dazzling recreation of Renaissance Italy, described in O'Farrell's gorgeous prose, this novel again takes a lesser known character from history - Lucrezia di Cosimo di Medici - and breathes life and vibrancy and urgency into their tragic story: just like Hamnet, we know from the opening pages that Lucrezia is destined to die.

Inferno, Dan Brown

I have used the metaphor of food to describe reading for many years now. Some books are hearty, healthy and honest like a rare steak; some are delicate and fragile, like over-wrought sugar work in a pretentious restaurant, beautiful to look at but whimsical, self-indulgent and lacking taste; some are fun, entertaining chocolates and candies;… Continue reading Inferno, Dan Brown