Maggie O'Farrell, born in 1972 in Northern Ireland, is one of the most widely read contemporary authors. Her novels, including When You Went Away and Hamnet , have been translated into over thirty languages. She has won several literary awards, including the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Costa Book Award.
Death will come for her, if not tonight, if not tomorrow, then one day, very soon. There is no one to save her.
Maggie O'Farrell's latest novel centers on the marriage between Lucrezia de' Medici and Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, whose wife was to be Lucrezia's older sister, who dies shortly before the wedding. Less than a year after leaving Florence for Ferrara, Lucrezia dies of what official records say is typhus. However, there is some suspicion that Alfonso II was responsible for her death. This mystery served as the author's inspiration for this striking novel about a heroine who was ahead of her time, about life at court, and one of the most intriguing periods in history - Renaissance Italy.
"You may know the history and you may think you know what's going to happen, but don't be too sure. O'Farrell and Lucrezia will always be one step ahead of you."
The Washington Post
“O'Farrell has an uncanny ability to put us in Lucrezia's very unusual shoes, and the final denouement is so unexpected and beautifully executed that it brings readers to tears.”
Boston Globe
"There are few authors who play with language and historical figures from the past with such confidence."
Oprah Daily