His Last Duchess
Set against the backdrop of vibrant Renaissance Italy, sixteen-year-old Lucrezia de' Medici has a beautiful life ahead of her. Her new, rich husband handpicked her as his bride and with this new position comes wealth, privileges, and new experiences. What more could a young, beautiful woman want? But her husband, Alfonso d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara, is more than he seems and instead of walking into a palace, she finds herself in a golden cage.
This book was more romance than history, which was not what I expected, but Lucrezia’s desire to be more than just a pretty trinket on her husband’s shelf kept me reading. As the relationship between Lucrezia and Alfonso grew more tumultuous and her need to escape his dark desires grew, I genuinely feared for Lucrezia and prayed her knight in shining armour would come. It did in the form of her former servant, her husband’s lover, and her own lover/painter.
One of the things I liked best about this story was the way it was told in multiple perspectives. Gabrielle Kimm did an excellent job telling this story through the eyes of multiple people. It can be challenging to give characters a unique voice and Kimm made it easy for the reader to not get confused during each change.
This novel was inspired by Robert Browning’s poem “My Last Duchess” and Kimm’s novel twisted the poem’s ending. The novel became a story of hope and gave this duchess the victory she deserved instead of the downfall her husband desired.
Would it be cruel to say I wish Alfonso had suffered more for his treatment of Lucrezia? Perhaps, but I still wish it was so. His desire to belittle, isolate, and undermine Lucrezia made my blood boil multiple times while reading. He did not deserve a happy ending, and although he did not get one, he didn’t deserve to live as he did after Lucrezia escaped either.
Overall, it was a well-written book but I don’t know if I would pick it up again. For those who enjoy romance with a bit of history sprinkled in for good measure, this is for you.
His Last Duchess Rating: ★★★
This book was more romance than history, which was not what I expected, but Lucrezia’s desire to be more than just a pretty trinket on her husband’s shelf kept me reading. As the relationship between Lucrezia and Alfonso grew more tumultuous and her need to escape his dark desires grew, I genuinely feared for Lucrezia and prayed her knight in shining armour would come. It did in the form of her former servant, her husband’s lover, and her own lover/painter.
One of the things I liked best about this story was the way it was told in multiple perspectives. Gabrielle Kimm did an excellent job telling this story through the eyes of multiple people. It can be challenging to give characters a unique voice and Kimm made it easy for the reader to not get confused during each change.
This novel was inspired by Robert Browning’s poem “My Last Duchess” and Kimm’s novel twisted the poem’s ending. The novel became a story of hope and gave this duchess the victory she deserved instead of the downfall her husband desired.
Would it be cruel to say I wish Alfonso had suffered more for his treatment of Lucrezia? Perhaps, but I still wish it was so. His desire to belittle, isolate, and undermine Lucrezia made my blood boil multiple times while reading. He did not deserve a happy ending, and although he did not get one, he didn’t deserve to live as he did after Lucrezia escaped either.
Overall, it was a well-written book but I don’t know if I would pick it up again. For those who enjoy romance with a bit of history sprinkled in for good measure, this is for you.
His Last Duchess Rating: ★★★