Order of Maggie O’Farrell Books

Maggie O’Farrell is an Irish author of fiction and historical fiction novels. Born in Northern Ireland, Maggie grew up in Wales and Scotland. She studied English Literature at the University of Cambridge. She won the Betty Trask Award for her first novel, After You’d Gone; the Costa Novel Award for The Hand That First Held Mine; and the Women’s Prize for Fiction for Hamnet. She also won the author award at Harper’s Bazaar’s Women of the Year awards. Maggie is married to fellow writer, William Sutcliffe, with whom she has three children.

Maggie O’Farrell made her debut as a novelist with After You’d Gone. Below is a list of Maggie O’Farrell’s books in order of when they were originally published:

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Picture Books

If You Like Maggie O’Farrell Books, You’ll Love…

• Elizabeth Strout
• Percival Everett
• Sally Rooney

Maggie O’Farrell Synopses: This Must Be the Place is a standalone novel by Maggie O’Farrell. Daniel Sullivan’s life is anything but simple. An American linguist settled in rural Ireland, he juggles the weight of unresolved ties: estranged children in California, a fraught relationship with his father in Brooklyn, and a marriage to Claudette Wells – a brilliant but reclusive former film star who values her privacy so deeply, she’s been known to brandish a firearm at unexpected visitors. Despite their unconventional ways, Daniel and Claudette have built a secluded, seemingly perfect life together. But when a secret from Daniel’s past resurfaces, the fragile peace they’ve so carefully cultivated begins to unravel.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell is a standalone novel. England, 1580. As the Black Death casts a long, ominous shadow over the country, life continues in all its fragile resilience. In Stratford-upon-Avon, a young Latin tutor – impoverished and cowed by an abusive father – falls in love with a mysterious and unconventional woman. Agnes is no ordinary bride: she roams the countryside with a falcon on her wrist, communes with nature, and possesses a healer’s intuition that makes her both revered and misunderstood.

Their marriage, though unusual, is deeply rooted in love. As Agnes builds a home and raises children on Henley Street, her husband pursues an ambitious career in London’s theatre scene. But their lives are irrevocably changed when their young son is struck down by a sudden illness. In the grief that follows, Agnes must navigate the boundaries of love, loss, and memory, anchoring a story that quietly reshapes one of history’s most mythologized lives.

The Marriage Portrait is a standalone novel by Maggie O’Farrell. Florence, 1550s. Lucrezia de’ Medici, the quiet and curious third daughter of the grand duke, has grown up in the shadows of the palazzo – free to explore its hidden corridors, marvel at its art, and nurture her own creative spark. But her sheltered world shatters when her older sister dies unexpectedly, just before her marriage to Alfonso, the powerful duke of Ferrara. In a swift political maneuver, Lucrezia is chosen as the replacement bride, and with little say in the matter, she is sent off to a new life at a foreign court.

Thrust into an unfamiliar and watchful world, Lucrezia must navigate a web of veiled threats, courtly games, and shifting alliances. Most enigmatic of all is her husband, Duke Alfonso. Once a charming and cultured suitor, he now reveals himself to be a far more complex and potentially dangerous man – commanding, exacting, and cloaked in mystery. As Lucrezia poses for a formal portrait that will define her legacy, she becomes increasingly aware that her true worth in the eyes of the court hinges on her ability to produce an heir. Until then, even her noble title cannot protect her.