The Instrumentalist
A spellbinding novel that will transport you to 18th-century Venice
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4.4 • 23 Ratings
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- £1.99
Publisher Description
The Times top ten bestseller
'As tightly tuned as a thriller' Telegraph
'A marvel' Kiran Millwood Hargrave
'Compelling, vividly described magic' Observer
'Historical fiction as it should be written' Mail on Sunday
'Remarkable' New York Times
Anna Maria may have no name, no fortune, no family. But she has her ambition, and her talent.
Her best hope lies in her teacher, Antonio Vivaldi. Soon she is his star pupil.
But as Anna Maria's star rises, not everyone is happy. Because Anna Maria's shining light threatens to eclipse that of her mentor. The prodigy becomes the rival...
She will leave her mark, whatever it takes. Her story will be heard.
Shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award
'A compassionate coming-of-age tale … Constable understands the power music has to sustain us' Observer
'Had me spellbound from start to finish' Emma Stonex
'Constable infuses historical fact with richly wrought fictional details, to investigate admiration and resentment, ego and legacy' i paper
'A whirlwind of all-consuming, dizzying ambition … Spectacularly imagined' Mail on Sunday
'Vibrates with colour and passion … I was completely swept up' Elodie Harper
'An immersive, impassioned tale full of colour and sound' Guardian
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This impressive debut novel sees Harriet Constable dive into the life of 18th-century orphan and violin prodigy turned composer Anna Maria della Pietà—protégé of one Antonio Vivaldi. Despite her undoubted brilliances, Vivaldi scoffs at Anna Maria’s ambitions to become a composer in her own right (after she directly inspires some of Vivaldi’s more renowned work) and she finds herself out on her own once more, living in poverty and looking to survive—and eventually thrive—in the menacing world of Venice strictly on her own terms. We loved Constable’s drawing of her unbending, charismatic heroine—one of 2024’s more memorable literary leads.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Constable's mellifluous debut draws on the life of composer Anna Maria della Pietà (1696–1782), an orphan who became a violin prodigy at the age of eight and was tutored by Antonio Vivaldi. Raised at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, Anna Maria dreams of becoming the youngest member of the orphanage's renowned orchestra. She's learned to play the flute and the oboe, but she finds her calling when she hears the violin. Sure enough, her new teacher, the virtuoso Vivaldi, sees promise in Anna Maria's playing. When she's 13, he invites her to collaborate with him. Anna Maria says she's been thinking about writing a piece about spring, which gives Vivaldi the idea for his Four Seasons concerti. By the time Anna Maria is 17, she chafes at Vivaldi's insistence on keeping her contributions secret. When she claims she's destined for greatness as a composer in her own right, Vivaldi belittles her. Anna Maria then leaves the orphanage in a huff, and struggles to survive after pawning a necklace and living in a hovel. Constable richly portrays the city's opulence and its seedy underside, and she charms in her portrayal of her fiery young protagonist. This will appeal to fans of historicals with strong female leads.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic!
A different kind of story but one that needed telling. Beautifully written I highly recommend it.
A story bubbling with colour
I wondered, as I began to read, if this was another novel with overwritten description, formulaic perhaps, like so many. But no, crafted with passion and sensitivity, with a gentle yet ebullient feminism and an intelligent awareness of multiple histories brilliantly told, here is a debut novel overflowing with colour, texture and sensitivity. I shall be gifting a copy of The Instrumentalist to my daughter and there is no higher praise from one woman to another than that.
Bonny Brid
Incredible!
Absolutely loved this beautiful story and was so happy to read how much of the story is true and how the author tried to reflect the history of Anna Maria. Beautiful read.