REVIEW: The Instrumentalist (Harriet Constable)

Book: The Instrumentalist

Author: Harriet Constable

Premise: Venice, 1704. Anna Maria is just one of the many orphaned girls growing up within the walls of the Ospedale della Pietà – but she already knows she is different. Obsessive and gifted, she is on a mission to become Venice’s greatest violinist and composer, and in her remarkable world of colour and sound, it seems like nothing will stop her.

This is a historical fiction novel about Anna Maria della Pieta. She was a pupil of Vivaldi and a famous violinist in 18th century Venice. This book is about her rise from novice to virtuoso. It shows the precarious life these young orphaned women have, so dependent on the favour of men. Anna Maria is not perfect, with her ambition jeopardising her friendships. I like how Vivaldi isn't named throughout the novel, giving Anna Maria and the other girls more of a platform. I also found it interesting that an orchestra of young, abandoned women was so famous, inspiring Vivaldi and other composers. Really good read.