Free courtesy of Netgalley


This book tells the tale of Anna Maria della Pietà, an 18th century orphan violinist who was destined to drown in the canals of Venice, who instead was left at the Ospedale Della Pieta by her mother to be raised by the nuns who housed the greatest orchestra of it's time, made up of the orphans left there.

The book is based on the true story of Anna Maria who was chosen as a favourite by Antonio Vivaldi, it is alluded that they created all his pieces of music together but he was the only person credited for it.

The book itself started really strong and I was excited to read it, but even though the ending was also good, and there was a story throughout the book was told, it was a bit boring in the middle, all the talk of Anna Maria seeing colours when she played music, didn't have to be repeated over and over, as you got how she saw things after the first couple of times. I also felt the book jumped quite a bit and it had moved on without you realising that this is what had happened a few times. Vivaldi's name is never mentioned as being the teacher and I don't know why this was never acknowledged in the book.

It wasn't a bad book to read but it was also not a great one either, it isn't going to be a book that sits with me to reflect and want to learn more, like Diva was. I would say if you want to learn a bit about Venice in the 18th century, then read this book, even Casanova is present at one concert. Overall I was a bit underwhelmed.

This book is very well-written and delightfully descriptive. However, Anna Maria della Pietà was a real woman, and this story is nothing more than a feminist fantasy. It is a real shame that the characters reacted in a modern way when this could have been an incredible story of this amazing woman whose works excelled despite the odds, and not because she demanded them. With some more research and a less fabricated tale this could easily become an endurable classic. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I couldn't put this down. Beautiful, beautiful writing - very immediate and really drew you into the sights, sounds and smells of early 18th-century Venice. It's about Anna Maria della Pieta, one of the orphan girls at the Pieta who became an amazing violinist and worked with Vivaldi. The author notes that not much is known about her, but she's done a fantastic job in bringing Anna Maria to life. I loved the use of synaesthesia in this (so interesting). We're very much in Anna Maria's head: how music consumed her, how desperate she was to follow her dreams and how she was haunted by her past, to the point where we understand why she treated her best friends badly.

This is a book that will draw you in, make you angry and sad and wistful at times. It's one of the best books I've read in a while, and I'll be buying copies for friends when it comes out (as well as a hard copy for my own bookshelves).

It's worth more than five stars :) Thank you very much indeed to Harriet Constable and Netgalley for a fabulous read.

I was utterly captivated by the beginning of this novel and expected great things. Unfortunately once Anna Maria's talent had been recognized it became repetitive. I do find the music/colours connection fascinating, but it was given too much page space.

On the positive side, the squalor and opulence of Venice is vividly evoked through all the senses. It was interesting to learn about the less than edifying life of Vivaldi, and about the fate of baby girls born to prostitutes.

On the negative side I had many questions, for example who made Paulina pregnant; what happened to Anna Maria during the days she was drugged? And I felt that much of the language used was of the present day which detracted from the novel's authenticity.

The Instrumentalist is a captivating historical fiction novel set in 17th century Venice. The story follows Anna de la Pieta, an orphan raised to be useful to society. Anna has exceptional musical talent and pursues her dreams of becoming a renowned violinist. By the time she was eight her talent had brought her to the attention of the heads of the school and was taught the violin by the school music director Antonio Vivaldi. Anna is one ambitious young lady determined not to be constrained by the limitations placed on women, historically, in society!

It is clear that the author has undertaken a great deal of historical research for her debut, I am not a music boff so I had never heard of Anna de la Pieta, this prompted me to read more about her too - I also absolutely love the cover!

This is such an amazing story, beautifully told. I live historical fiction and this swept me into 17th century Venice. But more than that, I was emotionally invested in an improbable tale of an orphan with musical talent who is destined to reach the top. I’m not particularly fond of classical music but Harriet Constable brought everything so lividly to life. Music isn’t just notes and sound, it’s colours and smell. It becomes all enveloping and gives a whole new perspective to music. I was engrossed to the extent that reading almost became a physical experience and that’s exceptionally difficult to create. Powerful writing in a glorious setting with crafted plotting. Not my usual genre, but I really enjoyed this.

A great read: I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anybody who wants to get lost in a tale. Thank you to the writer, NetGalley and the publisher for enabling me to read this book.

Review of The Instrumentalist – Harriet Constable

This book is a triumph in many ways. Not only is ‘The Instrumentalist’ written with great style and undeniable flair, the author, Harriet Constable, takes an intriguing and compelling story and creates a fascinating account of real life characters and the unfolding of their relationships and careers. The setting in the Venice of the early 1700s contrasts the opulent palaces, fragrance and riches of wealthy city areas, with the austere convent, the muddy malodorous canals and the chilling poverty which exists alongside.

Anna de la Pieta, The Instrumentalist, is here given acclaim and acknowledgement of her huge talent, her persistence and her determined ambition, restoring the balance of her neglected achievements and the betrayal she endured. Her teacher, Vivaldi, sees her talent and fosters her development, but exacts a price for his attention. Here, in ‘The Instrumentalist’, we see a certain redress and acknowledgement of the input and inspiration Anna de la Pieta provided, and her place in history is given the opportunity to shine more brightly.

I couldn’t put it down. A brilliant debut novel and highly recommended.

The premis of this story gripped me i was thrilled to be able to read this as an ARC, however the blurb covers the first 10 pages of the book and then it fell flat and got boring for me. Nothing happens in the first 35% of the book, however there is one scene i feel warrants a trigger warning of child death/infancy death. I had to DNF at 40% completed as it was so slow. I struggled to understand why and orphan would have a bit of a spoilt brat attitude. I understand she wants to be the best but the way her character is portrayed it just didnt sell it to me. This book had so much potential for a historical fiction novel, but sadly it fell too flat and too slow paced for me.

It is crustal clear that the author has carried out a huge amount of research to write such a compelling book. For me, however, there were far too many concerts and it made the storey drag on a little bit too much.
I could have skipped a few chapters and still caught up with the gist of what was going on.
I was also left with more questions than answers. I was surprised that there was not another pregnancy considering that Anna Maria was out of it for 3 days. I must have missed who the father of Paulina's baby was as well and why there was no investigation as to who he was and why he was allowed to carry out such behaviour in the orphanage.
It was predictable at times.
The history behind the scenes was interesting to read where women did not allowed to compose and it was surprising to see that this carried on throughout the decades for many years - even Charlotte Bronte used a mans name for her books hundreds of years later.
The swearing I felt was not in keeping with the rest of the text as it was not a school where the girls would have heard or used such language and when it was used it was very out of character for those that did swear.
I also felt that it was too much of a character change for Anna Maria to suddenly become miss nice when she herself had trodden on so many others to get her place.

What I was attracted to when picking up the book: location (Venice), period - 1700s, music being one of the main themes in the story.
All of this kept me going through the book. Also, sound-colour synesthesia – what a lovely way to enrich the feelings, and the musicality of the theme! Loved that bit. That’s the sort of interpretation or fictionalisation that I like.

I do enjoy female protagonist revival, which is so trendy these days, the feminist underline, the urge to show women – for them to be seen and heard no matter the status and the great things they’ve done in the past.

This, however, can go a little over the top, giving them more of the of modern thought, than realistically they would have had. And while I understand a wish to give that determination, colours, and vivacity of the character to the real person that lived once upon a time, using the fact that there is not so much known about her in comparison… It kind of takes that scrupulously built reality and realistic everyday life and makes it a bit fantastical, where it probably should not. Why you ask? So that current and future generations wouldn’t have an illusion of a kingdom of crooked mirrors…

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy good historical interpretation and take the fictional part with a pinch of salt in all of this genre’s books, but there are things I’d rather keep to it. Makes it more believable, too. And no, not every modern reader has to relate to the characters because of that very different period they lived in. Because it was different times, indeed.

Overall, a very decent book. Easy to read and well-written, involving a couple of well-known personalities of the time.

Anna Maria's story starts when she is posted into a slot at the Venetian convent, Ospedale della Pietà , with a token from her mother who cannot look after her. Based on the actual life of a virtuoso violinist who was taught by Vivaldi and was appointed master of music, the book explores ambition, drive, power, recognition and having a voice.

I'm sorry but this is my least favourite kind of historical fiction which just puts modern women with all our twenty first century attitudes and assumptions back into a historical setting, here eighteenth century Venice.

Anna Maria della Pieta was a real person, a virtuosic violinist and composer, but I bet she never went storming into the office demanding to be made Master of Music because 'I make the Pieta a lot of gold. If you want the famous Anna Maria della Pieta to keep smiling and playing, you'll give me the role. You need me more than I need you.'

There has clearly been research into the daily life in eighteenth century Venice but the plot feels almost cartoon-like and the reality is that eighteenth century Venetian women, let alone orphans in convents, simply didn't think, speak and act as we do. With its triumphant narrative, this makes a feminist fairy tale out of history.

With the lush setting and foregrounding of female friendship rather than a romance, there's a lot going for this as commercial fiction - but just not the book for me, sorry!

This was an interesting story about a fascinating woman and her life as she worked towards her goal of becoming a Maestro. From the opening pages I was invested in Anna Maria's story, and the atmosphere that the author created brought the orphanage and the city to life beautifully. The book focusses heavily on Anna Maria and it's only through her actions that we see the workings of the orphanage. I would have liked to have explored this world further. Anna Maria was incredibly talented and ambitious, but I didn't find her a particularly likeable character even as the book progressed. Her trajectory from picking up the violin to achieving her goals was pretty unhindered and because she was so focussed on her goals we didn't really get a rounded picture of her and see how vulnerable and naive she was. The characters around her were well drawn, particularly her teacher and her friends but also side characters such as the charming violin maker.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy for review.

‘The Instrumentalist’ by @harriconstable is set in early C18th Venice around the fascinating (and real) Ospedale della Pietà: an austere girls’ orphanage, whose saving grace is that its inmates are given music lessons and the chance to become members of one of the city’s most famous orchestras - if they have what it takes.

We follow musical prodigy Anna Maria from the age of 8 as she strives to become the greatest violinist Venice has ever known. She’s up against poverty and patriarchy, but is blessed with monumental determination and extraordinary talent. Her orphanage also boasts wealthy, influential patrons, and a brilliant musical director, who could be the key to her success. But, as Anna Maria soon finds out, nothing is as simple as it seems, and she must ask herself just how much she is prepared to sacrifice.

For the first two-thirds, Anna Maria’s determination is all-consuming. It smoulders darkly on every page, her violin providing almost the only colour and joy. Then in the final section the book blossoms wonderfully, and Venice and its people, their pain and their pride, become as vivid and multi-hued as the music.

The subject could easily have lent itself to a cheesy ending, but, with skill worthy of Anna Maria, Constable lifts her composition clear of clichés to strike a beautifully resonant final chord.

For me, it has strong Jane Eyre vibes (but Venetian flavoured) and strikes some similar notes to Elizabeth Fremantle’s ‘Disobedient’. It definitely makes me want to learn more about the real Anna Maria and these extraordinary orphanage orchestras.

Out this August.

Big gratitude to @bloomsburypublishing & @netgalley for the eARC.

I am really pleased I read this novel. I was unaware of the true story connected to music and Catholic orphanages in Venice and the life of Anna Maria, delivered to the Sisters for safekeeping rather the drowning. This was a normal practice of the time. The fictional story based on a real character is not easy to pull off and there are some sections that are a little repetitive and slow, but I was gripped enough to read it it two sessions. The colourful descriptions of life in Venice, including smells, sights and sounds are excellent and really evocative. This is not just a historical representation of events though. It gives us multiple emotions of
love, friendship, inequality, injustice, anger and determination to survive, all in the words of a remarkable individual. A very good read.

Set in Venice this is one of those books that the author has found a real person and then woven a story around them. I loved the Pieta setting and the sense of desperation to succeed as the consequences of failure were so dire Anna Maria's synesthesia is an interesting addition to her character but after so many descriptions of brown, green and gold flying through her vision I did want more pace and plot. But then that is the trouble with tying your flag to a real character, you can't say they packed it all in and ran off with the circus if in reality she stayed in the Pieta til she was over 80. A fascinating read that perhaps needs a bit of editing to tighten up the descriptive sections.

Eighteenth-century Venice was a harsh place for working-class girls, If they got pregnant by mistake and could not keep the baby, they had two options: throw it it in canal or (for the luckier baby girls) post it through a gap in the wall of the Ospedale della Pieta, a convent. This is the story of one of those babies, Anna Maria della Pieta. Her gift for music saved her and made her a celebrity in Venice and beyond. Her teacher was the celebrated Antonio Vivaldi. Anna Maria saw musical notes as colours, which was perhaps her way of brightening up her harsh and dreary life. The watery, cultured city of Venice is beautifully depicted. You see the sharp contrast between the wealthy people who come to hear concerts at the convent and those who live there. A great read with interesting characters.

I am indebted to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC of this book.
A fictionalised account of the life of Anna Maria del Pietá, a discarded orphan who grew up in the Ospedale to become the foremost violinist of her age. Under the tutelage of Antonio Vivaldi.
The book is very well written and captures the hothouse atmosphere of a music school where only perfection will suffice; the driving ambition which excludes any consideration other than musical improvement and performance; the harshness of the regime run by the nuns; and the single minded determination necessary to succeed.
Antonio Vivaldi is portrayed as an inspired genius, happy to take the credit for the work of his charges, fragile, insecure and flawed.
It is also a story of friendship, loss and redemption..
The story concentrates a little too much on Anna Maria’s childhood: I would like to have seen more on her adult life. Perhaps that is to come?
A little proofreading is needed: on two occasions the writer says ‘bare’ for ‘bear’ when the sense is ‘undergo, tolerate’

Anna Maria del Pieta was a virtuoso violinist whose amazing ability was matched by an outstanding composer who wrote at least 26 concertos with her specifically in mind. If this fascinating novel is to be believed, some of those very concertos may actually have even been written by Anna Maria herself, but the credit taken by none other than Antonio Vivaldi.
This novel weaves a story round the bare facts of the lives of the real Anna Maria and Vivaldi and is so well presented that it is hard to believe that it isn't all true!
The third stand out character in this historical drama is Venice herself!
Harriet Constable describes the city so vividly that one is immersed in it's sights, sounds and even smells.
Neither Anna Maria nor Vivaldi come out of this retelling covered in glory as people, but their musical genius is absolutely front and centre.
A mark of how good a novel this is, is the fact that I immediately looked up Anna Maria and the orphanage orchestra and was all the more fascinated as I learned more and more about the subject.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for such an enjoyable experience in reading!