The Instrumentalist – Harriet Constable

Published By: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 320
Released On: 27/08/2024

Anna Maria della Pietà was destined to drown in one of Venice’s canals. Instead, she became the greatest violinist of the 18th century.

Anna Maria has only known life inside the Pietà, an orphanage for children born of prostitutes. But the girls of the Pietà are lucky in a sense: most babies born of their station were drowned in the city’s canals. And despite the strict rules, the girls are given singing and music lessons from an early age. The most promising musicians have the chance to escape the fate of the rest: forced marriage to anyone who will have them.

Anna Maria is determined to be the best violinist there is–and whatever Anna Maria sets out to do, she achieves. After all, the stakes for Anna could not be higher. But it is 1704 and she is a girl. The pursuit of her ambition will test everything she holds dear, especially when it becomes clear that her instructor, Antonio Vivaldi, will teach Anna everything he knows–but not without taking something in return.

From the opulent palaces of Venice to its mud-licked canals, The Instrumentalist is a portrait of opportunities dangled only to be snatched away. It is the story of one woman’s irrepressible ambition and rise to the top. And it is the story of the orphans of Venice who overcame destitution and abuse to make music, and whose contributions to some of the most important works of classical music, including “The Four Seasons,” have been overlooked for too long.

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

The first thing I will say is – COVER GOALS! Oh how beautiful it is. Even more so since I’ve watched the video about how they constructed it.

This is a story I knew nothing about. Of course, like most classical music fans, I knew of Vivaldi and his talent, but the work of Anna Maria della Pietà had passed me by.

Within the very first paragraph you get a real sense of Italy in the late 1600s. Harriet’s done such a great job of creating a sense of space, which means it’s easier to get sucked into the story as she puts you right in the middle of it.

I learnt the violin when I was at primary school, about 9-10 years old. I thought I was rather good – my parents thought otherwise. But the reason I gave it up? Because I’m lazy. I would have my daily lesson and then pop it in my teacher’s cupboard to pick up before I went home. And without fail, every single day, I’d be halfway home before I’d realise I’d forgotten it, and I would have to walk back and get it. Every. Single. Day. Now, keep in mind I only live about a 10 minute walk from the school, maybe 15 with my child legs. But I was so lazy, that meant enough to give it up. And I regret that constantly. And now I still love listening to classical music and watching orchestras, and so this story really spoke to me. The way Harriet has described Anna’s love of music and the violin is just magical.

It is such an easy book to read. It flows along so well that 300+ pages just disappears. It took me am atter of hours to read, so reluctant was I to leave it.

I did a little bit of Googling and found out that Harriet grew up playing the flute and piano alongside her classically trained mother. And this explains the emotions she’s managed to evoke about music. Unless you know music, really know music, then its hard to put down into words just what it can do, what it can mean, and it’s obvious in each line that music is in her blood.

An observation (not a negative) is that it doesn’t have a huge amount of plot. This is all about character and about music and amotions, and I like it all the more for that. There’s only so many times you can write about a violin rehearsal or a concert or a dinner before they blend into one. But by exploring the characters and how the music makes them feel, it feels fuller than if it was “just” a plot heavy story. In my opinion, this is about how it makes the reader feel, rather than the literal journey they go on. And I really loved that.

I believe this is Harriet’s debut novel, which is very impressive and bodes well for any future releases.

If you’re looking for a book about empowerment, strength, ambition, joy, love, friendship, talent, and the importance of women behind achievements credited to men, then this is the one for you.