The Instrumentalist
Paperback Published on: 01/04/2025
Price: £25.99
Bookseller Reviews
View all
A love of music shines through this excellent historical fiction.
Anna Maria is given up as baby to the Pieta Orphanage in Venice and there she is taught music. One of the teachers at the orphanage is Vivaldi.
I came t... READ MORE
A love letter to music and the girls who helped make it!
I was so lucky to get a store proof to read this book because honestly, this is now one of my favorite stories of all time.
I’m always eager to learn a... READ MORE
Forgotten Genius
Thank you to the publishers for this proof.
Life of Anna Maria della Pieta who became the Master of Music at the Ospedale della Pieta, a vienesse orphanag... READ MORE
A story of ambition, the power of music & defying expectations
A story of ambition, the power of music & defying expectations. Based on a female student of Vivaldi; The instrumentalist is a fictional historical novel f... READ MORE
Publisher information
- Publisher: F. A. Thorpe (Publishers)
- ISBN: 9781444855074
- Number of pages: 408
- Dimensions: 232 x 155 mm
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allAnna Maria della Pietà
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 ... READ MORE
To be remembered is everything
I’m a sucker for all things Venetian so opening a book with the ringing of the Marangona and a dash to Rialto gets my vote. Add in my penchant for convent ... READ MORE
Enthralling book based on actual musical people in the 1800s
I found The Instrumentalist to be a captivating story. The book is fiction inspired by actual events in the life of Anna Maria della Pietà, an orphan livin... READ MORE
Amazing historical retelling
What a fabulous book. I absolutely ate this up reading it in one sitting apart from a lunch break. It really was that good. A historical retelling inspire... READ MORE
A banquet for your senses and imagination
Babies left through the tiny doorway in the Ospedale della Pietà in a Venice of 1696, are those now alone in the world. They are the offspring of whores, t... READ MORE
Interesting History of the origins of Vivaldis work
This is not a book i would have chosen to pick up and read in the shop, but it was interesting nonetheless.
Tells the true story of Anna Maria, who was ... READ MORE
a celebration of the power of music and resilience.
Anna Maria's journey starts as one of passion, talent, and relentless ambition but morphs into something more complex. As she navigates the complexities of... READ MORE
Historical novel about a gifted musician - very good indeed.
Anna Maria della Pieta was a gifted violinist and composer and this book is a fictionalised account of her early life, based on real events. We learn about... READ MORE
captivating
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. I am a big fan of historical fiction and I especially enjoy stories which ... READ MORE
An historical novel at it's best... a must read...
The Instrumentalist, is an historical novel written in an easy read manner. This style of writting is not so easily conquered and i can only praise the aut... READ MORE
Enjoyable historical debut
This is a book of fiction based on real life characters of the seventeenth and eighteenth century Venice.
In 1696 Anna Marie della Pietà was posted throug... READ MORE
Success at cost, drenched in atmopshere
Harriet Constable’s The Instrumentalist also raises questions about the cost of success, particularly in a competitive field. Constable skillfully portrays... READ MORE
Inspirational
This is the best book I have read recently. It tells the little known story of a virtuoso violinist, Anna Marie de la Pieta who was an orphan, yet became a... READ MORE
Shedding light on a fascinating lesser known story
“The Instrumentalist” is based on the true story of Anna Maria, a real life violinist and composer living in Venice in the early 1700s. She was abandoned b... READ MORE
This is my book of the year!! Extraordinarily moving!
Wow!! This book is just extraordinary!! With evocative atmospheric descriptions of Venice and the colours of music, this story is enthralling and captivati... READ MORE
Fierce ambition, astonishing talent.
Passion, colour, triumph leap energetically from every page – I ‘heard’ the music, felt Anna Marie’s intensity, ‘saw’ the colours when she and her violin w... READ MORE
Exceptional debut
This is such an amazing story, beautifully told. I love historical fiction and this swept me into 17th century Venice. But more than that, I was emotiona... READ MORE
I cried, I smiled, and I loved every second of this book.
As a musician (although not strings) and living in Italy I was so so excited to read this book. I like to go in fairly blind and having not heard of Anna M... READ MORE
Wonderfully vivid. Beautifully told.
Absolutely wonderful story, inspired by the historical figure Anna Maria della Pieta, an orphan living in Vienna and taught by Antonio Vivaldi.
I loved ... READ MORE
Remarkable debut novel
I really do love stories with a historical context, and this is set around the composer Vivaldi in the early 1700s – and the orphanage of young girls where... READ MORE
Engaging historical fiction
Anna Maria della Pieta is an orphan, passed through a hole in the wall of the Pieta as a baby she has known no other life. However, when she picks up a vi... READ MORE
Loaded with narrative, symbolism, & character development
REVIEWER ONE
Harriet Constable's The Instrumentalist is a masterclass in storytelling. The novel intricately weaves together multiple timelines, gradually... READ MORE
A stunning debut!
CW/TW: Mentions of death, child abandonment, body injuries, and subtle hints of grooming.
My Bookish Thoughts
Outstanding!
I was sent an advance copy of The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable to read and review by NetGalley. What can I say?! This novel is extraordinary, com... READ MORE
Interesting and enjoyable
I love both music and Venice and was fascinated by this story of an historical character,Anna Maria del Pietà,who was one of the famous figlie del Coro of ... READ MORE
Considerable nuance and empathy.
The Instrumentalist takes an unflinching look at mental health, particularly the toll that high achievement and personal loss can take on an individual. Th... READ MORE
Novel set in Vivaldi's Venice
3.5*
In 1696 a baby girl has been posted through the hatch at an orphanage. That baby came to be known as Anna Maria della Pietà, a prodigy who became e... READ MORE
Evocative and moving
We all know the name Antonio Vivaldi. But have you heard of Anna Maria della Pietà? I hadn’t until I read this book. Anna Maria is an orphan who was left a... READ MORE