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The instrumentalist

£16.99

Venice. 1704. In this city of glittering splendour, desperation and destitution are never far away. At the Ospedale della Pietà, abandoned orphan girls are posted every day through a tiny gap in the wall. Anna Maria is just one of the three hundred girls growing up within the Pietà‘s walls – 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. But the odds are stacked against an orphan girl – so when the maestro selects her as his star pupil, Anna Maria knows she must do everything in her power to please this difficult, brilliant man. But as Anna Maria’s star rises, threatening to eclipse that of her mentor, the dream she has so single-mindedly pursued is thrown into peril.

In stock

Description

**THE PHENOMENAL TOP TEN BESTSELLER**

‘An absorbing story of musical rivalry and ambition’ SUNDAY TIMES, Best historical fiction
‘Enthralling, passionate, vivid. The Instrumentalist is a marvel’ KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE
‘Historical fiction as it should be written’ MAIL ON SUNDAY
‘A captivating narrative as tightly tuned as a thriller’ DAILY TELEGRAPH
‘A compassionate coming-of-age tale ? Constable understands the power music has to sustain us’ OBSERVER
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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 is threatening to eclipse that of her mentor?

She will leave her mark, whatever it takes. And her story will be heard.

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‘Had me spellbound from start to finish’ EMMA STONEX
‘A story of musical rivalry which will completely capture your imagination’ ELODIE HARPER
‘Remarkable ? A vivid and nuanced portrait of a groundbreaking woman’ NEW YORK TIMES
‘I was swept away by this searing portrait of ambition and betrayal’ ELIZABETH MACNEAL
‘A fascinating story of music, ambition, and womanhood in eighteenth-century Venice’ CHARMAINE WILKERSON
‘Viscerally transports you to eighteenth-century Venice and revives the lost story of a phenomenal woman’ MARIE CLAIRE
‘Fans of Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist will adore it’ I PAPER

**An Observer Debut Novelist of 2024**

Additional information

Weight 0.542 kg
Dimensions 23.4 × 15.3 × 3.3 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

336

Language

English

Edition

Hardback original

Dewey

823.92 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K