The Instrumentalist

Reviews / Votes

Enthralling, passionate, vivid. The Instrumentalist is a marvel -- KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE, author of The Heresies and The Dance Tree A compassionate coming-of-age tale, inspired by true events, explores youthful ambition and the allure of fame ... Constable understands the power music has to sustain us ... Compelling, vividly described, magic * OBSERVER * An engrossing tale about an unexpected coup de musique, and a vivid and nuanced portrait of a groundbreaking woman ... Constable fills in the gaps, giving this remarkable figure the kind of origin story that has rarely been afforded by history to female artists * NEW YORK TIMES * Constable infuses historical fact with richly wrought fictional details, to investigate admiration and resentment, ego and legacy ... While the book is steeped in time and place, it nonetheless sheds light on gender dynamics that will be all too familiar to readers today * i paper * This novel about music is fundamentally about silence; the myriad ways in which female authorship has been erased ... a captivating narrative that's as tightly tuned as a thriller... A heartening tribute to a group of formidable women * DAILY TELEGRAPH * Harriet Constable's impressive debut novel conjures up the tumultuous life of Venice in the early years of the 18th century in vivid detail ... Constable succeeds in telling an absorbing story of musical rivalry and ambition, and rescuing an unjustly forgotten woman of genius from history's dustbin * SUNDAY TIMES, Best historical fiction * A whirlwind of all-consuming, dizzying ambition. The true story of her battle to realise her extraordinary talent is spectacularly imagined - historical fiction as it should be written * MAIL ON SUNDAY * Haunting, lyrical and so passionately rendered, The Instrumentalist is a virtuoso performance. Constable's evocation of Vivaldi's Venice and the lost - until now - life of Anna Maria della Pieta had me spellbound from start to finish. This is a remarkable story of strength and survival, talent and ambition, and the searing power of music to keep a heart beating. Wonderful -- EMMA STONEX Fans of Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist will adore it * i paper, The best new books out in August * That rare creation - a powerful contribution to our understanding of women's history and a captivating novel in its own right. Harriet Constable's reimagining of Anna Maria della Pieta's life vibrates with colour and passion, a tale worthy of the violinist's genius. I was completely swept up into the intense world of Venice's forgotten orchestra of orphans, where the girls' hopes, dreams and relationships are movingly drawn ... A story of musical rivalry which will completely capture your imagination -- ELODIE HARPER, Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Wolf Den Constable's lyrical prose and deep emotional insight create a rich, immersive reading experience * GLAMOUR * I was swept away by this searing portrait of ambition and betrayal. Occasionally a book arrives which not only moves but performs a vital function: and The Instrumentalist restores Anna Maria's name as she deserves, removing her from the forgotten annals of history -- ELIZABETH MACNEAL, author of the Sunday Times-bestselling The Doll Factory An intriguing tale ... A fascinating story of music, ambition, and womanhood in eighteenth-century Venice ... In The Instrumentalist, the Venetian Republic is a character in its own right, amid the glory and decadence of its final century. -- CHARMAINE WILKERSON, author of the New York Times-bestselling Black Cake With a heroine at once so very fierce and yet so vulnerable, The Instrumentalist is an insightful study of female talent and ambition - and how easily they can be hi-jacked or undermined by men -- ANNIE GARTHWAITE, author of Cecily An enthralling novel, which viscerally transports you to eighteenth-century Venice and revives the lost story of a phenomenal woman; a lovingly rendered account of passion, struggle and the power of music * HARPERS BAZAAR, Seven debut novels by female authors to read in 2024 * An immersive, impassioned tale full of colour and sound * OBSERVER * A stunning story written in prose as vibrant as the music it depicts. The Instrumentalist is a beautiful tale of resilience and survival in the face of impossible odds, and brings a much needed voice to a lost part of musical history -- ISABELLE SCHULER, author of Lady MacBethad The debut novelist Harriet Constable travels to eighteenth-century Venice in The Instrumentalist, which is based on the true story of Anna Maria della Pieta, a student of Antonio Vivaldi * NEW STATESMAN, Fiction to look out for in 2024 * An epic novel set in eighteenth-century Venice and based on the real life of Anna Maria della Pieta who, taught by Vivaldi, went on to become the leading pop star of her day. She's since been written out of history. Until now * BBC, Book releases 2024 * A richly detailed and evocative reimagining * RED * If you love a richly woven historical novel - and especially one set in Venice - you'll be swept away by Harriet Constable's vibrant and powerful debut * ITALIA * This new genre could be called "Unsung Heroes" and The Instrumentalist is its latest shining star. A must read * AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY * An enthralling novel, which viscerally transports you to eighteenth-century Venice and revives the lost story of a phenomenal woman; a lovingly rendered account of passion, struggle and the power of music. The passages of della Pieta playing her violin are particularly alive with colour * HARPER'S BAZAAR * The ambitious undertaking to resurrect Anna with nuance and authenticity has been very successfully achieved with this impressive debut. Those who have enjoyed Jessie Burton's historical fiction are likely to find a kindred spirit in Harriet Constable. And those who have ever had to fight to be seen, heard or recognised will empathise with Anna Maria della Pieta, whose story illuminates once again how many remarkable women have been silenced in historical archives * IRISH TIMES * Constable's novel never feels heavy on its historic details; instead, they're weaved into a captivating narrative that's as tightly tuned as a thriller. Her account is a heartening tribute to a group of formidable women who, in real life, often had to play behind curtains for fear of inciting too much passion in the male audience ... In confident style, Constable draws the figlie players out from behind the curtain, and allows us to revel in their scores once more * TELEGRAPH *