The Instrumentalist - Harriet Constable

 

This one was shared with me from my book club.  It's the story of Anna Maria della Pieta, a real life, violin virtuoso in the 17th century.  She was raised in a well known girl's orphanage in Venice that trained them to play instruments and had a world renowned orchestra which Anna Maria eventually ran until she died at 87 in the orphanage, having lived there her whole life. Her mentor was Vivaldi, the composer of the classical music composition, The Four Seasons. 

The author takes these facts and tells a tale of a virtuoso with the drive to become a maestro who sacrifices her relationships for a career that ultimately would not be allow to a woman.

I found the purse overly descriptive, flowery and difficult to get through as it didn't add to the story. 

Published:  2024  Read:  2026  Genre: Historical fiction

Orphan Train a Novel - Christina Baker Kline

 A young girl, Vivian, aka, Dorothy, aka Nimah, is sent from her fractured family life in New York in the late 1800s to Minnesota on an orphan train where she is shuttled from one family to another until she finds a life as an adult.  At 91 years old she meets an orphan teen in the foster care, Molly, who comes to Vivian's home to work off community service.  Their stories of growing up contrast and compares the care or lack thereof they receive in their different orphan care systems.  I found this to be a heartbreaking story of trauma for losing parents, no matter how poorly they parented, the loneliness of not having a family connection and the perseverance of the individual spirit.  

Published:  2013  Read September 2024  Genre: Historical fiction