Vivaldi’s Virgins is told from two view points. The first are the letters that Anna Maria is writing to her mother. These letters are written within the span of one year, when Anna is 14. The rest of the book is told from the view point of Anna Maria as a 40 year old woman, filling in the gaps that the younger Anna’s letters leave blank. I really enjoy this method of story telling, because not only do we get the passion-filled words and ideals of the younger Anna, we also get to see how her choices affected her at an older age. Anna Maria is obviously not happy with a lot of the deeds she committed in her youth, and I think it helped flesh out her character a lot, making her seem like an actually real person. Not that I wouldn’t have felt emotionally attached to Anna Maria’s character without the older voice of reason, but I felt it just added an entirely new layer, and I really appreciated that.Another thing that I felt was fantastic about this book was the style in which it was written. The entire book is so focused on music and Anna’s love for music that it comes through in the writing style. It was so lyrical. “The sky on a clear night is a living, pulsating thing. The stars are like musical notes turned to light, and, like notes, they shimmer and swell and fade and fall. The painters have never captured it — but they never will until some painter teaches his colors to dance.”There were some really beautiful passages in the book. I wish I could pull out all my favorites and share them with you, but that would just end up with me typing most of the book out for you (which I don’t think would be practical or very legal). I’ll share just one more, from a scene in which Anna is getting into trouble once again: “I know now that ill luck was as much a part of la Befana’s evil mien as the bitterness she harbored in her soul. Tooth decay, smallpox, and time itself had long ago robbed her of the sweet looks that excuse the small cruelties of the fair. Is there such a thing as evil, plain as simple? She was the closest to it I have ever known. But, even in her, evil was a complicated thing, made of many layers and wearing many masks. Beneath it all there was a wounded thing, more animal than human. The crime was that such a person was allowed to be a teacher here — to have so many tender young souls in her power.”Not only does Barbara Quick write some really beautiful prose, but she also provides very realistic relationships between all the female characters. As teenaged girls living together, shut off from the rest of the world, cattiness is inevitable! Not everyone got along. Some of the girls were conniving. Others were just plain outcasts. It all felt very genuine. One of my favorite quotes from the book has to do with this topic: “Whoever says that girls are kind has never lived among them.”All in all, this was such an enjoyable read for me. There were a few moments in the story where I could definitely guess what was coming, and other times I was pleasantly surprised. This was such a fun book! I will be sure to check out some of her other work.
This is a very sweet, well-written novel. My only complaint is that the mystery surrounding the heroine’s parentage was rather transparent, and I guessed its resolution very early in the book. Otherwise, I enjoyed the vibrant descriptions of Venice, Carnival, and the inner workings of the Ospedale. In fact, what I liked most about the novel was learning about the Ospedale della Pietà and its musical school for the young women who were left in a niche of the outer convent wall as infants. What an honor, yet what a tragedy, that you must be abandoned as a baby by your family to receive what was undoubtedly the best musical training available for women at the time. The novel’s heroine, Anna Maria dal Violin (the girls at the Ospedale were given last names only in reference to their instruments), is placed under the tutelage of Antonio Vivaldi at a young age and excels at her musical studies. Through flashbacks and letters, the story follows her young teenage years when she seeks the secret of her parentage and begins to explore the options available to the girls of the Ospedale. Barbara Quick does a beautiful job of presenting the dilemma the young girls faced: to take vows as a nun and remain at the Ospedale, allowed to train and perform such magical music but only be glimpsed by the general public in a screened balcony high above the congregation, or to be married into a wealthy Venetian family with no chance of continuing your musical studies and performance.This book made me thankful I have the opportunities available today to study and learn almost anything I desire and have a family and public life. It also revealed a fascinating piece of the women’s history. I read this book all in one sitting last night, and I recommend it for a nice escape to the lush music and colors of 18th century Venice.
What do You think about Vivaldi's Virgins (2007)?
I desperately wanted to enjoy this book as much as I did The Four Seasons: A Novel of Vivaldi's Venice. Unfortunately, it just wasn't as good.In this tale, our protagonist is Anna Maria del Violin, who was left at Venice's Ospedale de Pieta as a foundling. She is writing from her perspective as one of the ospedale's music instructors, looking back at past events. The novel is semi-epistolary; part of the action is told via Anna Maria's letters to a mother for whom she is constantly searching.If I had not read Laurel Corona's excellent book and done some research on the ospedale myself, I would not have had the background to really understand what is happening in this particular book. Quick doesn't go into the daily life of the girls of the ospedale's orchestra enough to give the reader an idea of their experiences.Overall, this story seems watered-down to me. I figured out the plot twist long before it was revealed in its somewhat anti-climactic fashion. Best for readers to stick with Corona's far superior novel.
—Sharon
Nicely written, never dull. I particularly enjoyed the way Ms. Quick created a vibrant image of Venice in this time period. So many historical novels are set in Britain, it was refreshing to be transported to a city so unusual and mysterious.The story centers around Anna Maria, a foundling of the Ospedale della Pietà. The plot line concerning the "mystery" of her parentage was not hard to decipher, no real surprises. It would have been nice if the novel had brought the personal life of Antonio Vivaldi more to the center. Vivaldi remains an eccentric side note to Anna Maria's life experiences throughout the novel. Personally, I wish that the novel had centered more on Vivaldi to give the reader a sense of relating to him on an emotional and human level. As in Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, the human portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as both musician, composer and man is captivating and compels you to fall in love with the genius of this amazing man. I was left wishing Vivaldi's Virgins had afforded me a similar insight into the creative genius and life of this remarkable man, Il Prete Rosso (Red Priest ).
—Clara
Consider this a 3.5-star rating. This is one of those books that I wish I could rate higher. The writing is evocative, graceful, and precise--in particular it captured what the ability to create music means to a true artist.What's more, the characters are well defined. Ultimately, though, it was a bit of a "so what?"--an enjoyable way to pass the commute and a painless way to learn more about Vivaldi, Venice, and the time period, but not a book that will stick with me long afterward. (And the title is somewhat misleading--I have a feeling it was the publisher's, not the writer's, choice.)
—Sherry Chiger
