Oh how I love a great historical romance novel……add in some classical music and you have a wonderfully delightful read!
Adriana d’Amato adores music, except there is one big problem….her father has forbidden her to cultivate her gift for the violin. But do you think that’s going to stop her? Of course not!
She begins sneaking out of her family’s palazzo under the cover of night to take violin lessons from violinist and composer Antonio Vivaldi. However, what begins as secret lessons swiftly evolves into a passionate, consuming love affair.
Adriana’s father is set on her marrying a wealthy man….and though this suitor has things to love, Adriana’s heart belongs to Vivaldi. Besides the whole marrying another man thing there is a larger problem keeping the two apart…..Vivaldi is a priest which basically makes the relationship forbidden in the church and in society.
Vivaldi and Adriana know that their affair must end when she marries but there will be events that change the path of their lives forever.
When this one came across my nightstand for review….I jumped on it! Vivaldi is my favorite composer (and I love the violin) and I was super excited to see a novel about him and his life….not to mention his romantic entanglements.
This story is told from Adriana’s perspective which I didn’t mind for the most part, but at times I thought it would have been nice to get Vivaldi’s perspective on what was going on. Maybe alternating chapters? Something to give the reader some insight into his thoughts. But overall I enjoyed Adriana character immensely. I loved how passionate she was about her music. Some of the music parts could be a little technical and dry but I loved how dedicated she was to her gift.
Palombo did a great job at making a fictional character seem very very real. I felt connected to Adriana and I felt that her passion for music and for Vivaldi was believable and I felt invested in the relationship between the two.
I don’t know much about Vivaldi besides loving his beautiful music, I simply haven’t given much thought to his personal life or history so this book was a treat for me. While I am sure Palombo used a lot of creative license, I felt like the relationship itself was plausible, though there were many twists and turns in their romance, I felt satisfied with how things ended up. The heart ache and angst between the two was genuine and it made me feel so connected to the story.
The only things I wished the story had had was the Vivaldi POV and some of the technical musical stuff. Parts were a little slow moving but over all I was happy with the end product and how things ended.
And can we talk about the cover for just a minute……talk about love at first sight. Purple is my favorite color and the purple tones of the cover is stunning! I love the woman on the cover holding the violin….I take that back, clutching the violin! I think it captures the essence of this novel so well!
If you are looking for a love story set in a romantic time and a romantic city for music lovers…..this novel will be music to your soul!
Challenge/Book Summary:
Book: The Violinist of Venice: A Story of Vivaldi by Alyssa Palombo
-
Kindle Edition, 449 pagesPublished December 15th 2015 by St. Martin’s Griffin
- Review copy provided by: Personal collection.
This book counts toward: NA
- Hosted by: NA
- Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 4 out of 5
Genre: Romance, historical fiction
Memorable lines/quotes: NA
The Lit Bitch 
2 thoughts on “Review: The Violinist of Venice: A Story of Vivaldi by Alyssa Palombo”