The Instrumentalist

For fans of The Queen’s Gambit and The Handmaid’s Tale, award-winning journalist Harriet Constable’s unforgettable novel tells the story of classical music as it has never been told before.

Inspired by true events, The Instrumentalist tells the story of Anna Maria della Pietà—orphan, musical prodigy and favourite student of Antonio Vivaldi. Anna Maria is on a mission: to become Venice’s greatest violinist and composer. In her remarkable world of colour and sound, it seems as if nothing can stop her. But it is 1704 and she is, after all, a girl. The pursuit of her ambition will test everything Anna Maria holds dear. 

With echoes of internationally renowned historical fiction such as Tuscan Daughter by Lisa Rochon, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell and Perfume by Patrick Süskind, The Instrumentalist brings to life the remarkable story of one of classical music’s most important yet overlooked figures. It is guaranteed to transport even the most unmusical of readers into a whole other realm.

HARRIET CONSTABLE is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker who lives in London. Her work for the New York Times, the Economist and the BBC has taken her all over the world. She is a grantee of the Pulitzer Center and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Constable grew up playing the flute and singing with her mother, a classically trained pianist and singer. She holds a BA in English literature from Birmingham University. The Instrumentalist is her debut novel.