Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
Vivaldi's Virgins - A Novel - cover

We are sorry! The publisher (or author) gave us the instruction to take down this book from our catalog. But please don't worry, you still have more than 500,000 other books you can enjoy!

Vivaldi's Virgins - A Novel

Barbara Quick

Publisher: HarperCollins e-books

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

In this enthralling new novel, Barbara Quick re-creates eighteenth-century Venice at the height of its splendor and decadence. A story of longing and intrigue, half-told truths and toxic lies, Vivaldi's Virgins unfolds through the eyes of Anna Maria dal Violin, one of the elite musicians cloistered in the foundling home where Antonio Vivaldi—known as the Red Priest of Venice—is maestro and composer.  
Fourteen-year-old Anna Maria, abandoned at the Ospedale della Pietà as an infant, is determined to find out who she is and where she came from. Her quest takes her beyond the cloister walls into the complex tapestry of Venetian society; from the impoverished alleyways of the Jewish Ghetto to a masked ball in the company of a king; from the passionate communal life of adolescent girls competing for their maestro's favor to the larger-than-life world of music and spectacle that kept the citizens of a dying republic in thrall. In this world, where for fully half the year the entire city is masked and cloaked in the anonymity of Carnival, nothing is as it appears to be.  
A virtuoso performance in the tradition of Girl with a Pearl Earring, Vivaldi's Virgins is a fascinating glimpse inside the source of Vivaldi's musical legacy, interwoven with the gripping story of a remarkable young woman's coming-of-age in a deliciously evocative time and place.
Available since: 10/13/2010.

Other books that might interest you

  • Westward The Wilderness - cover

    Westward The Wilderness

    B.N. Rundell

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    B. N. Rundell keeps listeners coming back for more in Book 3 of the fast-moving Stonecroft Saga.Osage, Kansa, Otoe, were all tribes west of the Mississippi and dwelt directly in the path of the two friends determined to escape the bounty hunters from Philadelphia and to explore the uncharted wilderness of the west. But when they encounter former French Voyageurs turned slave traders that take Pawnee women captive, their purposes take a turn. But slave-traders are nothing compared to the Omaha and Ponca tribes that have the market cornered on all trade from the Missouri and North Platte Rivers.But Gabe Stone and Ezra Blackwell, lifetime friends and companions on this journey of discovery, find themselves befriending the Omaha and Ponca and then suddenly paired with the daughter of the most powerful chief in the territory. With every turn they meet a new challenge and just when they think they're on their way into the uncharted wilderness, they are faced with a new challenge, the like of which they never imagined. Confronted by a company of Soldado de cuera, the exclusive corps of the Spanish Empire, and a band of Maroons made up of runaway and freed slaves, they have to make a choice that could mean the end of their journey, if not their lives. Can two men really make a difference in a battle such as this?
    Show book
  • The Bride Wore Scarlet - cover

    The Bride Wore Scarlet

    Liz Carlyle

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    “Carlyle continues the Fraternitas paranormal Victorian trilogy (after One Touch of Scandal) with sizzling passion and romance.” —Publishers Weekly 
     
    New York Times– and USA Today–bestselling author Liz Carlyle ushers readers once again inside the mysterious St. James Club, where passion and secrets simmer behind the elegant façade of Victorian London. In her deliciously intriguing The Bride Wore Scarlet, Carlyle does historical romance absolutely right—as a determined young beauty’s desire to gain entrance into the secret all-male society places her under the powerfully sensuous spell of the group’s ruthless and enigmatic leader. Fans of Amanda Quick and Gaelen Foley are going to love this Bride! 
     
    “Carlyle’s lusciously rich characterization, inventive plot spiked with danger and unexpected twists, and deliciously dry sense of humor make The Bride Wore Scarlet a near-perfect read.” —Booklist (starred review) 
     
    “Carlyle delivers a fast-paced pleasure.” —BookPage
    Show book
  • The Outlaw Life - cover

    The Outlaw Life

    Paul Lederer

    • 0
    • 1
    • 0
    Near death, a gunman finds safe haven—and a new life—in an outlaw townTucker finds Chase Carver huddled in an alleyway behind a restaurant, fighting wild dogs for scraps of food. Shortly thereafter Tucker offers Chase a square meal and a warm bed in a fine hotel. How can they afford it? Easy. When morning comes, they will leave without paying. Tucker is an outlaw, and Chase is grateful to learn his ways. The rules are simple: Never look scared, never get greedy, and never stay in a town more than one night—unless that town is Bandolero, where every thief is welcome.After finding a home in this paradise, Chase quickly earns himself the nickname “Mad Dog.” But when the love of a beautiful woman forces him to turn on his fellow bandits, he finds himself pursued by lawman and outlaw alike, with death at his back and no friend to call his own. 
    Show book
  • Spilt Milk - A Novel - cover

    Spilt Milk - A Novel

    Chico Buarque

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    The revered Brazilian songwriter and novelist “has breathed the story of a whole country into a single, unforgettable man with a soul as big as Brazil” (Nicole Krauss, author of Forest Dark).   As Eulálio d’Assumpção lies dying in a Brazilian public hospital, his daughter and the attending nurses are treated—whether they like it or not—to his last, rambling monologue. Ribald, hectoring, and occasionally delusional, Eulálio reflects on his past, present, and future—on his privileged, plantation-owning family; his father’s philandering with beautiful French whores; his own half-hearted career as a weapons dealer; the eventual decline of the family fortune; and his passionate courtship of the wife who would later abandon him.   Through Eulálio’s journey across the twists and turns of his own fragmented memories, Buarque conjures an evocative portrait of a man’s life and love, while bringing to life the broad sweep of Brazilian history. At once jubilant and painfully nostalgic, playful and devastatingly urgent, readers of the award-winning Spilt Milk will find themselves “in the hands of a master storyteller” (The Plain Dealer).   “In Spilt Milk [Buarque] confronts the themes that make Brazil squirm, from the stain of slavery to the inferiority complex the country has historically felt when it compares itself to Europe.” —The New York Times   “Lovely details and a fine sense of place . . . Echoing Sebald’s Rings of Saturn . . . There’s plenty to like.” —Publishers Weekly   “One of the saddest love stories, and one of the truest.” —Nicole Krauss
    Show book
  • West of Rehoboth - cover

    West of Rehoboth

    Alexs Pate

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    New York Times and Essence best-selling author Alexs D. Pate is also a professor of African American studies at the University of Minnesota. Set in the turbulent 1960s, West of Rehoboth is the story of 12-year-old Edward Massey's summertime coming of age in the resort town of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Edward and his family have escaped the heat and violence of inner-city Philadelphia every summer for the last 5 years. Staying at his Aunt Edna's house in West Rehoboth--the black side of town--Edward has the whole summer to have fun and explore. First, Edward wants to learn about the mysterious man named Uncle Rufus living in the shack behind Aunt Edna's. As Edward and Rufus form a tenuous friendship, Edward risks losing himself to the same negativity that torments his uncle. Pate's richly imagined West Rehoboth and its inhabitants will surprise and intrigue listeners. The spellbinding voice of narrator Dion Graham brings out every nuance of Pate's striving characters.
    Show book
  • The Prince and the Pauper - cover

    The Prince and the Pauper

    Mark Twain

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Mark Twain’s historical fable explores what happens when the Prince of Wales changes places with a young beggar Set in sixteenth-century England, The Prince and the Pauper follows two boys with vastly different lives: Tom Canty, the indigent child of an abusive, roustabout thief, and Prince Edward, the son of King Henry VIII and heir to the throne.   One day, daydreaming while wandering near the king’s palace, Canty catches sight of the prince—and nearly catches a brutal beating from the royal guards. Prince Edward commands them to stop and invites the street urchin into his immaculate home. Both fascinated by their strikingly similar appearances, the two boys craft a plot that could unwittingly upend the monarchy: to temporarily switch clothes, thereby swapping lives. Through first-hand experience—and a series of humorous follies—the two discover that neither life is as carefree as they expected.   In The Prince and the Pauper, Twain elevates the classic theme of mistaken identity with his inimitable storytelling to create something uniquely American: a historical fable.   This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
    Show book