Music, intoxication, and betrayal combine in this immersive, impassioned (The Guardian) debut novel inspired by the true story of Anna Maria della Piet, a Venetian orphan and violin prodigy who studied under Antonio Vivaldi and ultimately became his star musicianand his biggest muse.

The Instrumentalist is more than a history lessonwith this novel, Constable has crafted an engrossing tale about an unexpected coup de musique. The New York Times

Anna Maria della Piet was destined to drown in one of Venices canals. Instead, she became the greatest violinist of the 18th century.

Anna Maria has only known life inside the Piet, an orphanage for children born of prostitutes. But the girls of the Piet are lucky in a sense: most babies born of their station were drowned in the citys canals. And despite the strict rules, the girls are given singing and music lessons from an early age. The most promising musicians have the chance to escape the fate of the rest: forced marriage to anyone who will have them.

Anna Maria is determined to be the best violinist there isand whatever Anna Maria sets out to do, she achieves. After all, the stakes for Anna could not be higher. But it is 1704 and she is a girl. The pursuit of her ambition will test everything she holds dear, especially when it becomes clear that her instructor, Antonio Vivaldi, will teach Anna everything he knowsbut not without taking something in return.

From the opulent palaces of Venice to its mud-licked canals, The Instrumentalist is a searing portrait of ambition and betrayal (Elizabeth MacNeal, author of The Doll Factory). It is the story of one womans irrepressible ambition and rise to the top. It is also the story of the orphans of Venice who overcame destitution and abuse to make music, and whose contributions to some of the most important works of classical music, including The Four Seasons, have been overlooked for too long.

For fans of The Queens Gambit and Fingersmith, The Instrumentalist is an enthralling, passionate, vivid (Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies) exploration of art and ambition, genius and exploitation, and loss and triumph.