Alyssa Palombo's training as a classical musician is evident in her first novel, The Violinist of Venice, a historical romance set in the 18th century. Adriana, the musically talented daughter of a strict merchant father, has been forbidden to pursue her creative endeavors. Determined, however, to pursue her dreams despite her father's temper, Adriana secretly receives tutoring in playing the violin from a young priest and musician, Antonio Vivaldi, a situation that quickly escalates into a romantic, heated love affair. What unfolds amid the canals, grand homes and days of Carnival in Venice is a complex plot of lust and love, of duty and dedication, and of the misfortunes that befall those who test Fate.
Palombo's depictions of Vivaldi's music will make readers want to find each piece and listen, as in this description of Summer from the "Four Seasons": "The movement was punctuated here and there by bursts of rapid violin passages, perhaps an indication of an oncoming storm.... With no warning, all the instruments began to play at a frantic pace, with the violins moving to create waves of sound like rolling thunder. Vivaldi's harried, agitated solo evoked both lightning flashing jaggedly across the sky, as well as some poor creature trying to flee the storm. The lower string instruments combined to imitate the ominous rumblings of thunder, with the violins rushing on almost without pause."
Palombo skillfully blends historical facts with innovative and colorful fiction, creating a delightful, fast-paced romance that is sure to please music lovers and romance readers alike. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer