Exclusive interview with author Alyssa Plombo and a review of her novel about the life and love of Vivaldi and his music
Rating: 4 Stars
By Gabrielle Pantera
“Strangely enough, the idea came from a dream I had, almost seven years ago now,” says The Violinist of Venice author Alyssa Plombo. “The dream itself was essentially what became the first chapter of the book, where Adriana shows up at Vivaldi’s house and asks him to give her music lessons.”
Engrossing. The characters in The Violinist of Venice come to life under Plombo’s care. Music is the life force of this novel. You may want to listen to Vivaldi’s music in the background while reading this book. Adriana’s life keeps intersecting with Vivaldi’s in poignant ways. Readers will be charmed by the times and music.
Adriana D’Amato is the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Cloistered in her father’s house for most of her young life, she loves to play the violin and is very talented. Since her mother’s death her father has forbidden her to take lessons or to play. Adriana wants Vivaldi to teach her. Vivaldi breaks his vows as a priest and they become lovers. Their secret affair continues as her father seeks a suitable husband to marry her off. What does her future hold?
“I had no idea why I would have such a seemingly random dream,” says Plombo. “But, it was so powerful and vivid that when I woke up that day I couldn’t stop thinking about it. By that night I had the first chapter written as well as a vague outline in my head of what I thought the rest of the story would be…though that changed and evolved quite a bit even over the course of the first draft.”
Plombo consulted translations of letters Vivaldi had written and read everything she could about him and about Venice. Plombo couldn’t research any primary documents firsthand because she’s not fluent in Italian. She says she only speaks Italian enough to follow the plot of an Italian opera. So instead she studied Vivaldi’s music, the scores that she describes in the book.
“I listened to a ton of Vivaldi’s music,” says Plombo. “I took violin lessons for a brief time. Turns out I’m a pretty terrible violinist. But, I had fun, and I learned a lot that helped me in writing the novel.” Plombo traveled to Venice as well.
“Overall, writing this book has started me on such an incredible journey,” says Plombo, “from the writing of it, in which I learned so much about the craft, and about researching; to going to Venice; to the whole publishing process of finding my agent and selling the book and going through all the steps in getting it ready for publication.”
The Violinist of Venice is Plombo’s first novel. Her short fiction has been published in literary magazines such as Black Lantern and The Great Lakes Review. St. Martin’s made a two-book deal with Plombo, so another book is coming.
Vicki Lame at St. Martin’s is Plombo’s editor. “When I first read this book, I was immediately smitten,” says Lame. “You can’t help but be swept up into the lives of these very complex, very real characters. Plus, I’ve always been a sucker for a good forbidden romance on the page. I first met Alyssa at a lunch with her agent.”
Plombo is currently working on revisions with her editor for my second novel, historical fiction set in Renaissance Florence. “It’s very much about the magnificent artwork of that period,” says Plombo. “I also have started drafting a novel that I hope will be my third, which is again historical fiction and set in post-Revolutionary New York state.”
On January 24th Plombo will be at A Movable Feast, held by Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Plombo lives in her home town of Buffalo, New York.
The Violinist of Venice: A Story of Vivaldi Paperback author Alyssa Palombo. Trade Paperback: 448 pages, Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (December 15, 2015), Language: English, ISBN: 9781250071491 $15.99
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