Welcome to Litsy!

I admit that I'm probably the ideal reader for this book; I was absolutely willing to fall under its spell. It's the time of excess, moral lassitude, lasciviousness, masks, & debauchery in 18th-century Venice, & also the time of art, beauty, music, & Vivaldi. Set at the Ospedale della Pietà, it has queer undertones, & sets the friendship of two young girls against the patriarchal norms of Venetian society as well as the deep & dark mysteries

Venice was, by far, the best character in this book. I was expecting more around Vivaldi & the music but that wasn‘t really the book Fine was writing. I was definitely most drawn in by the setting, some of the plot aspects just didn‘t click for me.

I got a rescue dog! Her name is Luna and she‘s lovely (but she‘s confused about what I‘m asking her to do). So might take a while to settle into modeling for book reviews 😂
Loved this book about 1700s Venice, dark ambition, and two girls and their passion for music and more

This one I'm starting today! 💕📚 It's not rated very high on Goodreads, but I think it looks super intriguing!

Went to the full house book launch for Julia Fine‘s new book tonight and so excited for this one. If you have a chance to see her on her book tour (including the Chicago encore)—grab it!

Fine‘s third novel, set in 18th century Venice, features beautiful imagery capturing the magic and murk of the city. Faustian bargains, complicated relationships and passion for music should all make this more of a compelling read than it is. The audio is well-performed but the inevitable ending fails to satisfy. The characters aren‘t compelling enough to carry the story— though the city really does shine. It makes me want to go back to Venice!

Atmospheric, moody, and richly detailed, Fine does a great job of pulling you into the world of an all girls music school in early 18th century Venice. There‘s a bargain, obsession, jealousy, romance—all the necessary ingredients for a compelling story and yet, I found myself mostly unmoved by it. Probably because there‘s little doubt about where it‘s going to go. People seem to love it or hate it. I thought it was just okay. On sale 6/13/23.

Going to start this one today.

Received this ARC in a Goodreads giveaway. It‘s about two girls at a prestigious Venetian music school in 1717 and a wafer one of them made with “something deep in the waters of Venice.” Certainly sounds interesting. It‘s on sale next month.