The Instrumentalist

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Did you know anything about the real Anna Maria before you read this novel, or about early modern female composers in general? How did the novel impact your understanding of women and musical history?

2. Have you read other novels set in the world of the arts, such as The Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier or How to be Both by Ali Smith? How did this novel’s depiction of musicians’ experiences compare to them?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Anna Maria often struggles to balance her ambition with her personal relationships. Have you ever faced problems in balancing your professional and personal lives? How do your experiences compare to Anna Maria’s?

2. Have you ever known someone who was adopted or who gave up a child for adoption? How does this novel speak to their personal stories?

3. Anna Maria has a complicated relationship with Vivaldi. Have you ever had an important mentor in your own life? Were your experiences largely positive, or more complicated like Anna Maria’s?

4. Anna Maria has a deep passion for music. Have you ever had a hobby or extracurricular activity that played a similarly important role in your own life? How has the role of that activity in your life changed or developed over time?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How is this novel in dialogue with contemporary discourse about the erasure of women’s labor in the creative arts? How might this story be part of a broader attempt to reclaim recognition for “lost” female artists?

2. Research Vivaldi. How does this book engage with his history as a musician and composer? In what ways is the novel an accurate or inaccurate portrayal of him?

3. Research the world of Baroque music. Which historical details did the author include, and why? What aspects did the author fictionalize or adapt?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Discuss the novel’s use of foreshadowing. How do its early scenes of Anna Maria and her mother gesture toward the woman Anna Maria will become as she grows up in the Pietà?

2. Discuss Vivaldi’s characterization. How does Anna Maria’s assessment of his character change over time, and what impact does their relationship have on her personal and professional growth?

3. How does the setting impact the novel? How is Venice and the Pietà depicted? 

4. Discuss this novel’s depiction of 18th-century gender politics. How do norms about gender and sexuality shape life for Anna Maria, the other girls in the Pietà, and/or Elizabetta Marcini?

5. Analyze the novel’s narrative style, such as the use of present tense and rather modern, anachronistic language. What effect do these narrative choices have on the text? What are the advantages and limitations of these techniques in a work of historical fiction?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If this book were adapted into a film, who would you cast as Anna Maria, Vivaldi, and the other key musicians in the figlie di coro?

2. Research the music that Anna Maria and the figlie di coro perform in the novel, and make a playlist to reflect key scenes in the narrative. Share your playlists and compare your choices.

3. Imagine a sequel that details the rest of Anna Maria’s life. How does she mature as an instrumentalist, composer, and director? How do her friendships with Elizabetta, Chiara, and the others evolve?