Maddalena and the Dark

A new book I was greatly looking forward to this month was Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine. Set in Venice in 1717, it follows two teenage girls attending the Ospedale della Pietà, learning to play their instruments and even get training from Antonio Vivaldi. But there’s also a dark magic lurking in the waters, and it could change the course of their lives.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Summary

Luisa is an orphan, but she’s also a wonderfully skilled violin student at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice. When a new girl, Maddalena, is accepted to the Pietà, Luisa finally has a friend to connect with. But Maddalena was born into wealth, and she has no intention of staying at the Pietà long. When she finds magic in the form of a mysterious gondolier, Maddalena starts developing a plan that could impact her life and Luisa’s alike.

Review

What drew me to Maddalena and the Dark is the beautiful setting of 1717 Venice and the theme of playing violin. I was fortunate to visit Venice several years ago, and that magical setting—with winding canals and small bridges and a centuries-old atmosphere—is vividly brought to life here. Though much of the story is confined to the Ospedale della Pietà where the girls are students, the city and canals play a central role to the novel.

I also love music, including classical music, and appreciated how violin was integral to Luisa’s character and the overall plot. The way Luisa plays and feels the music, and the excitement she feels to work with Antonio Vivaldi, is alight here, especially in the first half.

Perhaps most stunning in Maddalena and the Dark is the dreamy writing. The whole novel unfolds the way a strange dream does, never quite feeling real or tethered to anything on Earth. It’s like a watercolor painting that never fully comes into focus. While this can be seen as rather literary or “purple” (writing styles I don’t generally like), it somehow works perfectly for this novel. The hazy writing only adds to the story, enhancing its atmosphere.

As much as I enjoyed the first half of the book, the second half shifts focus to a love triangle (or love quadrangle?), leaving the music and magic in the shadows. I liked the connection between Maddalena and Luisa, and sensed a somewhat sapphic vibe between them, though it doesn’t play out how I’d expected.

If Maddalena and the Dark had stayed more focused on the music and the gondolier’s magic, I would have enjoyed it more through the end.

Audiobook Narration

Sophie Roberts narrates the audiobook version of Maddalena and the Dark. Her voice perfectly captures the youth and innocence of our fifteen-year-old protagonists, as well as the dreamy atmosphere that runs throughout the novel. She speaks in an English accent, and although I don’t speak Italian, her pronunciation of Italian words does sound accurate. This helps it feel more immersive in the setting. Her narration elevated the story and experience for me, and I believe I enjoyed the audiobook even more than I would have the physical version.

Final Thoughts

Maddalena and the Dark is a beautifully written and dreamy book, and while the style may not be for everyone, I found it to be immersive. If you enjoy stories about music, set in Italy, or written with a lyrical voice, this is one not to be missed.

Get the Book

You can buy Maddalena and the Dark here – it’s available as a hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine
Audiobook Narrator	Sophie Roberts
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Fiction; Gothic; Fantasy
Setting	Venice, Italy
Number of Pages	304
Format I Read	Audiobook (NetGalley)
Original Publication Date	June 13, 2023

Official Summary

For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Mexican Gothic, a novel set in 18th-century Venice at a prestigious music school, about two girls drawn together by a dangerous wager

“A sumptuous feast of a novel, rich and strange and heady. Julia Fine is an extraordinary writer.” —Kelly Link, bestselling author of Get In Trouble

Venice, 1717. Fifteen-year-old Luisa has only wanted one thing: to be the best at violin. As a student at the Ospedale della Pietà, she hopes to join the highest ranks of its illustrious girls’ orchestra and become a protégé of the great Antonio Vivaldi. Luisa is good at violin, but she is not the best. She has peers, but she does not have friends. Until Maddalena.

After a scandal threatens her noble family’s reputation, Maddalena is sent to the Pietà to preserve her marriage prospects. When she meets Luisa, Maddalena feels the stirrings of a friendship unlike anything she has known. But Maddalena has a secret: she has hatched a dangerous plot to rescue her future her own way. When she invites Luisa into her plans, promising to make her dreams come true, Luisa doesn’t hesitate. But every wager has its price, and as the girls are drawn into the decadent world outside the Pietà’s walls, they must decide what it is they truly want—and what they will do to pay for it.

Lush and heady, swirling with music and magic, Maddalena and the Dark is a Venetian fairytale about the friendship between two girls and the boundless desire that will set them free, if it doesn’t consume them first.