The story begins in Venice in 1723 where a young woman named Grazia (“Grace” in English) is doing well at the orphanage she grew up in run by nuns. Yet she yearns for another life, one that will give her a family. Her beauty and her voice captivate all who encounter her and people flock to the convent to hear her sing.
Nobleman Antonio Delatesta, a widower with a young daughter, needs a wife to give him an heir. Antonio’s daughter loves Grazia who tutors her in music. Venetian law forbids marriage between a nobleman and a commoner, but is she really a commoner? And once united, will she be accepted by Venice’s elite? And, will she have Antonio’s love?
I found this story difficult to get into as it’s written from the first person in short phrases and sentences. Sometimes I couldn’t tell who was speaking. But I pressed on and gained a fondness for the story and its rich portrait of Venice’s society at the time. Grazia has a good heart and brings her talents to the Delatesta household at a difficult time for the upper class families—all to the good.
If you are patient, I think you will find much to commend this story.
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