“Maddalena and the Dark” by Julia Fine is a luscious tale set in 18th-century Venice, where music, magic, and secrets intertwine. Two girls—Luisa, a violinist with dreams of greatness, and Maddalena, harboring a dangerous plot—forge an unlikely friendship. As they navigate desire, jealousy, and the boundless yearning that may consume them, the novel weaves an enchanting Venetian fairytale.

Flowery, flowery, flowery! Worked so hard on language and getting the setting right that the story suffered a little.

This beautiful story has mystery, music, magic, and gothic elements. Fifteen-year-old Maddalena lives in Venice in the 1700s and will do anything to preserve her future, while Luisa wants to be the best at playing the violin. They have two different upbringings, passions, and dreams. Yet, they become friends.

This is a dark story about obsession and friendship, greed and desire, and the lengths we go to to get what we want. I enjoyed the story, but it was a bit overwritten for me.

This book sounded great and was beautifully written but dragged a bit too much for me and I had a hard time staying interested. Recommended for historical fiction lovers that want to learn more about the competitive world early 18th century classical music. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

A novel set in 18th-century Venice at a prestigious music school, about two girls drawn together by a dangerous wager

Every once in awhile, you come across a book that is exceptional, but just not for you.

The lyrical writing, the character development, the Venetian setting, and all the music talk were so well done.

My issue was that the characters were just so unlikeable.

Maddalena was manipulative bordering on sociopathic, and Luisa was so naive, I just wanted to shake her.

It's a weird thing to be able to whole-heartedly recommend a book you didn't really like, yet here we are.

7/10

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this atmospheric ARC

This wasn't exactly what I expected upon going into it - the prose was overwrought, and the "forbidden sapphic romance" was mostly just distant pining. While I was drawn in by the setting and lushness of the story, I found that its core elements just didn't work well for me.

This book was gothic, weird, and just what I like in my historical fiction. I would certainly recommend it for spooky reading.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I liked this audiobook. I thought the narration was well done and I enjoyed the writing style. It was flowery and over the top, but to me, it fit the theme. I really was hoping for more out of the storyline, however. The story had mystery, tension, and angst, but lacked depth. It did feel like I was listening to a poem, which I really enjoyed.

Spoilers Ahead: The relationship between the two main girls was the crux of the storyline. The author skillfully crafted a storyline filled with tension and a destructive co-dependency that kept the narrative moving. However, they also hinted at a forbidden sapphic romance that I believe could have been developed in a more satisfying way.

The premise of two girls undergoing training under the legendary musician, Vivaldi, was incredibly intriguing, but I don't feel like it delivered. Additionally, the setting and magical elements are in need of further development in order to fully captivate the reader's imagination. Overall, there is room for improvement in the quality of the story, and there was an overabundance of angst and romance which detracted from the elements that drew me to MADDALENA AND THE DARK in the first place.

Maddalena and the Dark is a dark fantasy or a dark academia-type story set in eighteen-century Venice, mostly at the Ospedale della Pietà, a cloistered school for foundling girls. Most are abandoned at the doorstep and have no known family. As they are raised, if they have talent, they are taught music. The others become the cooks, housecleaners, etc. that support this prestigious music school. The musicians perform at masses and are occasionally hired out to perform privately in the fancy palazzi and villas of Venice. The two protagonists are fifteen-year-old Luisa who only wants to be the best at violin and Maddalena, who is sent to the Pietà by her wealthy family in hopes of salvaging their honor. Her mother ran off with a lover, so the legitimacy of Maddalena and her brother Beneto comes under the microscope of the Venetian aristocracy. When the two girls meet, Maddalena immediately feels the stirrings for a sapphic relationship with Luisa.

The novel is essentially is the tale of these two girls and the lengths to which they will go to achieve their desires. Maddalena is the dominant one in the relationship and leads them both into situations beyond their control with "the dark," a supernatural force that is quite poorly defined.

The story is told in alternating points of view, but there is often a bit of overlap with the same scene being viewed from both girls’ points of view—which tends to become repetitious. The plot is rather loose. The novel itself character-driven by these teenage girls. The sapphic aspect is so oblique as to be nearly indecipherable, described in prose that is often over-written and descending into the purple. As a frequent visitor to Venice for extended periods of time, I didn’t find myself believing I was in that eighteen-century city.

Maddalena and the Dark is one of those stories that truly contains multitudes, at least when it comes to genre. First and foremost, it’s historical fiction, set in 1717 Venice. The lush, clever writing invites readers to place it in the literary fiction camp, while the darkly romantic tone and tension house it firmly in gothic fiction, which blends with the more fantastical elements to tip it into magical realism or even fantasy territory and, since much of this dark story takes place in a school setting, dark academia could be included for good measure. All of this could have made for a muddled story, and it did in a few instances. But overall, this is a story unlike anything else I’ve ever read.

There’s an elegance to this story because of the beautiful, unusual setting. However, one of my favorite elements of the book was that Venice was not simply the setting, but an actual character in her own right. And a deeply disturbing one, at that. All of the fantastical elements of the story were based around this idea of Venice having a life and mind of her own, and I found that aspect of the story absolutely fascinating.

This is, at its core, a story of obsession. Luisa is obsessed with music, and wants nothing more than to be the best violinist in Venice, but her nerves get in the way. She’s an orphan, valued only for her musical talent at the Pieta she calls home. She has never quite fit in, and longs to belong to someone. Then she meets Maddalena, the daughter of a noble family sent to the Pieta to study music and improve her marriage prospects after scandal strikes. Maddalena is obsessed as well, but not with music; it’s Luisa who consumes her heart and mind. The friendship between the two borders on the romantic, which is completely impermissible at the Pieta.

We see obsession close in on madness. We see deals struck for selfish gain. We see romance blossom and backs stabbed. It’s a fascinating, if dark, look into a society and time I know little about. I felt that the narrative unraveled a bit toward the end, and lost itself a couple of times earlier in the story, but I was always interested enough to continue reading. I can’t say I liked any of the characters much, but they were at least compelling. I would definitely recommend this book for those who like gothic or historical fiction and would like to try something more unique to both genres.

I've never read anything like this, and it's still haunting me weeks later. Julia Fine has weaved a masterful tale of longing and desire - and the obsessive lengths one will go to achieve it. I never knew I how much I needed a story about love and destitute musical prodigies in early 18th century Venice in my life. The main characters and their fates will stick with you. The audio narration by Sophie Roberts is divine. Please note I was gifted an advance audio copy via NetGalley.

Venice is a captivating setting for historical fiction infused with fantasy, and I was excited to dive into this book. However, my enthusiasm quickly waned as I struggled to connect with the story. The prose was excessively flowery, overshadowing any meaningful plot development. While I was excited about the premise, the pacing issues and confusing shifts in perspective made it hard to follow the narrative.

The protagonist, Maddalena, is meant to be the center of the story, but her character lacked depth and consistency. The relationship between Maddalena and her friend Luisa felt forced and unclear, while the exploration of "the dark" element left me puzzled.

Despite the lush setting of Venice, it failed to come alive due to the poor descriptions.The narrative's overindulgence in pretty words hindered the development of a compelling plot and believable characters. The shifts in time and place within chapters and the constant translation of Italian dialogue for the reader were distracting. The attempt at historical authenticity was overshadowed by the touristy view of Venice, name-dropping famous places without truly providing the reader with the essence of the city. And yes, I have been there.

Luisa’s training with Vivaldi had the potential for an engaging storyline, but it got lost amidst the convoluted prose. Also, I don’t think that we can overlook that Vivaldi was no longer working at the Ospedale della Pietà in 1717. By then he was Maestro di Cappella of the court of prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt, governor of Mantua, in the northwest of Italy. So yeah, that’s just a historical inaccuracy. Moving the timeline up by two years would have fixed that issue.

The ending, though probably meant to be poignant, ended up feeling unintentionally comical. Overall, I found this story to be an overwritten and meandering read, leaving me feeling detached from the characters and storyline. While the premise held promise, the execution left much to be desired, and I struggled to immerse myself in this tale.

I ended up having to DNF this one. On the surface, this was 100% perfect for me. I'm not sure if it was the narration, or the work itself, but it didn't hit the right chords (no pun intended I swear) with me to keep me engaged. I tried, I really did. It was beautifully written and descriptive, but it just couldn't hold me. I will rant and rave about an audiobook until I'm blue in the face, but unfortunately, not this one. I will however keep the print edition in mind as a hand sell recommendation for Hilary Mantel fans.

An intriguing premise for a story, but ultimately one that fails in execution.

I love the potential that this setting gave for a good story, as well as the idea of two young girls training with Vivaldi. Sadly that part of the story takes a backseat to what is largely an angsty and overwritten romance, which is far more boring than what the former plot point likely would have produced had it been allowed to be the central focus of the story.

I was also disappointed with the setting and atmosphere here, as it feels mostly like a drive by peek at Venice in this era, something akin to what a tour group in town for two days might focus on. The magical components are minimal and also fine for the most part, though they lack the eerie sparkle that would have made this story more immersive.

I’ve liked some of Fine’s other novels and I didn’t mind the flowery writing as much as some might, but the story itself is a shell of what it could have been.

I liked the narrator and the book works fine in audio format, though it doesn’t rescue a plot that can’t get out of its own way.

A look at young girls in Venice during Vivaldi’s tenure. As adolescents, the girls experienced confusion and uncertainty about their futures in a world without parents or guidance, and in a setting that required that young girls enter a marriage in order to have any future. The world of Venice with its unique setting, music, and drama was engaging.

Thank you to the publisher for the ALC. Since I sawn the cover I knew this one would be for me and it did not disappoint.

I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrators were perfect. While reading this book I had so many questions and at one point I even wanted to stop reading because of them, but those questions kept me going. I needed answers. I needed to know. The relationship between the two main characters is so beautifully complex and told so painfully slow that you yearn for them to even exist in the same space. The idea of romance that the author portrays in this book, along with friendship and ambition, is so carefully crafted as if made of porcelain. Even while reading you get the feeling that everything could break within a few seconds or words.

This book gave me anxiety and made me stay up late to finally conclude the story and I would do it again if I could.

I wanted to like the darkness and tension manifesting in this story from way back. I wanted canals of Venice to take me different doors as it was hiding the gondolier and the girls running away the Pieta. However, it felt more like a tiring hide and seek of two jealous girls.

What else you could want when you were trained by Vivaldi? When women were considered commodity to trade between families to secure their places in society, Vivaldi was teaching them music. But no, even music was a tool to secure a marriage. You could be a musical genius, but you can only use it to lure men. I understand it is 1700s but I have so many thoughts.

If you want to read, 1700s cat fight, go for it. While I liked the language, I don't think characters or storyline were for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen rage and review this audiobook arc which is available Jun 13,2023

This is being billed for fans of The invisible life of Addie La Rue and Mexican Gothic but it’s is nowhere near either books. The narrator was okay but very breathy which I can’t stand. The story fell flat. I listened to it. I didn’t enjoy myself but I pushed through.