The Orphan's Song

Description

Vibrant with the glamour and beauty of Venice at its zenith, The Orphan's Song takes us on a breathtaking journey of passion, heartbreak, and betrayal before it crescendos to an unforgettable ending, a celebration of the enduring nature and transformative power of love. The historical adult debut novel by # 1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Kate, The Orphan's Song is a sweeping love story about family and music-and the secrets each hold-that follows the intertwined fates of two Venetian orphans Venice, 1736. Violetta has a secret- When she climbs out of her window at The Hospital of the Incurables, the revered music school and orphanage that has always been her home, she can look out over the city and dream. But when she stumbles upon Mino, a violinist from the boy's hall who also seeks solace in the skyline, she feels a surprising connection. The two begin a passionate duet that will transform their lives. Yet, as Mino becomes determined to find his lost mother, and Violetta's desire to sing in the ospedale's famous coro make clear she can never leave its walls, they find their love torn in two. Known as the "city of masks," Venice is the perfect place to hide one's heart, but as Violetta becomes a legendary soprano with a secret nighttime life, and Mino seeks the truth among the city's canals, their fates prove inextricably linked. A haunting memory Violetta has kept hidden since childhood soon leads them both to a shocking confrontation.

Lauren Kate is the internationally bestselling author of the Teardrop novels, the Fallen series--Fallen, Torment, Passion, Rapture, and Fallen in Love--and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages and have sold over 10 million copies worldwide. They have been #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestsellers, as well as international bestsellers in many territories. Kate has an MFA from UC Davis and worked as an editor at HarperCollins Childrens for 5 years. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.

"The Orphan's Song plunges the reader into the streets and canals of eighteenth-century Venice, where the world of Carnivale roils with music, love, and intrigue. Lauren Kate is a masterful storyteller, with a stunning command of her rich historical material and the ability to draw forth the beautiful and intimate songs of the human heart." -Allison Pataki, author of Sisi "Lauren Kate mesmerizes in a tale that brilliantly recreates 1700s Venice - a city of high-stakes intrigue and earthly delights - where a pair of abandoned children find solace in music and each other. I was swept along as their lives formed a tangled knot of betrayal and love, lies and redemption. Marvelous." -Fiona Davis, bestselling author of The Masterpiece "In a gorgeous ode to eighteenth-century Venice, Lauren Kate uncovers the intriguing, little-known origin of the era's most famous Baroque musicians in The Orphan's Song, in a tale brimming with love, deception, and ultimately, surprising truth." -Marie Benedict, bestselling author of The Other Einstein, Carnegie's Maid, and The Only Woman in the Room "Delightful . . . Kate's enchanting story brings the canals and backchannels of Venice to vivid life and will appeal to fans of Elizabeth Chadwick." -Publishers Weekly "An operatic and opulently detailed tale of longing, secrets, and high-stakes quests for freedom, love, art, and home...Kate vividly conjures a city of beauty and pain, piety and criminality, helplessness and ruthlessness, while choreographing a suspenseful, soaring love story of anguish, ecstasy, risk, and stunning reversals." -Booklist "Kate brings the romance of 18th-century Venice to life in this light historical...it's an engaging read with likable characters and an emotionally potent plot." -Library Journal