Poinsettia Girl
The Story of Agata della Pieta

It is 1710 Venice and we meet Agata Farusi who is ten years old and her mother has just died. She now has to live with her father and her beloved Nonna. Nonna sees that it isn't safe for Agata to live with her father, and she is getting old and frail so she places Agata in Ospedale de la Pieta. Ospedal......more

Poinsettia Girl tells the enchanting story of the women at the Ospedale de la Pieta - an all-girls’ orphanage that provides opportunity and advancement for its “foundlings” through rigorous training in music. I absolutely loved this book. The setting in 1700s Venice was magical, and it’s hard to bel......more

The novel is interesting! However I find it a bit too light. Agata's character could have been developed in more depth. We only have a short insight about her psychology whereas her life must have been much more filled with conflicts than it appears here. I was a bit surprised to find words, such as......more

This book did not meet my expectations. I think I thought I would like it because it was about a girl who went from being an orphan to a talented person, set in Venice. I really didn't enjoy this book very much. I found it to be too long and a bit boring, especially the middle third about her earlie......more

Poinsettia Girl: The Story of Agata della Pietà is the kind of historical novel that doesn’t just tell you about a time and place — it makes you feel it. Venice in 1710 comes alive in soft, aching detail: canals that carry secrets, music that becomes both refuge and fate, and a world where beauty is......more