Historium Press has announced the release of 'Venice, 1710 Poinsettia Girl,' a coming-of-age historical novel by Jennifer Wizbowski that follows the life of a young orphan rising to fame in Renaissance Venice. The book is based on the real story of Agata de la Pieta, an orphan musician of the Ospedale de la Pieta, a renowned conservatory-style music school.
The novel opens with ten-year-old Agata's world shaken by the sudden death of her mother. Left with her egregious father, a working musician in Venice, her ailing grandmother sends her to the well-known orphanage, hidden from everything she has ever known. At the Ospedale, Agata auditions for the music school where music is both salvation and spectacle. The singers, hidden behind ornate metal grates and adorned with poinsettias in their hair, are veiled in mystery. Their ethereal music draws noble audiences, including gilded young men who see them as treasures—not only for their sound but as coveted marriage prizes.
Just as Agata reaches the height of her musical journey, a marriage proposal from someone outside the audience tempts her with the promise of a new life—a return to the old neighborhood she has longed for and a home she barely remembers. Torn between the music that has defined her and the hope of belonging to a family, Agata must confront the most profound question of her life: is her purpose rooted in the music that shaped her, or in the love that might free her?
The importance of this novel lies in its illumination of the often untold stories of women in history, particularly those of orphaned musicians in Venice. The Ospedale de la Pieta was a real institution where orphaned girls received musical training and performed for aristocratic audiences, and their stories have largely been lost to time. By focusing on Agata's journey, Wizbowski brings to light the challenges and choices faced by these young women, balancing artistic expression with societal expectations and personal desires.
Jennifer Wizbowski, author of the novel, earned her bachelor's in English literature with a minor in music and a secondary teaching credential. She has written freelance for local business journals, taught in classrooms, and authored a Teen and Tween column for a parent magazine. She now devotes herself to illuminating everyday women's stories often lost in the shadows of history, revealing how they became heroines of their own time and place. More information about the author can be found on her website at https://www.gossamermedia.com.
Published by Historium Press, the book is available in hardcover (ISBN: 978-1964700441) and paperback (ISBN: 978-1964700434). Historium Press is a hybrid book publisher specializing in historical fiction, with a focus on subgenres such as literary, romance, time travel, mystery, fantasy, biography, adventure, young adult, thriller, and nonfiction. Their goal is to help authors develop their brand and reach a wider audience. For more information about Historium Press, visit https://www.historiumpress.com.
