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Set at the famed Venetian orphanage and music conservatory the Ospedale della Pietà, Maddalena and the Dark is obviously a book full of music. Initially inspired by the challenge of writing a novel whose characters traded perspectives like orchestral soloists passing each other melodies, I ultimately found myself influenced not only by Antonio Vivaldi — who wrote many of his famous works for the Pietà’s all-female orchestra — but also a range of contemporary musicians tapping into the ecstasy...