Access Today Playing By Heart Put Together By Carmela A. Martino Made Available In Paperback

this comprehensive and richly detailed look into a historical Milan, The love story was more powerful than most because the characters were held to such strict behavior guidelines for the times, Soo different from our world today!
Well, this was a surprise, I never thought I will be able to love historical romances again, or even think of it as anything remotely touching, But this was the right one for me,

I mean, Emilia wants to be married and not bound to a convent, She wants more than some Tom, Dick or Harry, And she is willing to go ways for it, to ensure that she has a stable place in life and nothing to worry about,

What made me really care about her is her willingness and flaws, she can be envious, She is envious, but when things really comes down to choices she will still place her sisters above all else, And she will still sacrifice herself for her family, and when she does love I really like her, I guess it her was strength and the want to be able to control her life and not just leave it to chance, even if it means a lot of time spent talking to people.
Finding plans. But you know what, this is the kind I really want to read about more, Emilia works for her own future, she may love someone beneath her but she never gives up hope of ever seeing them together,

As for all the women, I really like Adrianna, I mean, she is a great mother even though she is more like their sister instead, Another note is that she isnt what we always see, she is sensitive and does quite a bit to help Emilia and Maria, Especially knowing them well enough, As for Maria, I guess she had fell a little flat apart from her single minded devotion to God but never really doing much to suggest to her father that going to a convent was for her.
But she did do what she did for god when she learned that she could not become a nun, But thats about it.

As for Antonio Bellini, I just really like him, He may be a musician, but he does have some past which becomes relevant, It is rather understandable why he will want to do that, And why he doesnt want the title, it does make me understand him very well, And I just really like a guy who wont compromise himself too much, and is well aware of his own standing, Not to mention, willing to take time to gather a fortune because he loves Emilia and goes through all the ways of the time and respecting her.


As for the ending, it was what I did expect of such a book, And it really made me like them, perhaps it was just the main characters who really clicked with me and the writing which worked so well for me to get into their heads.
And really, I will fall in love with a girl who takes an active part in her life rather than just hoping for her wishes to come true.


I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, Playing By Heart was just an excellent book! Another I didnt want to put down,

Carmela Martino has captured daily life in Italy in the mids, I feel like I learned about life in the aristocracy of Milan during the Hapsburg rule of the Holy Roman Empire,

This story is written in first person by a young girl who has the gift of music in a time when only males were thought of to study music theory.
She has a difficult life, yet is willing to work hard to reach her goals, Tragedy occurs, and ultimately she chooses a huge sacrifice of her heart to help her sister and keep a promise made to her mother,

You will be drawn to Emilia, and honor her virtue, The love, anguish, loss, fear, sorrow, and anger she feels, you will feel as well,

Dont skip this book! Recommended for teen to adult, A tale of two super smart sisters Maria and Emilia born in the wrong time, struggling to please their father while trying to follow their hearts.
Not an easy endeavor for a woman inth Century Milan, especially with an over ambitious father who cares more about gaining a noble title than his daughters' true desires.


Your heart goes out to Emilia as she performs the harpsichord in front of the people her father is trying to please, And, you understand Maria's shyness and nervousness

about being put on display, You will flip through the pages hoping that the sisters' dreams come true,

Carmela Martino wrote this lovely tale after reading about about linguist and mathematician Maria Gaetana and musician and composer Maria Teresa Agnesi two amazing sisters who lived inth Century Milan.
For an extra treat, listen to Maria Teresa Agnesi's music performed by musicians on Youtube to really understand what a muisical genius she was, This is one of my favorites: sitelink youtube. com/watchvnOOn
This beautifully written Young Adult novel centers around the strong faith of two sisters, Emilia and Maria, and their extraordinary talents, The book is set inth Century Milan, Italy and focuses on their relationships with their father and their struggle to follow the paths they believe God wants them to take.
They live in a time when young women were subject to their fathers wishes, Their father hopes to showcase their incredible gifts to advance himself to nobility and is not interested in what they desire,
This is the first book Ive read by this author and loved her writing style, full of beautiful descriptions, The passages describing Emilias music were particularly lovely, The time period makes for a very interesting book, especially for young women, to see the choices and educational opportunities available to girls their age at that time.
The author does a wonderful job of showing society and culture ofth century Italy,
This book highlights something thats near and dear to my heart that we all have gifts from God and we should find a way to use these gifts to help others.
I loved that these young women knew their talents were from God and they longed to use them in a positive way, I also really liked the underlying passages of jealousy, This is something we all can relate to, feeling envious of anothers successes, How Emilia deals with this and works through it is a wonderful example for readers to emulate,
This historic fiction, inspired by two real sisters who lived inth Century Italy, would make a fantastic bookclub or classroom choice, full of many great topics for discussion.

Set inthcentury Milan, Playing by Heart is a symphony of romance and faith with an undercurrent of social commentary, Will Maria and Emilia's father sacrifice their futures on the altar of his own ambitions to join the noble class Carmela Martino's new novel for teen readers explores family ties, vocations, and discernment of the best ways to use Godgiven gifts.
Cue up some Vivaldi or Pachelbel and settle in for an intriguing tale,
based on ARC provided by the author Sweeping historical novel set inth century Milan features bright, spirited girls well ahead of their time.


Carmela Martino completely transported me to the historical landscape of Italy where girls were destined to become 'only' a wife/mother or join the convent.
Oh, but the Salvini sisters, Maria and Emilia, have so much more they want to do with their lives,

Emilia, 'the second sister,' wants nothing more than to marry a man who loves music as much as she does, Her sister, on the other hand, really desires to take the veil, but her father has insisted she become a scholarher brilliant language skills are second to none she has mastered seven! and her math and astronomy studies are fearless.
In fact, he hopes her skills land their large family in noble status,

Every character in PLAYING BY HEART has a strong desire to become something: a mother, a musician, a nun, a nobleman, Their desires are often incongruent with theth century culture of Milan,

I found the writing lucid, the characters well developed, and the story straddling the YA/adult genre, Martino is a gifted storyteller that made the reading of PLAYING BY HEART an absolute joy, In comparisons, I felt this title closely resembled the historic and descriptive detail of THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NEROadult, Margaret George meets THESE SHALLOW GRAVES YA, Jennifer Donnelly.
While it is billed as a romance, I didn't see it as that at all, but more of a determined and bright young girl searching for satisfaction in a life she wants so desperately.


For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see: sitelinkwww, leslielindsay. com
Special thanks to the author and Vinspire Publishing for this review copy, All thoughts are my own, I hate good books for one teeny little reason, They end.

. . this is surely one of them!

'Playing by Heart' is an enthralling and enticing read, not only for its story line and setting, but also for its characters.
The story itself is deeply Catholic, without putting emphasis on it, but rather weaving the Faith into the very life of its characters, which is a literary aspect I greatly admire.
There is also an exquisite use of vivid and colourful imagery, I greatly enjoyed the musical facets in the story, especially from the view of the main protagonist, and also her relateability, despite her noble status, These are but a few aspects of a sensational story, and I highly recommend this book to others, especially to those around my own age,

And I would also like to say grazie for kindly providing me with a copy of your wonderful book, A very engaging story about the lives of girls and women inth century Italy, the dilemmas faced and the way that they livedout their faith.
This story is exciting, but at the same time, relaxing, The setting ofth C, Milan, before Italy became a single unified country, is historically interesting, and the two talented characters who are sisters bring the period to life, I eagerly looked forward to returning to the story each evening for a relaxing visit with all the characters, to find out what beautiful gowns the females would wear, which gentlemen would show them interest, what progress Emilia would make with her music, and if Maria would follow her heart.
Emilia and Maria demonstrate sisterly love, respect for parents, and selflessness in their choices to make a good, wholesome read for teens, This is a beautiful piece of historical fiction, set inth century Milan, The MC is a musician, and it was fascinating to watch her talents and opportunities unfold, especially during a time when the education of young women was considered unnecessary.
Like her lovely compositions, I was moved by the story and the superb writing, The details were so wellresearched, I never once felt anything but totally immersed in the time and place, If you like historical fiction about strong young women, I highly recommend this book! Finishing this book gave me the same satisfied feeling as listening to a brilliant concert!.