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The Siren and the Star

by Colby Cedar Smith

Two singers, centuries apart

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Two singers, centuries apart

Set between a modern music conservatory and 17th-century Venice, the novel in verse links Lula Gabroni’s effort to reclaim her voice after a traumatic experience with the life and music of composer Barbara Strozzi. Their connection brings questions of artistic ambition, gender, and social constraint into the story, as both singers confront limits placed on their futures. Music is the bridge between the two timelines, while Venice provides a shared setting across eras. The book’s focus on a young performer’s recovery and a historical woman’s drive for independence gives its verse form a clear frame: two lives shaped by the struggle to make a voice heard.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in novels in verse.
  • Readers drawn to stories about music, artistic ambition, and recovery.
  • Those interested in historical women composers and stories of gender constraints.

Themes

Music and voiceRecovery after traumaWomen’s artistic ambitionGender and social constraintsConnection across generations

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
An ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Selection

"Soaring and searing." --Elizabeth Acevedo, former Young People's Poet Laureate and New York Times bestselling author of Poet X

A promising young singer recovers from a traumatic experience by traveling to Venice and connecting with the work of a 17th-century female composer in this gorgeous and sensual novel in verse from the acclaimed author of Call Me Athena.

Introverted and homeschooled, vocal prodigy Luciana "Lula" Gabroni is ready to become the star she's trained all her life to be. After entering the New England Conservatory of Music, she is immediately chosen to join an elite ensemble of peers who will compete in a prestigious music festival in modern-day Venice, Italy.

Barbara Strozzi is a poor young woman living in 17th-century Venice who dreams of making her mark on the world through her gift of song. She is determined to fight against the prescribed path of an illegitimate servant girl, daring to envision a life filled with intellect, pleasure, and independence--even as the restrictions of her gender and status threaten to silence her forever.

When Lula comes across Barbara's bold and seductive music in the Conservatory library, she immediately feels a striking kinship with the mysterious female composer. After an incident at school sends Lula searching to reclaim her voice, she soon realizes she must connect with the ghosts of the past to find her heart's true song once again.
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