Vienna Nocturne

With her debut novel, classically trained singer Shotwell channels real life English-born soprano Anna Storace, a prodigy whose family eventually moves to the continent to further her career. Shotwell takes exuberant liberties with her teenage superstar, from Anna’s voice training, beginning at age 11, by castrato Venanzio Rauzzini, to her early career in Milan and Venice—where the bold teenager embarks on a secret affair with randy “primo buffo” star Francesco Benucci—and her sponsorship by the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II in Vienna. It’s 1783, Wolfgang Mozart is the toast of the town, and when the married composer meets Anna, the attraction is instant and undeniable. Theirs is a lush, passionate love story and, in Shotwell’s capable hands, an astutely contemporary reflection on ambition, theater, and the politics of celebrity. Along the way, Anna will endure an abusive marriage to violinist John Fisher, who’s been banned from Vienna for his brutality. She will also suffer the loss of her infant daughter (conceived with Benucci), and a near-career ending problem with her voice. Shotwell delivers a lyrical, youthful tale of love and loss set in the 18th century, but keeps it crisply modern with a blend of happy and tragic endings. The effort hits all the right notes, even for readers lacking any knowledge of opera. (Feb.)