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I hadn’t planned to write a novel, but working on my Venice walking guides, I kept running into the so-called ‘bigolante’. These were the women who once carried water by the bucket through the city, which did not have access to running water until the late 1800s. There were old postcards and paintings, some notes from travel writers, and mentions in books published in the mid- to late 1800s. It seemed to me that the bigolante were mentioned as a footnote, but they didn’t have a story of their own. So I created one.
It’s an age-old problem – how do you keep going when the world changes around you?
The Water Girls is my attempt to give them voices and follow their lives through the narrow calli they once walked.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
The Water Girls by Tony Stevens is a historical novel that begins when Lina arrives in Venice from Friuli. Following her mother’s instructions, Lina finds Maria, who later introduces her to the recently deceased Rosa’s network of bigolanti and guides her through Venice’s canals, sotoporteghi, and neighborhoods. Under Maria’s direction, Lina gradually assumes Rosa’s water deliveries, managing debts, routes, and customer relationships while adjusting to the physical and logistical demands of the job. Nineteenth-century Venice is a mixed bag of highs and lows, and Lina contends with theft, local residents, and competition. Lina integrates into her network, but also starts to slowly piece together inconsistencies surrounding Rosa’s death, growing increasingly suspicious of who might be involved, leaving her to balance practical survival on more than just her shoulders.
Tony Stevens’ The Water Girls breathes life into Venice through a unique perspective and job that I had no clue beforehand even existed: women carrying and delivering fresh water to the people of the city. I love how Stevens details the daily routines of Lina and her fellow bigolanti. The way Venice itself is described is so textured that its markets, canals, and churches are darn near cinematic. Readers are drawn into the bustle of Carnevale, the Biennale, and ordinary workdays, which never actually feel ordinary. There is a nod to LGBT+ as part of the storyline, an aspect that was unexpected and adds another uncommon layer to the era. Between negotiating water, visiting photography studios, or learning local customs, Stevens builds a world that is itself a character in Lina's search for answers about Rosa's suspicious death. Overall, this is a wonderful book full of colorful corners and surprises.
