In The Water Girls by Tony Stevens, Lina’s mother had been a bigolante in Venice before moving to Palmanova with her husband. Bigolonte used to draw fresh water from wells and deliver it where needed. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Lina moves to Venice to find herself. In Venice, she is welcomed by her cousin, Maria, who was already living there. Her arrival coincides with the death of Rosa, who had been her cousin’s friend. Rosa's death affects Maria greatly, and Lina later finds out they had been lovers. With Maria's introduction, Lina gets to know other bigolante, and she becomes one herself. As things unfold, Lina finds out Maria is hiding something about Rosa's death. Could Maria have been involved in Rosa's death? How will things go for Lina and other bigolante as technological advancement threatens to wipe out their trade?

With an excellent narrative and a plot that flowed nicely, leaving no room for confusion, there was never a dull moment in The Water Girls by Tony Stevens. I was hooked from the first page to the last, and once I started reading it, there was no putting it down. I loved how Tony painted a picture of Venice and the way inventions like the steam engine and piped water affected trades that had existed in the ancient republic for centuries. The thought-provoking work also piqued my curiosity about the military town of Palmanova, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and I would love to learn more about it. The characters were well-developed, and the reader will also appreciate the writing style, which is crisp and engaging. This was a good story, and I look forward to reading something else by Tony Stevens.

As recently as 1895, who knew that in Venice there were groups of girls who collected fresh water in buckets and delivered it to the residents. Wellheads could be found in piazzas, where water collected from rooftops, drains, and surrounding stones was stored. Lina Gruber arrives from Palmanova to join her cousin Maria to become a water girl. Her mother had been one and met an Austrian soldier, and hoped her daughter would also find a suitor in the city. Delivering water is hard, relentless work. The weather is sweltering in summer and biting cold in winter. Many historical events happened during this time: the assassination of King Umberto, the collapse of the campanile in St. Mark’s Square, and the relentless changes as the new century approached. Potable water is piped in from the mainland, electricity powers the streetlights, and the gondolas are swamped by the power boats that speed along the canals. Venice has entered a more modern age, and the future of the water girls looks grim in The Water Girls by Tony Stevens.

So many stories from history feature kings, queens, and political events, and seldom focus on the ordinary people. That is what makes The Water Girls by Tony Stevens such a special tale. I adore books where I learn new facts, so I particularly enjoyed this one. The main character, Lina, is a gentle girl who is easy to like. She frets about an earlier murder, she is diligent in her work, and you fear for her as the inexorable march of modernization will make her work redundant. The descriptions of Venice, the alleyways, and piazzas are delightful, and the historical events of the time put everything in context. I also liked the illustrations at the end of each chapter. An easy read that flows through the years as the reader wonders if Lina will find her true love in the city on the water. I highly recommend this book even to non-history aficionados as an absorbing tale in a wonderful setting.