The Blind Contessa's New Machine
A Novel
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3.1 • 27 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
An iridescent jewel of a novel that proves love is the mother of invention
In the early 1800s, a young Italian contessa, Carolina Fantoni, realizes she is going blind shortly before she marries the town's most sought-after bachelor. Her parents don't believe her, nor does her fiancé. The only one who understands is the eccentric local inventor and her longtime companion, Turri. When her eyesight dims forever, Carolina can no longer see her beloved lake or the rich hues of her own dresses. But as darkness erases her world, she discovers one place she can still see-in her dreams. Carolina creates a vivid dreaming life, in which she can not only see, but also fly, exploring lands she had never known.
Desperate to communicate with Carolina, Turri invents a peculiar machine for her: the world's first typewriter. His gift ignites a passionate love affair that will change both of their lives forever.
Based on the true story of a nineteenth-century inventor and his innovative contraption, The Blind Contessa's New Machine is an enchanting confection of love and the triumph of the imagination.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This charming and refreshingly modest debut hinges on a romantic triangle consisting of a blind contessa, her aristocratic husband, and an eccentric inventor. As Carolina Fantoni and Pietro prepare for their wedding in early 19th-century Italy, she tells her handsome, well-born fianc that she is going blind. Like her family, he doesn't take her seriously, and only Turri, Carolina's friend and married neighbor, believes her. While Pietro engages in less than lofty pursuits, Turri and Carolina continue to meet on Carolina's father's property, and Carolina's creeping blindness inspires Turri to invent a machine she can use to write messages. His invention a typewriter sparks an affair that could have far-reaching consequences for them both. Wallace has a smooth style and a sure hand in combining near tragedy with whimsy, whether she's detailing Carolina and Pietro's social circle, the state of scientific knowledge, or the progression of Carolina's blindness. Secondary characters, including Carolina's not-so loyal servant girl, Liza, are sketched with hints of a darker, deeper psychology. Despite its relative brevity, this is a work of surprising insight, humor, and heart.
Customer Reviews
Very special magical realism
that glows, fades, glows... Could be illustrated or animated. If you like Calvino, you'll come back fondly to parts of this take on Sleeping Beauty, which in my Italian anthology is called The Apple Girl.
Intoxicatingly beautiful
I’m not sure which is more lovely...the Contessa or the writing. Carey writes with such imaginative poetry and carries you along in her dreamy tale. I absolutely loved it. Despite only taking a few hours to read, the spell lingers for days and you find yourself creating your own wishful endings, filling in the dark spaces with your own inferior imagination. My book club has the honor of the author joining us for our discussion, and I can’t wait to hear from the author. I have so many questions for her. Highly recommended. Bring lemons, perfume and flowers into the room when you read it, and if you’re adventurous, read it at a lake house somewhere in Italy.