The Blind Contessa's New Machine - Carey Wallace

     The Blind Contessa's New Machine is a lyrical little slip of a book (I read it in one day) based on the true story of the invention of the typewriter.  Who would think that subject could inspire such a magical book?
     Set in 19th Century Italy, it is the story of Carolina, a young contessa, who discovers that she is going blind.  Adventurous and independent, she is indulged by her father and most often ignored by her mother.  She spends her time by the lake on her father's land where he has built a little house for her.
     When she becomes engaged to the town's most eligible bachelor, Pietro, and the wedding approaches, she discovers that she is going blind.  When she tells her parents and Pietro they don't believe it is true.  Pietro laughs it off.  "On the day Contess Carolina Fantoni was married, only one other living person knew that she was going blind, and he was not her groom.  This was not because she had failed to warn them."  The only one who believes her is Turri, her childhood friend who is an eccentric inventor and amateur scientist and now married.
     After her marriage, her vision narrows and slowly vanishes.  She begins to live in her dreams where she can see and even fly.  Turri creates a new machine to help her reconnect with the world and communicate with him.  His support is a solace to Carolina.  Perhaps out of concern for her safety or an attempt to control her, Pietro locks her into the house.  With the help of the machine that enables her to communicate with Turri, she breaks out and begins to spend her nights with him and they become lovers.
     When she learns that Pietro is having an affair with her maid, Carolina attempts a final escape with Turri.  In the end, because of her dependance on sighted people to navigate the world, she is forced into a life that compromises her happiness.
      But a summary of the plot doesn't do the novel justice.  The author spins this story like a fairytale.  The poetic language alone is enough reason to read this novel.  It is a refreshing find.  It is also surprising that a novel about blindness can be such a visual delight.  Carolina's world is painted in rich, vibrant detail.  The words evoke a sensual world:  the pungent smell of Carolina's father's lemon trees, the taste of tiny, sugary marzapan fruits, the sound of mysterious footsteps in the night, and Carolina's little cottage adorned with luxurious velvet blankets and vibrant scarves to cover the windows.
     All in all, a lovely read!   

~ Frances