A book of such beauty and sweetness could only be written by my lovely friend, Carey Wallace. I don't have a lot of published friends, so I am pretty psyched for her wondrous book and her reading tomorrow.The Blind Contessa's New Machine is the story of a wealthy Italian woman in the 18/19th century as she grows up and becomes blind soon after she marries. I needed the first chapter or so to fall into the rhythm and accept the lushness of the setting and the focus on relationships. Like sci-fi, it worked best when I allowed myself to dwell in the imagined world and know the other dwellers. And though romantic, it reads nothing like fluffy, brainless chick-lit or a retold fairy tale.
The Contessa marries the local rich McDreamy and seems to have the perfect live. She's in love, privileged and has the resources to spoil herself with knowledge. But she loses her vision and it changes her perspective on life, marriage and her husband. Carolina also must depend on her inner life to feed her curiosity. The prose sharing her thoughts is like what I imagine was in Dali's brain or Chagall's dreams.
It's a short book - a charming, thoughtful, anti-fairy tale. Read it and support my friend!
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