Name: The Blind Contessa's New Machine
ISBN: 9780670021895

Carey Wallace

Unable to convince her family and desirable fiancé that she is going blind, early 19th-century Italian contessa Carolina Fantoni turns to her dreams and an eccentric local inventor when she loses her sight, inspiring the inventor's development of the first typewriter. A first novel.

The Blind Contessa's New Machine

Ciel Zero

[ BOOK IG: @clumsyciel ]

overall rating: 4.5/5⭐️
time taken to read: ~5 days
number of notes: 29

" 'The rest of us can't help seeing where we are. But you can be wherever you want. Where are we now?'
'The lake house,' she answered.
'No,' he said. 'Where do you want to be?' " (page 146)

a contessa in Italy during the nineteenth-century, Carolina Fantoni, is going blind. the blindness creeps in little by little each day. no one believes her; not even her fiancé, the town's most eligible bachelor - except for signor Turri, the eccentric inventor and Carolina's neighbour.

desperate to communicate with Carolina, Turri invents the world's first typewriter. his gift starts their forbidden love affair, which would mark both of their lives together.

i've never had a thing for romance books. some are too bland, sometimes the protagonist is too shallow etc.. but; TBCNM is of the first romance books that i've ever enjoyed! i first picked it up at a @popular_sg sale in 2015/6 and i'm so thankful that i did.
there are books that i love, but this book is part of a special collection that if my home were on fire, this book would be one of my top priorities to save. 

this is probably my sixth? seventh? re-read of this book and the feels hit every time. as much as i loved this book, the last part was really upsetting. it never reveals what Turri had intended to tell Carolina and it was such a bittersweet ending. Carolina and Turri deserve to be happy 😭

fun fact! TBCNM's Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano and Pellegrino Turri are real people!
however, it was not clear if Turri and Carolina were actually lovers. they were indeed good friends, and it is said that Turri had invented the first typewriter for his friend, Carolina after she had gone blind. 

this book still holds a dear place in my heart. definitely one of my comfort books 🤎

The Blind Contessa's New Machine

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