The Blind Contessa's New Machine — Carey Wallace

CAROLINA FANTONI, a young contessa in nineteenth-century Italy, is going blind. Neither her parents nor her fiance, the town's most eligible bachelor, believes her. Only her friend Turri, an eccentric local inventor, understands. As darkness closes in, she discovers one place she can still see -- in her dreams.

Desperate to communicate with Carolina, Turri will create a peculiar contraption for her: the world's first typewriter. His gift ignites a passionate love affair that will mark both their lives forever.

Based on historical fact, The Blind Contessa's New Machine is a jewel of a novel about invention of every kind: lies, dreams, new machines, the triumph of imagination -- and the power of love.