Holly W. reviewed on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Quintessential Prose Floats Over the World of the Sightless
Carolina, a newly engaged woman surrounded by the beauty of a 19th century Italian villa, revels in her daydreams until she realizes she is going blind. Her family worries if their villas shady garden can sustain a grove of lemon trees while Carolina observes rather than fears her encroaching blindness.
Ironically, Carey Wallaces evocative prose is awash with images that invite the eye to retrace many a sentence. The author then masterfully invites us into the world of the sightless with descriptions of the other senses spilling over each page. The woods chatter. The insects strong body beat against her eyelids. Sugar. She lifted her finger from her tongue. Under Wallaces pen, Carolina experiences the world so clearly, we are stunned to discover that she needs a writing machine. I need not comment about the love story in the plot as other reviewers have. Frankly, plot was quite secondary in this readers mind to the perception of how well Carolina lived in her dark world. When her other senses do not give her enough, she wills her dreams to take her to places where she can envision what she loves.
This extraordinary debut novel moved me with its insight and eloquence. I disagree with the review that cited blindness as being the central idea in the book. I found the novel remarkably illuminating and an absolute delight to read.
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
http://www.hollyweiss.com
Carolina, a newly engaged woman surrounded by the beauty of a 19th century Italian villa, revels in her daydreams until she realizes she is going blind. Her family worries if their villas shady garden can sustain a grove of lemon trees while Carolina observes rather than fears her encroaching blindness.
Ironically, Carey Wallaces evocative prose is awash with images that invite the eye to retrace many a sentence. The author then masterfully invites us into the world of the sightless with descriptions of the other senses spilling over each page. The woods chatter. The insects strong body beat against her eyelids. Sugar. She lifted her finger from her tongue. Under Wallaces pen, Carolina experiences the world so clearly, we are stunned to discover that she needs a writing machine. I need not comment about the love story in the plot as other reviewers have. Frankly, plot was quite secondary in this readers mind to the perception of how well Carolina lived in her dark world. When her other senses do not give her enough, she wills her dreams to take her to places where she can envision what she loves.
This extraordinary debut novel moved me with its insight and eloquence. I disagree with the review that cited blindness as being the central idea in the book. I found the novel remarkably illuminating and an absolute delight to read.
Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
http://www.hollyweiss.com
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