I really enjoyed this book, although as a general rule, I never read books about real people or events that are made into novels. When I chose this book it was solely based on the fact that in the last month I have read two other novels by her and enjoyed them both. It was only when I started this third book of hers, that I discovered it was based on the blindness and attempted cures of Maria Theresia from Vienna.

It was so good I kept going, and I am glad I did, as it ranks highly with her other two novels. I do not think there are anymore that I can get that have been translated. My French is not good enough to read an entire book in it and that is her native language and any books found here have been professionally translated.

She is excellent ! ( )

Over the years, I have become more and more frustrated by the apparent death of the editor. Whether it's typos or bad grammar or the use of ten pages to tell the reader what can be told in one (I won't name any names, but surely we all know plenty of examples), it all speaks to the fact that editing seems to have become a victim of profit margins even as successful writers have begun to flex their muscles with their publishing houses. So for that reason alone, this was a wonderful, wonderful book. Not a wasted paragraph. Not a wasted word. Instead, a complete story is told in what is essentially a novelette. And the story is interesting enough: a girl born into privileged circumstances in 18th century Vienna loses her sight at age three, but it doesn't stop her from becoming a musical virtuoso and friend of a guy named Mozart. In fact, the only threat to her skills at the keyboard comes in her seventeenth year, when a certain doctor (viewed by many as a charlatan) treats her condition, which is apparently more psychological than physical in nature. I won't spoil things by saying whether the treatment is successful or by describing what happens afterwards, but it all adds up to the story going in a direction that I didn't anticipate. In terms of content, it is much more about the characters and their thoughts and motivations than it is about plot advancement. Or to put it another way, you won't mistake this one for an action thriller. And while translated stories often suffer when the translator's shortcomings are exposed, that is not a problem here. All in all, a good read, even if the apparent mindset of the author once again reminds me that there really *are* some general differences between a typical European author and my American self. ( )

A novella? I enjoyed this as a quick read about a significant period of time in a young woman's life as she's coming of age. Whilst it's set in the 18th century, and has foundations in the Viennese Court and built around her prodigious talent - it's a fundamentally timeless story. ( )

I found it short and very sweet. I needn't sum it up more than that. It was nice to read before bed and it made me feel for Maria Theresia. What an inspirational woman and brave. Giving up on sight to dedicate herself to the music she so passionately loved. ( )

I found it short and very sweet. I needn't sum it up more than that. It was nice to read before bed and it made me feel for Maria Theresia. What an inspirational woman and brave. Giving up on sight to dedicate herself to the music she so passionately loved. ( )