In "A Knot of Tears, " a woman's locked-up life is transformed by a storytelling sailor and his parrot; her story becomes a subtle and surprising meditation on the necessity of being true to oneself and others. In "Rusina, Not Quite in Love, " a strange and lovely retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast, a young woman escapes family and society to find consolation and beauty in nature and its muse. In each case, women of very different backgrounds -- one aristocratic, one impoverished -- find solitary spaces from which they can emerge as artists and shapers of their own destinies. With a sense of character unusual in contemporary fiction (not mere personality, but moral character), and a gentle, lyric touch, Timpanelli blends the seeming simplicity of folktale with a richly textured understanding of human nature. With great integrity and affection for language, her work teaches about love and solitude, honesty and art.