Love Is Blind

A Novel

By: William Boyd

Narrated by: Roy McMillan

When he is hired as the personal piano tuner for a brilliant pianist, Brodie Moncur suddenly finds himself swept up into a life of luxury that he could never have imagined. But while accompanying his new employer on tours from Paris to St. Petersburg, Brodie falls madly in love with the Russian soprano, Lika Blum: beautiful, worldly, seductive - and forbidden. Though seemingly doomed from the start, Brodie’s passion for Lika only grows as their lives become increasingly more intertwined, more secretive, and, finally, more dangerous.

A tale of dizzying passion and brutal revenge; of artistic endeavor and the illusions it can create; of the possibilities that life offers and the cruel speed with which they can be snatched away, Love Is Blind is a dazzling work of historical fiction that unfolds across fin de siècle Europe.

©2018 William Boyd (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Boyd has long been a master of the technical aspects of fiction-writing, and in Love Is Blind this is again in evidence: plotting, pacing and historical detail are all adroitly handled, and he succeeds in making the world of piano tuning - as well as the wider milieu of fin de siecle Europe - come alive.... Extremely enjoyable." (William Skidelsky, Financial Times)

"[Boyd] is exceptionally good at evoking a vivid sense of place.... Love Is Blind is a cautionary tale in how passion can both lift up and destroy lives." (Amy Scribner, BookPage)

"Boyd’s lively 15th novel careens across the world...a wild story...ageless and very entertaining." (Publishers Weekly)

Wonderful poignant haunting

Typical of William Boyd…..wonderful imaginative poignant story….evocative of another era, life ,informative highly recommended

Another winner by William Boyd

Loved this masterfully crafted historical fiction. Perfect narration, too.Captivating, engrossing story line, could not stop listening.

mood is set perfectly for this historical romance

I completely lost myself if this character-driven story of a piano tuner and the woman he loves. The story had a mysterious quality which came from the time period and the fact that most often the events were occurring in empty theaters, hotel rooms and quiet bars. I am new to William Boyd and although this book didn't challenge me or surprise me, because I pretty much guessed all the twists before they happened, it still entertained me and kept me reading straight through from beginning to end in one day. It isn't a book that will make me run right out to buy his other books, but it is one that will keep his name in my mind whenever I am looking over shelves in stores and online.

One of Boyd’s Best

William Boyd develops plot and characters with a patient and deft hand. The characters in Love is Blind are thoroughly captivating in all their human frailties. This is a love story, and you will fall I love with the story and the characters.

Great story of a life at the turn of the century

One of the best books I’ve listened to for a while. Each chapter makes you want to get onto the next to know what is going to happen. A love story set over a decade around the 1900s. Wonderful sense of place in Edinburgh, Paris and St Petersburg. And some neat allusions to old Russian novelists. #Provocative #LifeStory #Redemption #Europe #TurnOfTheCentury #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

good, not great

I always enjoy William Boyd's works, and although I liked this book, I was hoping to love it.

Conflicted

Such a well written book. I enjoyed
the characters, but not the story line; it frustrated me.
Learning about piano tuning was fascinating!

Wonderful Story

It's ever so well written and the story is so fresh and different. The narrator was fantastic, he had great voices and I always knew who was who. It's now my favorite book to recommend to people.

Fascinating story, clearly drawn characters.

Couldn't stop listening. Masterfully narrated. I felt like I really knew and understood these characters. My second William Boyd novel. He gets us struggling human beings.

Captures the protagonist's struggles

I wanted to know what would happen next. The title is appropriate. The author clues the reader to the true state of affairs that the protagonist never sees. He captures the mental state of the characters and how they're driven. And then there's the ending that leaves the reader thinking, and wanting to write a good review without giving away the story. I'm not a writer, but this is my attempt at a good review.

I like this author. His writing style and characters keep the story interesting. I listened to "Restless" by the same author several months ago and still have a haunting feeling when I think of it. I'd been hoping for another book that would keep my interest and this novel did the trick. It's the endings... If you've "read" Restless, you'll understand.

I would purchase another book by William Boyd.

The narrator was very good. He did well handling the accents and the various states of the characters, particularly the Irish and Scottish accents. I would listen to more by this narrator.