It is always a pleasure reading William Boyd novels, even if many of them follow the same well-trodden formula, namely the dynastic life of a central, likable yet flawed character across epochal historic events. Combine this with action and suspense, duels, chases, etc., and you have Love Is Blind. I found it a compelling page-turner, the sort of novel I would return to thinking about in my free time. It is arguably Boyd's best since Any Human Heart, although the focus of Love Is Blind is the turn of the 19th to 20th century rather than events of the mid-20th century in the former. All of this said, and despite the fact I sympathized with Brodie Moncur, the novel's chief protagonist, Love Is Blind is not without its flaws. “Lust Is Blind” may have made a better title, since Brodie's actions and his passion for the enigmatic Lika Blum seem driven primarily by this emotion. Further, her backstory is never developed, and I was left wanting in this respect. Maybe it doesn't matter, the sex and violence will work for the average reader, while the more committed can marvel at the descriptions of Paris, St. Petersburg, Vienna and more. Enjoy, just don't take the work too seriously. 9/10.
By William Boyd