A richly orchestrated tour through the corrected eyes of a romantically inspired piano tuner.

Paris, St. Petersburg, Nice, Edinburgh, Biarritz, are amongst the cities vividly described, each as though you are walking through them.

A story of raw emotions, feelings, actions, and their consequences.

This has all the inimitable style and qualities of an epic character driven William Boyd novel, of love, passion, obsession and music within a historical period presaging the great changes in the world at the end of the nineteenth century. This is a beautifully written and structured story of the life of the young Scottish Brodie Moncur, afflicted with health issues, employed at the Channon Piano Company in Edinburgh, when he is offered the opportunity to work in their Paris outlet which he fervently grasps with both hands. It means that he can escape the clutches of his unbearably grotesque, hypocrital and bullying preacher father, Malky. The source of the rancour that Malky directs towards his son is not made clear. This is a tale that features numerous locations including Europe, Russia and the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean, taking in music, love, betrayal, revenge, and secrets with its wide cast of characters.

Brodie is a gifted piano tuner, and Boyd goes into some depth to give us detailed insights of all that this involves. The ambitious and energetic Brodie is inspired to move the business in innovative and risky new directions, despite obstacles, in his efforts to increase sales when he brings in the talented pianist, John Kilbarron, 'The Irish Liszt'. Kilbarron's amour is the beautifully arresting Russian opera singer, Lika Blum, a woman Brodie falls for hook, line and sinker, a passion that will have devastating repercussions on his future. Malachi, Kilbarron's brother and business manager is a particularly brutal and malign presence. Boyd delineates Brodie's relationship through the years, his travels, the dangers, a man that gambles with his own system.

Boyd presents us with a chaotic and challenging life conjured by the blindness of love in all its aspects and how it shapes up to be infinitely testing of the human heart. This is a fabulously immersive read, set in turbulent times for the world, a turbulence that is mirrored in the gripping and compelling Brodie's life with the enigmatic Lika. A particular highlight for me was Boyd's skill in making the era come alive with his rich vibrant descriptions. An emotionally affecting and memorable book. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC.

Whilst always being aware of William Boyd and thinking I knew what type of writer he is, Love is Blind is the first novel of his which I have read. I had assumed (I have no idea why) he was similar to Graham Greene, a contemporary author writing intelligently, with insight and comment. I was not too far off the mark although for me Boyd does not match up, but who does? However, I did like this book…very much.

Set at the turn of the twentieth century, Love is Blind is the story of Brodie Moncur, an unassuming, dependable, loyal piano tuner/repairer/customizer whose skills take him on an improbable yet wholly believable journey. He falls for Lika, head over heels, utterly consumed by his love for her. I found her manipulative and self-serving but love is blind indeed.

Having expected Mr Greene (why?) it took me a couple of chapters to pick up on the rhythm of Boyd’s writing but once I did it flowed at just the right pace. It is not a page turner but I was willing the plot to go my way and was eager to reach each conclusion, of which there are many before the final end.

Written in the third person, there is a great deal of detail, none of which is superfluous, all of which is fascinating. Boyd’s characterisation is well observed and non-judgemental, allowing the characters to judge each other and the reader to do likewise. It is very much a comment on the human condition, good and bad, love, loyalty, greed, envy, revenge, desire…it’s all there!

I would happily read more of Boyd’s novels, although there may always be other authors higher up my “To Be Read” list and there are so many books and so little time…

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Love definitely is blind you realise when you read this novel. Brodie Moncur, a talented piano-tuner in Edinburgh meets someone in Paris and ends up falling in love with her to the point of obsession only to realise that she is the partner of someone else.

Before that obsession starts, another one is already underway - that of the world of pianos and piano tuning. It all gets a bit technical and drawn out here in my opinion but you can’t help but realise that the art of piano tuning is a fascinating one!

But it’s the obsession of his love for Lika which drives the novel. It’s more of an obsession for sex rather than love though as the graphic scenes suggest. He moves around and leaves Paris to head to Russia, and then...well he’s a bit lost in the geographical sense as well as the obsessive love one. Did he really even know her I ask myself? Yes he wanted sex but I didn’t really feel the obsessive love of the title.

The settings are very nicely done however. The musical nature of each city shines through but so too does the filth of life around him,the chaos of each city and his account of each place make this somewhat of a fascinating travelogue. There’s some nice and apt literary references too with Onegin and Pushkin getting a mention and creeping into the story too.

I did enjoy much of this, but it’s a long journey to get there.

I enjoyed parts of Love Is Blind, but I found a good deal of it dull and I’m not sure that it added up to much in the end.

The book follows Brodie Moncur from his early working life in the late 19th Century as a talented piano-tuner in Edinburgh as his work and his health needs take him to various places in France, Russia and beyond. He develops an obsessive love for a Russian singer and this is both the driver of the book’s events and the main subject of William Boyd’s interest.

For the first third or so of the book I was carried along by Boyd’s easy prose and the interest which, slightly surprisingly, I found in the details of Brodie technical work on pianos. The trouble is, I wasn’t very convinced by Brodie’s passion and found that I was more interested in his piano-tuning than the state of his heart. I got no real sense of obsession and I also found it completely un-erotic, despite some fairly graphic descriptions. This is not a good combination in a tale of overmastering passion and as the story moved from place to place I kept thinking, "OK, you're somewhere else now and you're still in love with her. And…?” I wasn’t drawn in by the period setting, either. The language isn’t always convincing and there are some rather clunky references to contemporary events and so on.

Things picked up a little in the later part of the book with some more dramatic developments and sense of threat, but it still wasn’t all that involving. It wasn’t helped by a somewhat melodramatic feel and in the end I was quite glad to finish the book, whose emotional climax didn’t affect me in the slightest, I’m afraid, because it felt contrived and overdone. Love Is Blind is by no means terrible, but it certainly isn’t one of Boyd’s best and I can only give it a very lukewarm recommendation.

(My thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley.)

Brodie Moncur had me seduced from the get-go. Here, I initially thought, was a man who might even give Logan Mountstuart a run for his money. Now, while the bits I loved, I loved to bits, this human heart still belongs to Logan.

The reasons for this are not to do with these men themselves - both remain more vivid to me than some men I have known off the page for decades - but rather the contexts in which their lives played out. In both novels, we find Mr Boyd more interested in what it means to live - and therefore chronicle - a life, than what it is to be a cog helping wind on the wheels of a plot. The problem with this, for my own tastes, is that a novel without a conspicuously signposted plot has to have wider emotional and psychological preoccupations than I found here. Although we see that Brodie’s life is cast under a star marked ‘love is blind’ and this is tested over and over again, from Brodie’s own loves (from Callum to Like) and the fatherly love of Ainsley Channon, it feels quite slight somehow, perhaps because the consequences of this constraint never really ripple out very far.

Having said this, there are long sequences of the piece - particularly in Paris and Russia - which are an unending delight of a romp to read. So, it is for this reason that, while this is a long way from being my own personal favourite Boyd novel, I have given it five stars. Anything less would have felt impertinent.

A heartbreaking real story of lovers, meant to be together.
A fascinating look at an under developed era of the turn of the century.
Already a fan of William nicolson I loved this new read

The general plot given in the synopsis promised quite a punch, plus the praise for the author’s works in general made me an expectant reader. That proved to be disastrous.

As soon as I started reading this book, I was immediately happy to note that the writing is really, really good and so did the historical research that the author did. Set at the end of the 19th century, Brodie takes across Europe from Scotland to Russia, to France with vivid details. Brodie Moncur is a piano tuner in Edinburgh in 1890s and when given a chance to move away from his home, his country to Paris, he grabs it with both hands because his life at home wasn’t enough for him at the time.

There he meets with a talented pianist, John Kilbarron and he is spotted by Kilbarron for his talent not only as a tuner but also as someone who really knows the piano. The way Boyd gives us the imagery when it comes to Brodie talent is absolutely lovely. Truly. It made me want to learn more about piano in general and that is also how Brodie gets to bring a representative like Kilbarron to the company. As Brodie and Kilbarron start traveling, Brodie finds himself fascinated and later in love with Lika Brum.

Now, here things start to get dicey for me. Lika is shown to be this absolutely enticing and intriguing beauty whose only purpose in the book seems to be create chaos out of people’s lives. I never really understood her or found out more about her personality. I need to know the characters and how they work and why they act the way they do, and while I am not so demanding as to want every little detail. I have to say that I wasn’t given much at all.

Other characters in the book were also given much historical detail but not enough personality for me truly find this an engaging story. There’s a rather alarming number of times the female breasts are written about, and masturbation. Oh, boy. I mean, who keeps a record of the number of times one has had sex and the number of times one has had to masturbate? I hope I never know the answer. I hesitate to call the relationship of Brodie and Lika romantic, I really didn’t find much romance in it if I am being honest.

For a book with so much potential, it never reached the summit that was promised, or rather that was hinted at. I am truly disappointed in that, overall, a rather thin and not quite engaging book unfortunately. I wish there was more because the writing does hint at the potential but with such problems as lack of character personalities and unnecessary additions near the end of the novel, it all made for a muddy read. Fans of historical fiction might find it interesting because of the research that went into it.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Books, and the author William Boyd.
I am a big fan of all of William Boyd's novels and his writing style, and 'Love is Blind' was no different.
There is no doubt that it is slower paced than some of his other work, and arguably felt slightly lacking in action and suspense at times, but as always it was beautifully written and very involving.
The characters were convincing and well rounded, and Boyd's descriptive prose meant that every setting and scenario was painted incredibly vividly.
A pleasant and diverting read, but definitely not as good as Any Human Heart, Waiting for Sunrise, or Ordinary Thunderstorms.
I would still recommend this book, and am happy to have read it!

William Boyd's settings and stories are so diverse, it's never easy to predict what's in store. I've read a few of his novels and each has been totally different. He has an exceptional talent for detail; whether it's dialogue, character or something technical, he writes in such a compelling way that the reader is immediately drawn in.

Love is Blind is largely a story of love, lust and obsession and one man's journey. The narrative starts in Scotland where Brodie Moncur, the son of a dour churchman leaves the clutches of his father to start life a new life in Edinburgh. He becomes a piano tuner and I was amazed at how much I learned about this particular skill. For me, the detail really added to the story and developed Moncur as a character. When he's sent to Paris, he meets and becomes infatuated with a Russian and the machinations really start. Every place is vibrant and the characters feel like real people. It's almost like watching a true story. Events are so well depicted you feel part of them.

I didn't want this book to end and savoured every detail. Boyd remains one of my favourite contemporary authors and his storytelling is first rate.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

William Boyd writes books you can get lost in. In Any Human Heart and The New Confessions so rich is his mix of fact and fiction that he almost convinced me he was writing about the life of a real people. He wasn't of course, but I became so immersed in the lives of Logan Mountstuart and John James Todd that I really found it hard to accept I was reading a piece if fiction. I’d lived the life of these characters and at the end of both books I experienced a tearful moment when I reached the final page. Here he manages to do it again, this time we are introduced to a piano tuner named Brodie Moncur. We’re close to the end of the 19th century and Brodie is 24 years old. He works for the Channon Piano Company at their Edinburgh showroom and we follow him through the ups and down of his working life, track his physical health, meet his large family and travel as far and wide as France, Switzerland, Russia and the little known Andaman Islands (in the Bay of Bengal if you're wondering). But most of all we get to share his obsession with a Russian opera singer called Lika. I’ll warn you in advance, it’s an emotional journey.

It's soon recognised that Brodie possesses an energy and an entrepreneurial spirit that would serve the company well in helping grow its new shop in Paris and he is dispatched forthwith. But before he goes, he returns to the small rural town in which he grew up to visit his family. His father is the local clergyman – and a real Hellfire preacher he is, too – and he demonstrates an unexplained animus towards Brodie. After a testing couple of days spent with his large family he’s glad to make his escape. Once in Paris he meets resistance from the shop manager, the son of the company owner, but he manages to push through a number of his ideas which includes the recruitment of a top piano player to publicise their brand. It will cost money and it's a bit of a gamble, but Brodie is convinced it’ll bring significant dividends. It's at this point that John Kilbarron (the ‘Irish Listz’) enters the picture… together with his lover, Lika.

Boyd brilliantly brings the whole thing to life with his rich descriptions of time and place and razor sharp dialogue. Each character is vividly described – none more so than Kilbarron’s sinister brother, Malachi - and even the minor figures seem to be original and interesting. And there are sufficient historical references and instances of casual name dropping to make the whole thing feel real.

As the book progresses the tension level fluctuates. There is one brilliant set piece I won't go into, but it’s so well done I sure my eyes were bulging out of my head as I read it. If you get to read this book you’ll know this event when you reach it. But if I have a bone to pick it’s that the dance between Brodie and the Kilbarron brothers does seem to go on a little too long and, in fact, there are a few sections that did feel unnecessarily protracted. It all comes out in the wash though and by the end I was feeling that my investment in wading through the slower sections had paid off. By this point I really did have the feeling that I fully understood Brodie – I was virtually living inside his head – I believed that I was tuned into his line of thought and fully understood his (sometimes drastic) actions. I didn't know how was all going to play out but I really wanted some closure, some happiness for Brodie. And did I shed a tear when I reached the end? Yes, I'm afraid I did.

Another superb offering form this brilliantly gifted writer, who I've admired for some years. I've now read a dozen or so of his books and I'm blown away by his inventiveness, the diversity of his stories and above all the way in which, in his best work, he invites the reader to become a part of the story – to become, in fact, the lead character and to experience their life as if it were your own. Quite a trick that.

Readable, likeable, beautifully written and plotted, lovely characters and a broad sweeping storyline - what's not to like?

A master of the art still in excellent form.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Love is Blind courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. It was beautifully written and as easy to read as I always find William Boyd's books. A very interesting tale about a young Scots piano tuner named Brodie Moncur who fell in love with a rather one-sided but beautiful woman known as Lika. Love is certainly blind and the story follows his life as he travels around the world tuning pianos, loving Lika and making friends and enemies. I learned more about piano tuning than I ever thought possible. A very satisfying read and one I have no hesitation in recommending.

William Boyd knows how to tell a good story; well researched, historical detail and good characterisation. I liked this story about Brodie Moncur and his hopeless pursuit of the beautiful Russian love of his life. Like a lot of his recent novels the book sprawls across time, in this case from late Victorian to just before the First World War and the narrative travels from Edinburgh to Paris, the south of France, Geneva and Trieste. Considering that Brodie Moncur is just a piano tuner that's a pretty amazing life story!

The story is blighted by the illness which eventually will kill him and his relationship with the lovely Lika and the evil Killbarron brothers who also make an effort in that direction. Along the way, we encounter Brodie's shellshocked Victorian family and their horrible father and a range of people who help or hinder him. It is the detail in the relationships which William Boyd develops for his characters which make them come to life. What it is like to live with the diagnosis of tuberculosis before antibiotics is also well explored and you can also learn something about piano tuning and music.

When you say that a writer tells a good story what you must mean is that they have this control of the narrative in time and place and they create realism and an authenticity which the reader can engage with. The way this story unravels reminds me of a John Buchan novel - a sequence of events sometimes rooted in normality and at others quite extraordinary but all held together by narrative skill.

If you wanted to carp, you might think that the lovers could really have disappeared quite effectively in Europe at that time let alone in Russia. There are times when Lika comes over as a bit Greta Garbo and when Malachi Killbarron is almost too Machiavellian and devilish in his pursuit of Brodie but hey ho it's a great story and it will one day make a film with a super soundtrack.

The life of Brodie Moncur and his travels throughout Europe and further. Atmospheric and descriptive, this book follows Scotsman Brodie Moncur, a piano tuner, from his early 20s in Edinburgh. He escapes his dull life as the elder son of a violent and bad-tempered Scottish minister by gaining employment with a firm of piano manufacturers and becomes an expert and sought-after piano tuner. His employment takes him from Edinburgh to Paris, then Russia. His employment by John Kilbarron, a famous pianist, complicates his life and he falls deeply in love with Lika, a Russian singer, but all is not quite what it seems. A number of plot twists eventually take him to the Andaman Islands, where his story ends . . .

Boyd displays his customary skill as he weaves a fascinating tale. The action sweeps across late 19th century Europe and enthralls all the way.

Excellent characterisation made this book very readable, but I'm not sure it was one of William Boyd's best. There was an air of anticipation throughout which didn't quite live up to expectation as we followed the highs and lows of Brodie Moncur's life.

The Rapture of Brodie Moncur

This beautiful book, set at the end of the nineteenth century, revolves around a Scottish musician and piano tuner from Peebles. The series of setbacks Brodie Moncur survives are already heart-breaking when Brodie seems to find a haven in a piano store where he works in Paris. But then he meets the love of his life and with her a health problem and a fence he cannot jump. Thomas Mann and Joseph Roth are among Boyd's influences. I have called this a Scottish Buddenbrooks, but it is also a Magic Mountain, not to mention Roth's The Radetsky March. It is a marvellous amalgamation of Europe before The Great War.
Brodie Moncur is a fine musician and composer, who has created a new way of keeping pianos in tune. Sent to help rescue the Paris shop of Channon & Co., an Edinburgh piano maker and tuner, which is having trouble breaking even, Brodie realises that the Channon heir is skimming profits at a great rate, a fact that will eventuate in Brodie being sacked as if he were the thief. Thus begins his peripeteia through western Europe, often for years at a time the assistant to John Kilbarron, the great Irish pianist, who travels with his brother and his mistress. There is venomous hatred within the family and much of it is aimed at Brodie, though they all seem trapped in their various roles. There is a reason why Brodie finds himself often a target, which includes his father's puzzling hatred of this eldest child and son which Brodie never understands.
The book is perfectly structured, and readers are likely to find themselves ahead of Brodie in the complex ravelling of the plot. Brodie has fallen deeply, and inescapably in love with Lika, the mistress, and his love is blind. He never sees, and never understands, why his father hates him with such venom. At the end of the book there is a reminiscence of the dying Chekhov, who was a doctor, receiving at the hands of his own doctor a glass of inferior champagne.
This is a book to savour, and to reread. I have been a Boyd fan for a long time: reading this, I almost didn't cry at all.

Like all of William Boyd’s books, this was a wonderful read. The characterisation, the attention to detail about the history and era that the novel was set was great. I especially enjoyed learning about how a piano tuner plied his trade. Fascinating and thank you for the opportunity to review. .

I thoroughly enjoyed this sweeping tale of a piano-tuner and his life, love and travels, beginning at the end of the 19th century. Brodie Moncur is a gifted piano-tuner who leaves his Scottish home and overbearing father to seek work, first in Edinburgh, and then as his technical and entrepreneurial skills are rewarded, he is sent by his employer, Channon, the piano manufacturers,to work in Paris. Here, he strives to increase piano sales by forging an agreement with a famous Irish pianist. While working with this man, Kilbarron, Moncur meets Lika, a Russian singer who will be the love of his life. The story ranges far and wide, from Paris to Russia, and then further afield to exotic climes. William Boyd's writing is always marvellous, and the reader is immersed in the characters' lives and times, whether it be Edinburgh or fin-de-siecle Paris.
Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.