From the opening passage, you know that Brodie will be a man who travels far from his native Scotland. Unable to fulfil his childhood ambitions of being a concert pianist due to his poor sight, he turns to piano tuning. Impressing the owner of Channon's piano shop in Edinburgh, he takes the chance to move to their Paris branch. There he gets to know the Kilbarrows: virtuoso pianist John and his hostile brother Malachi. His life changes forever when he becomes obsessed with Lika, John Kilbarrow's mistress. For better or worse? Does she love him or is she using him? You'll have to follow his journey to find out.

The atmospheric descriptions of people and places really give you a sense of what it might have been like as a young man living in glamorous, hedonistic Art Nouveau Paris, cosmopolitan St Petersburg and other towns and cities as his story unfolds. His wry sense of humour and the way he deals with injustice and misfortune, as well as the giddy heights of love, make him a believable and sympathetic character.

For readers who enjoy intelligent historical fiction by authors such as Sebastian Faulks, Hilary Mantel or Sarah Parry (The Essex Serpent). A book to savour.

I was completely engrossed in the life of Brodie Moncur. Similar to Boyd novel Any Human Heart, I felt like I was reading an autobiography of Brodie as the character felt so real and alive. Beautifully written and enjoyable.

Captivating. This is the life of Brodie Moncur, a Scottish piano tuner whose life is turned upside down by his obsessive love affair.
I found this strangely compelling as Brodie’s life is exposed; the reader is given an intimate portrayal of his family, his friends and the love of his life Lika. A story of secrets, betrayal, revenge and deception, the pace is stately and the events momentous.
Love blinds us, causing unreasonable acts of murder and possessiveness.
A beautiful and compelling book – highly recommended.

This is an enjoyable page turner of a book. The narrative follows Brodie Moncur, a bright 24 year old with very poor sight and a troublesome cough who is the son of an abusive, alcoholic but charismatic Scottish preacher. He becomes an expert piano tuner. This gives him the opportunity to go to Paris as Deputy Manager of Channon’s piano company. Through this work he meets and starts working for the “Irish Listz”, John Kilbarron – a piano playing prodigy who is now having problems with pain in his right arm and hand, leading him to abuse alcohol and cocaine, who needs Moncur’s expertise to make his piano keys light. Moncur also comes into contact with Kilbarron’s menacing brother and manager Malachi and Kilbarron’s young Russian lover, Lika whom Moncur falls head over heels in love with. The complications of this love affair lead to Moncur having to move constantly around Europe and then to the Andaman islands.

The book is an easy read as the prose is really well written . I particularly like references to the reality of life at the turn of the century such as the description of stench of all the horse dung in the streets and the armies of flies that accompany them. I think that the first half of the book is a lot stronger than the second half. You are on the journey and invested in all the various characters and then the narrative veers off and I feel a lot of loose ends are left. I became invested in the story of Brodie’s father and his rancour against Brodie which are never resolved and the life of his sisters and their precarious financial position on the death of his father are not addressed. I didn’t quite believe the main storyline in the second half of the book and felt it was all a bit messy and not focused enough. I’m glad I read the book but felt it was ultimately a bit of a let down.

I received an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

An encaptivating book that will take you on a journey through the life, hopes and love of Brodie Moncur.
From a dreich Scottish winter through to the pastoral warmth of Russia in high summer, this tale never fails to engage you with a story of a life well lived.
A tale of passion, menace, doomed love and piano's!
Highly recommend.

This book meanders along with a lot of detail about piano tuning and music. It’s clearly very well researched and reminds me of some of Tracey Chevalier books where there is incredible detail about a rather esoteric subject.

The plot centres on a Scotsman, Brodie Moncur who, in his twenties in the 1890s, travels extensively over Europe for his work, health and love life. The latter is the main topic as he meets Lika, aka Lydia, who he comes obsessed with.

Some of the prose felt stilted and awkward such ‘the kiss was conceived and fully executed’ and a few mentions of Brodie’s sphincter. ‘He felt his sphincter loosen and the bubble of air fill to expand his lungs’ in response to seeing Lika close up for the first time. There were also numerous very unusual words that I had to look up. It felt like the author was playing that old panel game ‘Call My Bluff’ at times in finding the most obscure words in the Oxford English Dictionary to weave into his novel. And numerous uses of the F word including as a verb to describe the act of making love to Lika. I found it hard to imagine romance with this sort of writing.

There were a lot of street names, places and historic news and events woven into the book but it often felt like these had been researched on Wikipedia and worked in after the book was written.

Not my favourite William Boyd novel but still a mostly enjoyable and a good read despite my frustrations at some of the writing.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books (UK)for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another masterpiece from Boyd. His prose is poetic, and this latest work was a joy to read. I so admire his ability to infuse the ordinary with emotion and make daily life thoughtful.

This is another epic read from William Boyd. It's a character driven story full of passion, love, obsession and more. It covers a historical period that involves a lot of change for the world, and it makes the book all the more interesting.
I also loved Boyd's writing. It was just beautiful that I didn't want to get out of this book's world. I also appreciate books, that are structured well, so that you don't need to do the brain work. It just flows perfectly and effortlessly.
We have our Scottish Brodie Moncur, who has health issues, working at the Channon Piano Company in Edinburgh. He takes the chance of working at their Paris outlet, and he jumps on this opportunity. This means he has his escape from his father, Malky. After this, this fabulous story takes place in Russia, Europe and Andaman Islands. It's a perfect tale of love, betrayal, secrets, revenge. And it's full of very interesting characters.

You won't regret reading this book!

Possibly the best novel by William Boyd that I have read. Brodie is desperate to escape his clergyman father and stifled upbringing in Edinburgh, and the offer of a job in Paris is the perfect escape. Leading to a whole new chapter in his life, of wild times and their consequences, Brodie falls in love with a Russian opera singer, a dangerous liaison, which has far reaching consequences. I love the detail in the cities that Brodie visits, and the tantalising feel of first love.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher, Penguin Books, for the opportunity to review this book.

Love is Blind follows Brodie Moncur through his adult life, from Scotland to Paris, across Europe, to Russia and finally the Andaman Islands. The background of his business life supplying and tuning pianos is detailed and convincing, the detail of the turn of the century musical world is fascinating.

Boyd develops a memorable hero in Brodie and provides beautiful love interest in the mysterious and complex Lika. The talented pianist who is a key client for Brodie and his sinister brother drive the narrative forward.

Brodie is consumed by love and by his own illness during the final part of the novel and the final chapters are affecting in the extreme.

The complexity of the story, convincing setting and detail, the character of Brodie and above all, the quality of the writing, make this my Book of the Year so far.

William Boyd has the gift of making his reader believe that he (Boyd) is describing people he knows, places he has visited, and the time in which he lives. Whilst I was reading this novel, which seems to me to be a typically "fin de siecle" novel, I found it difficult to believe that the author is living now, in the twenty-first century, and wasn't Henry James, Thomas Mann or Joseph Conrad. The only give-away for me was that sex and sexuality is explicit in "Love is Blind" whereas both are implicit, hinted at, by such earlier novelists.

This is serious, highly readable literature. Within the robust structure of a great plot and beautiful prose, the author not only tells us a story with excellent characterisation of people and of places, but also raises important social issues, for example, the role of women in society, the effect on communities of economic change, and the impact of misinformation and lies. These are as relevant today as they were in the decadent days at the turn of the nineteenth century.

I enjoyed this story of the life and love of a Scottish piano tuner, Brodie Moncur. I found the characters believable, and cared about what happened to (most of) them (Malky Moncur can rot in hell as far as I'm concerned). I liked the broad sweep of locations, from Edinburgh to Paris and St Petersburg.
It's an easy read - its nearly 400 pages whipped by in three evenings - but not a facile one; the language is thoughtful, the dialogue flows. I agree with the Sunday Times reviewer David Mills (9 September): this is 'immersive fiction'.
I'm not sure I liked knowing the information contained in the prologue; would I have preferred to be ignorant of Brodie's ultimate destination? It's a minor point and did not spoil the book for me; it just made me wonder. This is the first of William Boyd's novels I have read; I now feel inclined to explore his back catalogue.
Love is Blind is published on 20 September by Viking, an imprint of Penguin.

I have edited this review having reread Love is Blind.

My favourite William Boyd novel is Any Human Heart and I found Love Is Blind rather disappointing compared to it. The historical detail is the best part of this novel telling the story of Scottish piano tuner Brodie Moncur at the turn of the 19th century. Brodie's life is dominated by his love for a Russian woman involved with two Irish brothers, one of whom is a renowned concert pianist. Brodie is besotted by Lika but is she all she seems? The story begins in Edinburgh and takes us to Paris, Nice and St Petersburg with fascinating detail. I liked the allusions to Chekov although they may escape many readers.

The final section just didn't seem to belong to the story and somehow Brodie's Scotish family and unbearable father also felt unnecessary. I wasn't certain why the family was there other than to tell the reader of the poor background that Brodie came from. It read like backstory and irrelevant. Mr Boyd's predilection for the description of sex scenes and body parts added nothing to the narrative. A well researched but otherwise disappointing novel. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read and review Love is Blind.

Brilliant. I loved this story. A story of love and loss and escape. This is beautifully written and had me in another world from the start. I was totally caught up in the story of Brodie and his adoration of Lika. This is a love that spans countries. Brodie's story is definitely worth reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A shy but talented piano tuner escaping from his tyrannical father goes to Paris and becomes obsessed with Lika.
A brilliantly observed and researched novel takes the reader on an across world tour of Paris, Russia and the Indian Ocean to name but a few. It took me a while to get into but was well worth the effort. Don’t think this is a book you can pick up and put down. As you invest time and interest it will richly repay you.
Well worth reading.

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.)