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candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very sad book. It gave me sad dreams. It's about longing, love, lost relationships, and blind terror, the kind you live with for years.
Drum and Carter meet in 1959 while they are doing National Service. They could not be more different. Drum's a working class guy who worked in a Ford plan near London, and Carter is a wealthy kid just expelled from Oxford. They become friends, and that friendship lasts their lives.
It's not an easy or an even friendship. Carter gets them assigned to a civil defence base called Doom Town, which is made to look like a city after an atomic bomb has landed on it. For Drum, the nightmare of nuclear apocalypse follows him forever, through the Cuban Missile Crisis , 9/11, and the London bombings. He's terrified of what's to come.
"The Blind Light" is not an easy read. The characters are flawed, sad and frightened. You'll wish Drum would drop Carter, but then you realize that he sees Carter as embodying safety.
There is some satisfaction in the relationships at the end, but overall this book is just sad. I never considered not finishing it, but it made me, who ducked and covered under a desk as a tiny child, happy that I was too young to remember more.
3.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this title.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
Drum and Carter meet in 1959 while they are doing National Service. They could not be more different. Drum's a working class guy who worked in a Ford plan near London, and Carter is a wealthy kid just expelled from Oxford. They become friends, and that friendship lasts their lives.
It's not an easy or an even friendship. Carter gets them assigned to a civil defence base called Doom Town, which is made to look like a city after an atomic bomb has landed on it. For Drum, the nightmare of nuclear apocalypse follows him forever, through the Cuban Missile Crisis , 9/11, and the London bombings. He's terrified of what's to come.
"The Blind Light" is not an easy read. The characters are flawed, sad and frightened. You'll wish Drum would drop Carter, but then you realize that he sees Carter as embodying safety.
There is some satisfaction in the relationships at the end, but overall this book is just sad. I never considered not finishing it, but it made me, who ducked and covered under a desk as a tiny child, happy that I was too young to remember more.
3.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this title.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
kleonard's review against another edition
2.0
I almost gave up on this, and am still not sure I shouldn't have. This is a novel about time and trust and the slow building and erosion of that trust. Two men serve together and learn how to use each other, calling it friendship, and this using leads to betrayal. Their wives remain married to the men for protection and for stability--another kind of use. Their children learn to use and not use their parents, each other, friends. Ultimately, this is a dark and cynical novel, slow and often dull, with little to redeem it for the reader.
nannykaren's review
5.0
This is my first Stuart Evers book and I hope it won't be the last! He takes us on a powerful journey of friendship between 2 men, from the 1950's onwards including some of the worlds most awful events including 9/11. A wonderful story.
ladykillller's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
heather626's review
2.0
The Blind Light by Stuart Evers centers around two young soldiers and their families as they grow older. I just could not get into this book. I tried several times and finally gave up. It couldn't grab my attention even though I really wanted it to. I appreciate NetGalley for the galley but this one is a "no" for me. 2 stars
#TheBlindLight #NetGalley
#TheBlindLight #NetGalley
heather626's review against another edition
2.0
The Blind Light by Stuart Evers centers around two young soldiers and their families as they grow older. I just could not get into this book. I tried several times and finally gave up. It couldn't grab my attention even though I really wanted it to. I appreciate NetGalley for the galley but this one is a "no" for me. 2 stars
#TheBlindLight #NetGalley
#TheBlindLight #NetGalley
kittietta's review
3.0
I really wanted to like this book, but after I got halfway through it I had to abandon ship. It just seemed to drag, jumped around time frames and characters with our any form and I found myself constantly confused. My apologies to the author..
3 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the Author and publisher for a copy of this ARC.. All opinions expressed are my own.
3 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the Author and publisher for a copy of this ARC.. All opinions expressed are my own.
rachelkanga's review
3.0
For the most part I enjoyed the journey through the life of Drummond and his family, the people in their lives, places that influenced them and events that defined them.
Starting its story in the 1950’s and progressing through the decades to the present day with the love affair of Drummond and Gwen who meet when he is stationed at an army training camp near to the pub where she works.
Settling in Dagenham and bringing up their children suddenly moving to the countryside after the factory where Drummond works staff go on strike, uprooting their children to a new way of life.
The fear of nuclear attack and their plans to survive in a shelter although they no longer
Family feuds lasting for decades with their daughter storming out and staying away.
The book was hefty and initially I was put off by the weight but it is cleverly written, scattered with historical and political events and popular culture to keep the reader interested.
Starting its story in the 1950’s and progressing through the decades to the present day with the love affair of Drummond and Gwen who meet when he is stationed at an army training camp near to the pub where she works.
Settling in Dagenham and bringing up their children suddenly moving to the countryside after the factory where Drummond works staff go on strike, uprooting their children to a new way of life.
The fear of nuclear attack and their plans to survive in a shelter although they no longer
Family feuds lasting for decades with their daughter storming out and staying away.
The book was hefty and initially I was put off by the weight but it is cleverly written, scattered with historical and political events and popular culture to keep the reader interested.
chronicreader96's review
3.0
Rounded up from somewhere between 2.5-3 stars ⭐️
The blind light follows the lives of Drummond and Carter, two young men meet during their time in service. Over the years their friendship and lives develop and change.
I’m not fully sure how to I feel about this book. It’s the first time I’ve been really unsure about a star rating. I really liked how this book spanned so many different decades and important life points. It was like following someone through a real life journey. That being said, I felt the book was far longer than it needed to be and it seemed to drag. I loved the short chapters but really struggled with Evers’ writing style. Random words would be missing in sentences, they still made sense but they didn’t read properly. Every time this happened I’d get stuck and end up rereading the sentence again.
There was a section in the middle of the book that I absolutely loved! I did not want to put the book down and felt an anticipation, like something really exciting was about to happen. I would have given this section 4-4.5 stars. But, when it all came to a head I felt it was anticlimactic and underwhelming. I found myself so frustrated with some of the characters. I struggled to feel any sympathy for their situation and just wanted to shake them. This is a story of family and friendships, but overall their lives were mostly pretty easy, which made it really tough for me to sympathize with their disagreements. I know many people will love this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me.
I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction with a slow pace that is mostly drama free. I want to thank Readers First, the publishers and the author for allowing me to read this book and give my personal thoughts.
The blind light follows the lives of Drummond and Carter, two young men meet during their time in service. Over the years their friendship and lives develop and change.
I’m not fully sure how to I feel about this book. It’s the first time I’ve been really unsure about a star rating. I really liked how this book spanned so many different decades and important life points. It was like following someone through a real life journey. That being said, I felt the book was far longer than it needed to be and it seemed to drag. I loved the short chapters but really struggled with Evers’ writing style. Random words would be missing in sentences, they still made sense but they didn’t read properly. Every time this happened I’d get stuck and end up rereading the sentence again.
There was a section in the middle of the book that I absolutely loved! I did not want to put the book down and felt an anticipation, like something really exciting was about to happen. I would have given this section 4-4.5 stars. But, when it all came to a head I felt it was anticlimactic and underwhelming. I found myself so frustrated with some of the characters. I struggled to feel any sympathy for their situation and just wanted to shake them. This is a story of family and friendships, but overall their lives were mostly pretty easy, which made it really tough for me to sympathize with their disagreements. I know many people will love this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me.
I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction with a slow pace that is mostly drama free. I want to thank Readers First, the publishers and the author for allowing me to read this book and give my personal thoughts.
balooberry's review against another edition
2.0
I hate when this happens, I really do but I could not finish this book. To many great reads to get through and to little time. I found the story line of this book fairly drab. Along with the fragmented sentences and disjointed plot I just could not bare it any longer.
Thank you to Netgalley and W. W. Norton Company for the opportunity to review this arc.
Thank you to Netgalley and W. W. Norton Company for the opportunity to review this arc.