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There are currently 22 member reviews
for The Blind Light
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Deb H
Dig in.
"The Blind Light" is a multi-generational novel that examines a friendship between two young men and the lasting impact of their time spent together during the Cold War. I believe Evers offers a compelling look at the impact of fear on our relationships as well as the lasting ramifications of social inequality. Credit to Evers for the interesting dynamic he created between Drummond and Carter and perhaps even more so between their wives.
This is an interesting book to read in current times as we face a health crisis previously unknown to us. Another fine offering in my favorite genre.
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Nancy L. (Staunton, VA)
The Ties That Bind
The Blind Light by Stuart Evans started slowly for me, but soon I was wanting to read more and more. Told over the course of sixty years, we watch members of two families bond in friendship, fight, despair, suffer losses, and stab each other in the back, all while the threats of atomic war and terrorism loom large. These are not all likeable characters, but it was fascinating to watch their development and growth over the decades as well as their tenacity through uncertain times. The Blind Light is a thoughtful look at the Ties that bind.
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Liz D. (East Falmouth, MA)
The Blind Light
The Atomic Bomb the Cold War and it's aftermath hang over Stuart Evers novel The Blind Light. The loss of prewar innocence and fear of total destruction affect the lives of the characters, Drum and Carter. The friends come from different backgrounds. Carter comes from a wealthy background, while Drum is a member of the working class. After the war Drum, who is an auto worker is on strike. Carter offers to help him out, so Drum takes his family to Carter's estate. There the family remains for the rest of the book.
This was a rather difficult book to finish because the characters didn't speak to me and weren't particularity likable. Their lives weren't very interesting, some incidents were there for shock value Evers alluded to the bomb as being a fear by bringing up Doom Town occasionally as a mythic event which I didn't quite understand. I won't be telling my friends to read this book because the Blind Light didn't shine through.
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Margaret R. (Claremont, CA)
The Stuff Nightmares Are Made Of
"The dead have insistent voices; they cut and jab. His father's especially." "The same sprung vigilance to her posture, though; like she was ready to dodge an oncoming hazard."
I often read before going to sleep and so it was with The Blind Light. There was little sleep that night and so daytime reading was the default. This book is a heavy lift at 533 pages but the heavy lift is not in its length but in its content. The story is relentlessly grim, manipulating, mean-spirited, humorless, and fragmented. While Stuart Evers is clearly a talented writer and can offer beautiful prose, he presents a nightmarish monotone of anxiety, human disconnect, and non-linear plot shards that leave the reader scrambling.
This book could have been a literary gift, taking us through 70 years of tumultuous western history and the lives of three generations. However, reading the unsuccessful stream of consciousness and third party narrative I staggered through it to gratefully greet the last page.
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Margot P. (Mandeville, LA)
Too Many Distractions
What could have been a great family saga, Blind Light is crowded with so many writing techniques, (repetition, steam of consciousness) that the plot becomes hijacked. I really enjoyed learning about the fear the post war generation experienced in regards to nuclear destruction and Evers did a good job with his characters in that regard. The complex male friendship between Drum and Carter is the best part of the book. The novel felt overworked and Evers consistently sticks in rather distasteful short scenes that are totally unnecessary to the story. All in all, if the book was not over 500 pages, I might have rated it higher, but by the end I was exhausted and glad it was over. I don't think Blind Light would have enough overall appeal to make it a good book club choice and I suspect this one will get higher marks from professional reviews than from average readers.
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Marjorie W. (Farmington CT, CT)
The Blind Light
Unfortunately, I did not find this book particularly interesting. I felt the author was unnecessarily wordy, the story heavy and depressing and the characters unlikable. Had I not been reading this to review, I would not have struggled through 500 pages.
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Ruth H. (Sebring, FL)
Families Intertwined
The lives of two men who became friends during military service, one privileged the other poor. Each one gets married, has children and grandchildren, the book chronicles how they interact through the generations. The first half of the book was interesting, the second half too many words, terrible sexual information that I felt was unnecessary, and a great ending! Would I recommend to friends or family, probably not. I felt 544 pages could easily have been condensed into about 300. I finished it but didn't have any strong feelings about the story or the characters!
