Blind - a novella [Kindle Edition]

V.R. Christensen (Author), B. Lloyd (Illustrator)

Book Description

From the author of Of Moths & Butterflies.

Blind - a novella
Arthur Tremonton is a man of wealth and property, yet cursed from birth to live without sight.
Zachary Goodfellow is a young man raised in poverty, once blind, now deaf.

These two, though worlds apart in station and circumstance, have more in common than one might suppose. Not the least of which is the mutual acquaintance of Rebecca Adair, a young woman with an unusual gift, and the wisdom to know that the lack of physical sight is only one of many obstacles which might prevent a man from truly seeing.

Faced with the choice between seeing clearly and seeing truly, which would you choose? Rebecca intends to ask the question of them, but in order to do that, they must be persuaded to meet. Pride, vanity, fear, these prevent them from seeing what they might do for each other, what they might be to one another, if only they would open their eyes.

What would you sacrifice for the gift of sight? What, in fact, does it truly mean to be Blind?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

V.R. Christensen is a lifelong student of English literature, culture and history, and she draws upon a wide range of knowledge and experience to construct her work. Focusing on the age old struggles that have riddled the human spirit, her intensely emotional stories draw a parallel between our day and those of an age passed, illustrating that, while some things have changed utterly, many others have remained remarkably the same.
 
V.R. is the author of Of Moths & Butterflies, and it's companion piece Cry of the Peacock, due for release October 2012. To find out more about these and other upcoming works, visit her at: vrchristensen.com.

Product Details

• File Size: 366 KB
• Print Length: 79 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Captive Press Publishing (February 26, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007E3SNJ6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #528,504 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting March 17, 2012

By Crystal Schall

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

V. R. Christensen's Blind is a magnificently written and thought provoking book. Although set in the Victorian era, it brings forth the question that is still true today; disability or ability? The four characters in Blind have answered this question without even knowing it. The way each lives their answer is riveting and I was so completely taken in by it that I could not stop reading until the very last period.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent writing! April 2, 2012

By Lauren G

Format:Kindle Edition

This is a powerful novella. Extremely well-written, with a Jane Eyre-like atmosphere, it pulls you in very quickly. This was a quick read, but enjoyable and thought-provoking at the same time. The opening sentence pulls one in. "It is an undeniable irony of life that, despite his many blessings, man is an ungrateful brute, finding handicaps and obstacles in those things which ought to bless him." This sentence prepares you for the layers and levels you will find in this story. A very good read!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What does it take to truly see? March 1, 2012

By RAL in the West

Format:Kindle Edition

"Blind" begins innocuously enough at the English country home of a wealthy landowner. Before long, this pastoral setting veers sharply, propelling two men who have never met down unexpected, converging paths. A woman uses her paranormal gifts to bring together a deaf, half-blind pauper and a wealthy, spoiled, angry man. Her goal is to help them see, not just with their eyes, but with their souls. Delicate and colorful, with fully-fleshed-out characters, "Blind" packs a wallop in 40 pages.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Blind - A Novella June 18, 2012

By Darlene Williams

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

V.R. Christiensen, in the limited formula of a novella, creates a well-paced philosophical and humanitarian look at life during the 19th century. Not only does she demonstrate how other people viewed persons with a disability, but also how a person with a disability regarded themselves. An absorbing tale written in Victorian style. Characters who gave, took and were caught in circumstances beyond their control captured my atention on the first page and kept it until the final page. A thought provoking novella relevant to current societal views; a society that believes it has advanced immeasurably. V.R. Christensen leaves us with the question: Has it?

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound Morality Tale July 4, 2012

By Mary L. Locke

Format:Kindle Edition

In the tale of four people; Rebecca Adair, a woman with the talent to give people back what they have lost, Adelaide Hilton, too sensitive to others' pain for this world, Zachary Goodfellow, whose sweetness of soul has protected him from some of life's worst evils, and Arthur Tremonton, a man whose blindness turned out to be more profound than anyone imagined, V. R. Christensen has created a beautifully written parable of Victorian life and the best and worst it had to offer.

M. Louisa Locke

3.0 out of 5 stars boring December 1, 2012

By lyly

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

A superficial short story. But it does keep you interested for the short length of the book. The writing is good.

2 of 10 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Victorian morality tale June 27, 2012

By DevoGirl

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really wanted to like this story--it has all the elements I love: historical setting, blind heroes, romance. But unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations.

Arthur has been blind since birth, and lives as an angry, bitter shut-in. Zachary Goodfellow is also blind, kind of, and poor, but cheerful. As a result of a beating, he lost his hearing but regained some of his sight. Rebecca is a do-gooder who wants to help Arthur by hiring Zachary to be a companion to him, but Arthur's hateful attitude won't let him accept her help.

The treatment of blindness and deafness is not at all realistic. Zachary seems to get along with nothing more than a positive attitude. There's hardly any explanation of how he manages to do all the things he does. The bitter, angry blind man who shuts himself off from society is such a cliche. Rebecca has a big scar on her face, and thinks only a blind man could love her for who she is on the inside, also a huge cliche. And she has magic powers that allow the men to see and hear when she touches them. So their blindness and deafness is basically dispensed with in the crucial moments of the plot.

Although the author is a pretty good prose stylist, she goes a bit overboard in taking on the Victorian moralizing as well as the ornate language. Arthur is BAD and Zachary is GOOD, and there's never any doubt as to where the story is going. In demonstrating the rewards of virtue and meekness in the face of adversity, the characters come across as completely flat. There are some other cliches straight out of Dickens, but it might be a spoiler to say what. The setting is also quite thin. Is the the US or England? Why in a seemingly small village do people not know each other? Overall, I found it disappointing.

More About the Author

V.R. Christensen is a lifelong student of English culture and history, and she draws upon a wide range of knowledge and experience to construct her work. Focusing on the age old struggles that have riddled the human spirit, her intensely emotional stories draw a parallel between our day and those of an age passed, illustrating that, while some things have changed utterly, many others have stayed remarkably the same.