29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You won't want to put it down!, January 30, 2002
This review is from: None So Blind (Paperback)
L.J. Maas has written a captivating and touching romance of unrequited love and survival against difficult odds in None So Blind.
Torrey Gray and Taylor Kent -- who bear a striking resemblance to the actors Renee O'Connor and Lucy Lawless -- first meet at the Tau Alpha Zeta sorority house when Torrey is a college freshman and Taylor a senior. It is August 1981. The two legacy sisters make an unlikely duo but become fast friends. The openly lesbian and rebellious, art student, Taylor, does have a tendency to lead the younger Torrey into trouble. Yet the genuinely kind, caring and responsible Torrey has a stabilizing effect on her friend.
These talented, intelligent and likable women live together for almost four years during their late adolescence. Both women finish college. Torrey writes her first book while Taylor begins her art career. The best friends support one another as they struggle in those vulnerable, challenging years of early adulthood. They also carefully, and perhaps unconsciously, intentionally misunderstand one another. Taylor assumes the younger Torrey isn't gay and Torrey assumes Taylor isn't attracted to her. Or to paraphrase Torrey, "sometimes love isn't blind, she's just plain stupid." (p364)
Although they've never lost touch with one another, the two women went their separate ways when the strain of their miscommunication hurt too much to continue to live together. Some 15 years later, Torrey asks for Taylor's help and, as promised, Taylor will do her best to help.
Maas does a wonderful job weaving the past and present together as the women find themselves meeting again after so many years. Unrequited love can be very bittersweet as achingly depicted in Torrey's first interaction with Kat in New York in 1991. Both women realize that almost two decades of maturity has increased their understanding of themselves and each other; as well as their potential for happiness together and the capacity for love. Maas deals sensitively with issues of coming out and substance abuse over the course of the story. She provides an erotic denouement that is romantic, loving and electric.
The practice of Tai-Chi and particularly the Tai-Chi symbol -- more popularly known as the "yin yang" symbol -- is a leitmotif that Maas threads through None So Blind. Perhaps my favorite example of this theme is the image of Torrey and Taylor on the night they go to Chancey's.
In addition to the lead characters' appearance, there are enough winking references to Xena for fans to recognize this as "Uber fiction." However, these references strike this reader as a pleasant inside joke more than any real connection with the show. Certainly, Torrey and Taylor are Maas' creation and a reader with no particular affinity for the show, can enjoy None So Blind, completely.
Other readers may not identify as strongly with this novel as this reviewer, who was in college during the same years as Torrey. Still, one might consider this warning should you treat yourself to this novel: Be sure you have the time to read None So Blind's 373 pages, because you won't want to put it down.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful story, February 22, 2001
This review is from: None So Blind (Paperback)
This story captivated me from beginning to end. It takes us through two women's lives from their days as college roommates, and into their late 30's. LJ Maas weaves a beautiful tale of friendship and love. I highly recommend this one.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One word: Awesome, September 28, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: None So Blind (Paperback)
My favorite of LJ's works! This was the first story from LJ Maas that I found on the internet, and I read it at least twice in that first weekend. I was thrilled when I realized it was in print, and received my own copy - what a gift! - and it is now dog-eared and very well-loved. The characters are amazing and so easy to connect with, the writing it excellent, and this is just one of her books.
The friendship that sparks between Taylor and Torrey comes right off the page. You'll find yourself smiling at their banter, tearing up at the hard times, and wanting to shake some sense into them more than once. Through flashbacks that show the development of these characters, LJ takes you along for the ride as they grow - both individually and together, and you are left feeling as though you've known them for years. It is a sign of a great author when you get to the end, close the book, and sigh with a smile.
You will not be disappointed... this is the type of wonderful reading to keep you up late at night, wanting to read just one more page, and before you know it, it's two o'clock in the morning and you've finished it! So what do you do? You start over and read it again.
None So Blind is worth a read or two... all right, so at least four or five.
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