None So Blind

Author: L.J. Maas Publisher: Yellow Rose Books Year: 2000 Length: 373 pages Format: Soft Cover ISBN: 0974412104 Amazon Description Torrey Gray hasn't seen the woman she fell in love with in college for 15 years. Taylor Kent, now a celebrated artist, has spent the years trying to forget, albeit unsuccessfully, the young woman who walked out of Taylor’s life. Best friends forever, neither woman ever had the courage to speak of the passion they felt for one another. Now, an unusual but desperate request will throw the old friends together again. This time, will they be able to voice their unspoken desires, or has time become their enemy?

Commentary/Review

I first read, None So Blind, online. The author, LJ Maas is a well-known fan-fiction writer in the Xena-verse. If you've never read fan-fiction there are quite a few things you should be aware of, but I'm only going to mention a few of them.

1. There are a number of very bad writers. That's okay and to be expected. Many of the authors have never written anything before, and are just testing their wings. Some will grow and fly, and others will start exploring other creative avenues.


2. Reading fiction online, when the author is submitting updates chapter by chapter is a very different experience from reading a complete book. If the author or the concept is any good, you'll beg for more filler, just to get you by. You'll whine if the author submits a 5 page update, and salivate with joy for a 20-30 page update. In a well-crafted book, you don't want a lot of fluff (really).


3. Editors are the gods of the book world. A good editor can turn a mediocre book into a very good read. A bad editor can condemn a good story to utter banality. But in the online world, while a good editor is appreciated; no one really wants their weekly, monthly, or longer update held up by a good editor. Spellcheck is fine, and maybe some basic grammar correction; you can do the rest after we've read the update.

I mention the above three things, because you'll often note books on Amazon.com that have received rave reviews, then purchase them and think, "huh?!". Most people are rating the original fiction as posted online, as opposed to the book that was delivered, so it can be kind of hard to weed through what's true or not.

That said, LJ Maas, is one of the better writers in the Xena-verse, online and in the book. And "None So Blind" is a fabulous story— if you love romantic angst. If your not a fan of angst, please go elsewhere, you'll hate Torrey and Taylor with a vengeance. Come to think of it, I hate Torrey and Taylor with a vengeance. They inspire dreams of severe head slapping. But I love them still. Yes. None so blind is an appropriate title. But shoot me, if I every fall in love like that.

Basically, None So Blind is the story of a romance more than 15 years in the making. Two towhead college girls, meet, become best friends, and fall in-love with each other, but never bother to spill the beans. For 15 years, they suffer unrequited love, for no reason other than pure stupidity (yadda, yadda, yadda, on the personal growth stuff). Okay so that's a lie. The world conspires against them. They both grow as individuals, and are probably far more suited for a long-term romance fifteen years later, than they were before. But still. FIFTEEN YEARS!

What's great about the story, is that despite your frustration with the characters, is that you grow to love them. They are sweet, strong, and stoic. They do impossibly romantic things for each other. They love each other, very, very much, and you want them to be together. From their first meeting, which includes a raucous chase through a sorority house and ends with two pool drenched fools with cleaning buckets washing the walls.

Torrey and Taylor are classic characters. They embody the spirit of Xena and Gabrielle from the show Xena: Warrior Princess, without overly relying on the many attributes and character ticks of the shows characters. This is often the first failure that many fan fiction authors hit. Torrey is a successful author, much loved, and very alone, except for her troubled relationship with her daughter. Taylor is a very successful artist, living in the house she built for Torrey, also alone.

The two are brought back together through this scene:

"Taylor, are you there?" Torrey asked. Oh, yes, the voice was definitely real. No one in the world said the artist’s name quite like her old friend did. "Torrey?" A feeling like the blood draining from her body spread across her flesh. Her stomach became queasy and she started to sweat. Taylor sank heavily onto the stool. "Are you okay? Is Jess—" The artist started, suddenly alarmed.

"No, we’re okay...in a manner of speaking," Torrey answered, not knowing where to begin. Taylor knew Torrey was having an occasional problem with Jessica, but she would never have guessed the extent. "Stretch, I need..." Torrey raised her eyes to the ceiling, willing the tears not to fall. They rarely obeyed her, even though she was making a valiant effort. "What is it, honey?" Taylor asked, fourteen years disappearing into nothing as she felt she was seated on the floor of their room once again. The sound of her friend’s voice combined with the term of endearment opened the way as Torrey’s tears fell.

"I need to ask you a huge favor," Torrey said. "The answer is yes," Taylor answered. "You don’t even know what the favor is yet." Torrey laughed and cried at the same time. Taylor grinned into the receiver. "You know that doesn’t matter. What? You need to pay off a gambling debt? The answer is yes. You need a kidney? The answer is yes. You need—" "I need you to raise my daughter for six months," Torrey interjected. "You sure you wouldn’t rather have the kidney?" Taylor shot back.

The story easily draws you in. It kept me entertain for a few weeks on end when it was posted online; and for a few hours when reading in book format. The book format editing could be tighter, but the story is still heart-wrenching and awe inspiring, and your so happy when Torrey and Taylor finally get a clue, that its easy to overlook the books shortcomings.

So if you like you romance angst full. Go buy None So Blind. You'll read it again, and again.

Rating

Purchase Notice

Note: All books can mentioned in this section of the website can be purchased at Amazon.com. Proceeds from the Amazon.com Associate directly benefit Nonprofit Tech, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicating to providing technology services for nonprofit, educational, and public institutions; whom I work with. If that does not discourage you, then buy None So Blind from Amazon.com

Other Details

Genre: Gay & Lesbian, Literature & Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Lesbian
Categories: fan fiction •fiction •
Viewed: 893
Comments: 0
Permalink: http://www.wide-eyed.org/books/article/none_so_blind/

Comments

Sorry, no comments right now; but you could be the first.

Name:

Emai (*)l:

Location:

URL:

Smileys

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?