Blind Beauty

An epic horse story the cover proclaimed! And epic it was, one of the most enjoyable books I have read for a while. Not since I read the Man From Snowy River I and II have I 'devoured' a book, as I did with this, I just couldn't wait to see what would happen next. It took a few chapters to really get going and get into this book, but once again K M Peyton proved what a fantastic author she is. Several of my books about her quote 'There are few born story tellers but K M Peyton is one of them' How true this is.

Initially I was not sure of Tessa and quite where she was going, but you couldn't help but warm to this mixed up young girl, how many real Tessa's are there pleading for help out there you wonder? As for Buffoon, the raw-boned and ugly TB, well everyone loves an underdog and the clever way his past and present were linked to Tessa, another under dog, was fantastically portrayed. I guess some people would liken this to both Free Rein (Last Ditch) and Darkling, and indeed it does have elements of both these wonderful stories - Battling against adversity and a difficult family life and the obvious comparison to Free Rein of running a horse in the National.
But unlike Free Rein we were taken on a journey with Tessa and Buffoon and shared the highs and lows and although somewhat predictable (or it would have been for any other author) and a little unbelievable I was willing Tessa and Buffoon to win and did hope for once a happy ending. Fortunately on this occasion K M Peyton did not disappoint. Not that she ever does but I like the fact her books are usually very realistic and not always happily ever after, in fact hardly any of her books end how one predicts which is why it was nice in this case that she chose to run with the predictable ending. After all Dogwood died trying, and this ending would not have been fitting to Buffoon; Jenny and Darkling part company at the end and even her younger books such as Swallow trilogy and Poor Badger do not have the ending you were expecting them to have.