Blindsight
Gee, MauriceNarrated by Alice as an old woman looking back over the mistakes and tragedy of her family history. At the heart of the story, lies the relationship between Alice and her brother, Gordon, and the mystery behind their estrangement. For more than thirty years, they do not meet. Then, a young man appears at Alice's door, claiming a relationship she never knew she had. NZ Interest. Winner Montana NZ Book Awards Deutz Medal for Fiction, 2006. [Larger font]
Comments from Groups
We loved this book. What a great storyteller Maurice Gee is and a master of language. Auckland 025 Some of us did not like the characters, however despite this we had an excellent, wide ranging discussion (one of the best). We all agreed this book is perfect for the scheme. Christchurch 001 Good book for discussion, as it had complex themes. A bit hard to get into but worth persisting. Christchurch 312 We all enjoyed the book. To most of us, the ending was a surprise. Only one member of our group predicted the ending. A good discussion book. Rawene 001 This book was enjoyed by everyone in our group, it was set largely in our landscape which was another plus. Wellington 156 Very much Maurice Gee style of writing and character profiling. Group felt it was very grey and ddepressing at times. Great ability to peel back the layers on what appears to be a 'normal' family who were 'not normal' - i.e committed murder. Auckland 280
Pages
192
192
Year
2005
2005
Reviews
29-08-2022
There was a variety of opinions on the book, from "really enjoyed it", to moderate enthusiasm. Some were surprised by the ending, while others saw it coming a long way off. Generally all found it very readable and well-written. Surprisingly, for many it was the first Maurice Gee book they had read.
29-08-2022
Although we all admired the writing skills, most found the book rather depressing.
29-08-2022
The group thought this was not one of the best of Maurice Gee's novels. We may have been influenced by the unsympathetic narrator. We did think, however, that the path Gordon took to become 'the bucket man' was believable. Entertaining on the whole, with much human interest.
29-08-2022
Only one member disliked this book. We thought there was a lot of information left out due to the first person character telling the story, so there was lively discussion. We enjoyed the Wellington setting.
29-08-2022
All group members enjoyed the book. We appreciated Gee's writing style and the way he can evoke images. There was an interesting discussion about families and family relationships.
29-08-2022
A little dark, but liked by most of us. Enjoyed the unexpected twist at the finish.
29-08-2022
Most of the group did appreciate 'Blindsight', especially the imagery and being able to relate to the very "New Zealand-ness" of it. We thought the characters were convincing to the extent that eg. Alice's aberrant personality was disturbing, Gordon's "change" was interestingly created, and so on. Some of us found we needed to read back to establish some of the relationships. But it was a masterly piece of writing, and the ending is wonderfully surprising.
29-08-2022
We all loved the N.Z. references (so good) - those who lived in Wellington recognised a lot of it. Not as good as the 'Plum' trilogy, and we're not sure how well he captures the female protagonist. A good but quite light book. As one person said, "quite forgettable". We found the notes VERY good and thoughtful.
29-08-2022
All loved it - some almost gave up reading it early on, but after a couple of chapters it got going. Alice is an interesting character (dominating Gordon), and Gordon was a very believable character.
29-08-2022
All enjoyed this book and particularly the craft of Gee's writing. Several identified with the geographical settings, including our Henderson girl - Nelson and Wellington also resonated. There was good discussion around the judgements regarding homelessness, relationships in families etc.
29-08-2022
Loved this book - wonderful writing.
29-08-2022
We generally found this book quite dark.
23-08-2021
Our response to this book was mixed - well-written, odd, depressing were all comments that were made. For some, the setting resonated. Maurice Gee is an excellent writer.