A warm-hearted tale about an angry girl and her devotion to an ugly, blind, big-hearted horse. A sweet story for animal lovers of all ages. ( )

such a good book! Read this if you like horses, suspence, and a good book! ( )

This truly amazing book starts with a foal being born from a very old horse, except there's only one problem. It's born with no eyes. A little girl looked after this horse... but is later taken away from home by her mother and she goes rapidly downhill with her mother's new husband, she becomes disobedient and reckless. Her step father (after she has been expelled from all of the schools in the area) gets her a job at a near stable yard. She is depressed at first and does all that she can to get fired until a new horse comes. The passport comes with his name 'Buffoon' which matches his awkward bones and gangly legs. But then she scans down the passport and sees the name of is mother... the foal with no eyes that she had loved so much. She then loves him to bits and races him... until something terrible happens.
I'm not going to tell the end, I'll leave you to find out yourself. But it is a really good book to read and I would recommend it to all age groups. It will never grow old! K M Peyton also write the Flambards series, if you like this, I would recommend having a look at those too!

At 12, Tessa is "excluded" - essentially, expelled - from her third boarding school. Unable to find anywhere else for her to go, her (despised, rich and unfeeling) stepfather foists her on some of his tenants who train and race horses. Tessa is determined to be sacked as fast as she can, until she is given responsibility for looking after the ungainly horse Buffoon. Buffoon heritage has sentimental value for Tessa and she forms the unlikely dream of seeing Buffoon succeed. Blind Beauty is follows Tessa as she grows up and endeavours to pursue her dream, despite the odds against her.

This is very much about the underdog. Tessa's a bit of a teenage delinquent, working for a poor stable in an industry where most jockeys are men and she has pinned her hopes on the 'underhorse'. There's always something inspiring about seeing someone overcome seeming-insurmountable obstacles (even if they are fictional), and I especially like how Tessa is a drop-out and teenage delinquent who is nevertheless able to inspire others. She's smart, and although she relates to horses much better than humans, she wins the friendship and respect of others who want to help her. I also enjoyed Blind Beauty's vivid portrayal of the particular section the horse-racing world it is concerned with.
It's a fantastic story and been my favourite by K.M. Peyton for years. ( )