Book Review: Blind Hope (Meeder & Sacher)

Let me start out by saying that I am a huge fan of dog books in general.  I started out as a young girl, reading James Herriot books, and over the years have added books such as The Art of Racing in the Rain, to my list of all time favorites.  Therefore, I was excited to read Blind Hope, by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the way the story was told.  The book is narrated by Meeder, the owner/operator of Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch.  She tells the story, mainly through dialogue, of Sacher, a staff worker at the ranch.  Laurie, in turn, tells the story of her blind dog, Mia, and the lessons she learned from her.  Don’t get me wrong, the story is good, and the lessons learned, admirable, but the relaying of stories from one person to another and finally to the reader allows the plot to become rather lackluster.  As the reader, I found it somewhat monotonous to overhear a conversation that someone had with someone else about their life.  I would have found it much more interesting if Sacher just wrote her own book.

Aside from the storytelling aspect, the book is sweet.  Themes of brokenness, trust, and hope run through, all pointing Sacher back to her relationship with God.   Some of the lessons seem rather cheesy, but I chalk it up to the writing, not to the actual story.

In the end, I would probably skip this book if you are an avid reader of dog/animal books.  There are many more out there better written.  However, if this is your first go around with a canine story, I think it is a sweet, simple read to add to your library.


(Waterbrook Multomah Publishers/Blogging for Books provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.)