Blind Beauty

Tessa is the child of a tumultuous marriage and in her early childhood love and security were found with Shiner, her father's blind bay mare. Even this solace is lost when Myra, her mother, leaves her father, and she and Tessa live with Maurice, Myra's second husband. Tessa is 'excluded' from a number of boarding schools due to her unruly behaviour. Her life is without purpose, until she finds work in a local racing stable. She sets all of her considerable determination on becoming a jockey and racing in the Grand National on Buffoon, the ungainly and unattractive foal of Tessa's beloved Shiner. The greedy and unscrupulous Maurice and Tessa have been set on a collision course ever since they met, providing a dynamic on which much of the plot pivots. Many young girls will empathise with Tessa in her struggles to break into racing and to come to terms with the world against which she rages. More discerning readers will find that the characters are stereotyped and somewhat two-dimensional, but horse-mad youngsters will devour Blind Beauty for whom it will provide a sustained and enjoyable read.