Not By Sight

"In 1917 London, misguided suffragette Grace Mabry hands a white feather of cowardice to Jack Benningham, secretly serving as an English spy, neither aware of the extent of the danger and betrayal soon to surround them both"--

User reviews

LibraryThing member Stardust_Fiddle

Be Thou My Vision

“For King, For Country, For Freedom.” As a suffragette and staunch supporter of the war effort, Grace Mabry defies social convention in 1917 England, much to her wealthy father’s chagrin. With her fiery spirit and outspoken nature, trouble seems to follow in her wake. Now

that World War I is raging, women are leaving their traditional roles inside the home to take jobs vacated by servicemen and to contribute to the war effort. Eager to do her part, Grace signs on with the Women’s Forage Corps, despite her lack of experience with farm work. In so doing, she begins to realize her naiveté about the lower social classes. She also unwittingly comes into contact with Jack Benningham, whose reputation as a rake and conscientious objector to the war is well known among London’s upper crust. What follows is a journey of faith and intrigue as alliances are tested and treachery revealed.

Demonstrating the same phenomenal level of literary artistry and historical detail that characterized her debut novel, “For Such a Time,” Kate Breslin takes readers on a voyage that is both heartfelt and suspenseful. The characters spring to life with relatable flaws and a depth that makes them authentic and memorable, while the lush descriptions of the English countryside paint an almost tangible portrait of rural existence. Allusions to such classics as “The Scarlet Pimpernel” and “The Phantom of the Opera” enhance the storyline without detracting from its originality, and the theme of Christianity woven throughout the narrative expresses gentle faith in action. There is also an author’s note as well as discussion questions appended to the story itself. “Not By Sight” is definitely a novel to be savored!

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LibraryThing member Virginia51

First off, fantastic! This was so hard to put down. I learned new things about what went on in the English countryside. Grace loves her country and wants all men to fight so that the war will end sooner and her brother can come home. She does something that she almost regrets and than ends up

joining the Woman's Forage Corps. Here she and other women take over jobs that normally male farmhands do. While here she meets Jack Benningham, who is an aristocrat who has lost his sight. Grace begins driving him in his car and teaches him to join the world again and to face his scarring. I loved the storyline and all the characters, even the ones you want to hate. I received this book from the author fir a fair and honest opinion. FANTASTIC

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LibraryThing member BookwormMama14

Espionage is at its height during WWI. The slightest piece of evidence, whether legitimate or not, can mean the difference between life and death.

Grace Mabry is full of patriotic ideals. She believes there is no excuse for fit and able young men to stay home and drink champagne and attend fancy

parties. Grace sneaks into a masquerade ball to hand out white feathers of cowardice in her efforts to aide the war. She slips a feather into the hands of Jack Benningham, heir to the Earl of Stonebrook. Unbeknownst to her the events that are set into motion by that one act. Both Jack and Grace are soon forced to learn the true meaning of walking by faith, not by sight.

"She taught me to never back down and to always stand up for what I believed in."

Not by Sight has to be one of the most spellbinding books that I have read. On multiple occasions I had to remind myself to breathe. I couldn't even put the book down to walk from point A to point B. And my eyes kept sliding to the end of each page, and therefore causing me to reread the whole page again. The depth of feeling and emotion between the characters is very real. I found the personalities very developed and would love it if Grace were to ring me up and we could discuss her whole adventure. The story line changes perspectives between more characters than I had expected, but it gave valuable insight into the circumstances that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. I was constantly reminded of the BBC show Land Girls (Netflix) which is set during WWII. There is another show called Bomb Girls (Netflix), also WWII, that is similar but set in a munitions factory rather than on a farm. Both are excellent, and I highly recommend them. Pick up a copy of Not by Sight and be transported to the middle of WWI. Say goodbye to housework and sleep, because this intriguing story will completely pull you in. I am on my way to re-watch both shows now!

I received a free copy of Not by Sight from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

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LibraryThing member Virginia51

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LibraryThing member BookwormMama14

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LibraryThing member alekee

I love historical fiction and this story sure didn’t disappoint, we are in WWI and living in England. Grace Mabry’s father owns a successful teashop, and she has grown up not wanting for much, except loosing her mother at a young age. Now with the war on she wants to do her part, and her twin

brother is fighting the Germans. As a prank, or to make them think, she crashes an elite society party and passes out white feathers, a sign of cowardness.
When her father and Aunt get word of this fiasco she is sent to the Woman’s Forage Corps, they work crops for the horses fighting for their country. You can guess at whose estate she ends up at, yes! Jack Benningham, or aka Earl of Stonebrooke, whose property is helping the cause, and whom she gifted with her feather.
What a twisted and intriguing story this is, and the pages turned so fast, I never wanted it to end. I felt I was living in this time period, and learned so much about what was going on during this era.
The author’s note at the end really shook me when she told of the famous spy Mata Hari and some relatively unknow facts. A must read, you won’t be disappointed in this one!

I received this book through Bethany House Book Blogger Program, and was not required to give a positive review.

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LibraryThing member ChristianShelfEsteem

Why I chose this title…

Last summer I read Kate Breslin’s debut novel For Such a Time with the ladies of my Christian book club. It generated so much conversation and the story was so rich that I have anticipated the release of Not by Sight since last June. Well, it’s here–and it was worth

the wait!

My Thoughts

For her sophomore novel, Breslin has chosen to immerse her readers into a story of romance and espionage. The year is 1917, London is in the midst of the Great War with many young men valiantly serving in the war effort. At home, women patriots are doing their part by serving in the Women’s Forage Corps and the Women’s Land Army. It’s grueling work, but they hope their service to king and country will hasten the end of the war. A few conscientious objector “conchies” remain, who refuse to heed the call to arms. For example, Jack Benningham becomes the target of Ms. Gracy Mabry, whose move to publicly shame Benningham by giving him a white feather of cowardice sets off a sequence of irreversible and life altering events.

I found the character Grace to have a luminescent inner beauty which radiated into the lives of others. As I learned more about Grace, a multitude of bible verses about women living out our Christian faith came to mind such as 1 Peter 3:3-4, John 13:35, and 1 John 3:18 to list a few. Like all believers, her faith does not preclude her from making mistakes. In fact, her naiveté was both her greatest strength and an unfortunate weakness.

Unlike For Such a Time, which gave readers a front row seat to wartime atrocities, this book follows the war from a much safer distance. I find that it rests more heavily on the interpersonal relationships of the characters and less on the historical intrigue that won me to the author initially. Regardless, the book possessed exquisite imagery as well as a precious cast of characters, making it delightfully entertaining selection.

Not by Sight proved to be another book club worthy title by Breslin. It’s sure to stir up plenty of group conversation about friendships, forgiveness, misperceptions and betrayal.

4.5/5 stars

** I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.**

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LibraryThing member lamb521

Title: Not By Sight
Author: Kate Breslin
Pages: 384
Year: 2015
Publisher: Bethany
My rating is 5+ stars out of 5.
Not by Sight is an exceptional piece of historical writing set during WWI in England with characters that are mesmerizing. We are introduced to a young woman whose brother is in France

fighting. She despises those who are still at home enjoying life and wealth; her name is Grace Mabry. Grace’s father owns a tea shop in London, but her mother has died. Grace believes the only way to get others in the fight is to shame them by giving them a white feather. Now, if you’re not aware of what the white feather stands for, it stands for cowardice. This I learned by watching a 1939 movie called, The Four Feathers, which was remade in 2002.
Grace attends a masquerade ball with her maid. She is uninvited, but she will do what she believes will get the war over sooner and her brother home faster. The man she sees and slips the feather to is a man named Jack and what occurs after that moment will keep people turning pages until the very end of the novel! I couldn’t put the book aside for long as the storyline captivated my attention and heart as well as an intense desire to see how the character interactions would play out.
Kate Breslin also wrote For Such a Time, which is another work of historical fiction that reaches out from the pages and captures the heart of anyone who reads the tale. Inside Not By Sight is a tale of mystery, intrigue, courage, love, and more during a time when life was dangerous and sometimes short. There is a group known as WFC (Women’s Forage Corps) where women come together to perform various tasks to send aid to those overseas or those living at home. Grace is a part of a group sent by her father after her actions at the masquerade ball. It was really intriguing to read how these various women worked together and how their group is singled out and investigated because a spy is believed to be in their midst.
Not By Sight is a rich and rewarding masterpiece that I can highly recommend! Don’t forget to read her first novel, For Such a Time, which is also captivating. I highly anticipate whatever may come next from the pen of Kate Breslin!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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LibraryThing member Harley0326

I received a copy of this book from book fun.org for an honest review.

I love historical fiction. They sweep you away to another era as you learn about how the culture was during that time. This book is set in 1917 when WWl was being fought. We are introduced to Jack Bennington , who happens to be

heir to Earl of Stonebrooke. It seems he has quite a reputation as being a bit wild but since he is an heir, his status in society is upstanding. Now the plot thickens. If you want to be a spy, what better cover then a high society man with a flare for being wild? Who would suspect someone like Jack as a spy? Jack is secretly working for the Crown tracking German spies who are operating on British soil.

Grace is a wealthy suffragette who is willing to do anything to help her country. She gets all dressed up in a fancy gown and enters a well to do London Masquerade ball. What is her mission there? Will her presence set off a wave of danger for Jack? Why does she assume he is a coward?

I love a book with great character development and this books does not disappoint. The story has intrigue, deception, overcoming obstacles and did I mention a patriotic theme? There is evil in the world, and this book touches on that with characters that have a strong belief in faith.

Jack will experience a life changing event that will have him angry at times, and despondent at other times. Will Grace become the person to reach him? I love reading about strong women and Grace is definitely a strong fiercely driven young woman. I was captivated by the story as it weaved through history and drew readers to a powerful ending.

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LibraryThing member mbarkman

World War I seems so distant. The stories that we read about that time are often romantic in nature, when it was as hard as war is now. Kate Breslin gives us a look into how the war was fought in London. Feisty Grace does her best to aid the war from her perspective. Not By Sight is the perfect

title for this novel, as not everything is as it seems. My Dad's saying "Believe only half of what you see and nothing of what you hear" is brought out very vividly as people are swept up in the war effort. I became a participant in the story as I lived it beside Grace and her counterparts. Times were hard, and suspicions ran wild. I loved learning about the Women's Forage Crops, and watched as Grace worked hard to do her part. There were twists and turns to the story that kept me involved in the story and turning pages, and there were a few surprises, too, that I did not suspect until the end. I enjoyed this novel.
Thank you to Graf-Martin Publicity Group through their program Nuts About Books and Bethany House, a division of Revell Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this novel. I was given a free book in exchange for an honest review. A positive critique was not required. The opinions are my own.

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LibraryThing member waclements7

** spoiler alert ** A re-telling of beauty and the beast, sort of, during WWI Britain. I didn't realize it was inspirational historical fiction--I usually don't read inspirational fiction, and this wasn't too bad but does verge on preachy at times, especially near the end. If you like inspirational

fiction, it will definitely be your cup of tea. It was pretty enjoyable and a quick read. I did fact check a couple of things because I am pretty interested in WWI. I learned that there were air raids, which I hadn't known. One major thing near the end which is incorrect, however, is the use of the term "concentration camp." It wasn't a concentration camp, it was an internment camp--I make that distinction because it is a major difference between the two wars. They are really not interchangeable terms. It's used as a factor in the betrayal of one of the characters, because she is forced to spy as her family is in grave danger in the "concentration camp." Wiki calls Holzminden a "Internierungslager," and while not described as a pleasant place was a far cry from an actual concentration camp.

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LibraryThing member Medievalgirl

I'm stepping rather outside my comfort zone with my Netgalley requests for this year. Not by sight is a Romance set during the First World War- no doubt inspired by the massively popular Downton Abbey series, and the first book of this Genre I have ventured to read set in this period.

With the plot

based around espionage, I almost imagined something that might be after the order of the classic spy thriller, 'The Thirty Nine-Steps'. There were perhaps shades of the more recent BBC Adaptation with the elements of Romance, and some unexpected characters being pulled in- but the Drama was more of a Domestic, cosy kind, based on the relationships and interactions between the leading characters.
It would also be possible to see some shades of series such as 'The Land Girls', given the Emphasis on the lives, loves, and struggles of Grace, and her fellows in the Women's Forage Corps that 'flesh out' the book.

It must be said, it’s not the best spy novel in the world. The culprit was a bit predictable, and neither side seemed especially sharp in their methods of detection. Yet, I got the impression that this was not supposed to be the main thrust of the story.
Some have complained about the lack of action in the main section of the novel, and its focus (perhaps over-emphasis) on the girls and their farming activities. This did not bother me per se, as that was what they were there to do, and it allowed for the development of some interesting backstories for the minor characters, even if some of these were a little on the melodramatic side.
Admittedly, the story it did drag a little in places, though I enjoyed some of the descriptive passages that others may have had little time for. Then again, it might not have been entirely necessary for the characters to explain the way that being confronted with reality had changed them, when this was made obvious elsewhere.

As to the protagonists, I took to Jack reasonably well, and his reactions and attitudes seemed reasonably realistic (except perhaps falling head over heels for a women who may have been working for the enemy). Grace, whilst, likable and caring at times, could be a bit of a goody- two-shoes, and rather self-righteous in places, convinced that her political ideology was the only solution to almost all of the problems in her society.
Maybe it’s just that I don't get on with people who like to get on their soapbox, and preach about the evils of anything that does not fit into their preconceived belief system to the point that their outlook becomes rather unrealistic. For instance, Grace complains about women 'bearing the brunt' of arranged marriages, but does not seem to consider than men were subject to them just as often- and of apparently will not even entertain the idea that such arrangements could even possibly be happy.

The romance itself was something of a mixed bag. Sometimes the characters behaved sensibly and courteously like mature adults, and the idea of getting past appearances to find out what a person was really like was done well. As things got further on, there seemed to be more emphasis on kissing, touching, and 'longing' for one another, with sudden changes in emotion or outlook.

The historical details were interesting, and the faith elements worked well-even if they were a little clichéd. My main complaint was the whole story being absolutely riddled with Americanisms in the character's speech, and even some of their manners.
I'm sure there were a couple of scenes in which the characters were eating with only a fork, as Americans are accustomed to, rather than a knife and fork, as is more usual in Britain, and would have been amongst the upper classes at this time. I suppose it’s to be expected, but this still irks me. I almost think, if an author chooses to set a novel is a culture and country other than their own, they should research the speech patterns, and customs of that culture, and try to accurately represent them to some degree.
The geographical descriptions of the region in which the story was set were correct as far as I could tell, and real effort seems to have been put in to making sure this was the case, so why not for other aspects as well?

I would consider reading more by this author, and perhaps this one again, but I feel there was some scope for improvement.

I received an E-book version from the Publisher via Netgalley for review. I was not required to write a positive one and all opinions expressed are my own.

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LibraryThing member polarmath

An interesting tale set during World War 2. The characters in the book are caught up in working for what they believe in as well as keeping up appearances. Grace is doing all she can for the cause out of love for her brother as well as a belief in the cause. Jack is not as he seems, acting one way

and in truth believing another.
I liked seeing how the main characters come to understand each other and come to realize just who they really are and what they believe in. I like books set in a historical setting as they let me see how things were during this time as well as giving insight into the people of the time as well.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review.

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LibraryThing member juliecracchiolo

Kate Breslin’s second novel, Not by Sight, is based on one of my favorite Bible quotes from 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we live by faith, not by sight.” Faith, on many level, plays a big role in this wonderful story.
Breslin uses this quote to return to WWI and the horrors that England is facing.

The main protagonist, Grace Mabry, has every reason to feel more than patriotic. Her twin brother Colin is fighting in the trenches of France. Grace believes that every able-bodied man should be in uniform. Grace herself is in uniform; she’s joined the Women’s Forage Corps (WFC). But her reasons for joining are not strictly patriotism.
Before she leaves for the English country to bale hay for the calvary, she sneaks into one of aristocracy’s ball and boldly hands one a rakish society member, Jack Benningham, a white feather. The white feather is a sign of cowardice. Jack is furious.
The story jumps ahead three months. Grace has arrived at her assignment with her maid and fellow enlistee, Agnes. As Grace learns what it means to do physical labor, she is intrigued by the estate’s owner, whom the other girls in the WFC refer to as “The Tin Man.” When she stumbles upon him relaxing near the manor house, the novel’s main plot is set in motion.
An excellent read. I really enjoyed learning about a little-known role women played during The Great War.
Either I missed it, or there is a big hole in the story. The lord of the manor has hardly been out the house since he arrived to convalesce from wounds he received while conducting his military service. He’s only been there three months, yet the villagers, the farmhands, and even the WFC girls have given him a Phantom-of-the-Opera-esque mystique, which didn’t read true to me. Supposedly no one knows he’s there, yet he has this reputation. And that’s the reason I give Not by Sight 4 out of 5 stars.

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LibraryThing member SarahGraceGrzy

*applauds* Well done, Ms. Breslin, well done! I just don't even know where to start with describing this gem.

I guess we can start off with the cover first. Oh. My. Goodness. It is just beyond gorgeous! Talk about design goals! The fonts, the colors, the arrangement, just everything is so perfect

and so beautiful. I can't wait till I have a gorgeous paperback to grace my bookshelves.

The characters. Grace is an incredibly multifaceted character. I was a little wary at first, as she is a very outspoken suffragette, but thankfully it wasn't as much in the story as I anticipated. I particularly related to her close relationship with her brother and her desire to help him, even if some of her actions weren't the best, the heart was right. And Jack.
The romance was without a doubt, the best part of this book for me. I love, love loved how it was almost entirely focused on a personalheart attraction as opposed to a physical attraction that is often portrayed in so many romance novels. Due to certain circumstances that I can say (#spoilers), the characters had to dig deeper, instead of focusing on physical characteristics and attraction. It was just so good, okay?

The plot was incredibly well done, and especially towards the end, I couldn't put the book down! The ending was beautiful and had me sobbing. The WWI setting was absolutely amazing, as I expected.

All in all, this was a phenomenal novel, and I cannot wait to read more by this incredibly author! Definitely go grab yourself a copy of this beautiful piece of literature!

Recommended for ages 14-15 for romance

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LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35

I normally love reading fiction set in this era, but something felt off about the characters, as though they weren't quite of their time and place. Grace's passion for suffrage felt stilted and for a character so well regarded, I thought there were a number of times she was downright cruel (such as

when she stops a young women from stealing food to feed her family). She does learn from some of these experiences in the book, but I felt the character had a lot more room to grow. In general, the romance between Jack and Grace felt very contrived, although that may be due my own annoyance with male characters who fall in love upon sight of a beautiful woman. It took me longer than normal to finish a book of this length, but I'm happy to have finished it and be on to my next book.

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