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manarnia's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A bit meandering, but overall an engrossing fantasy book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction, Rape, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Gore, War, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexual violence
albusmumblecore's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
this was genuinely one of the most annoying depictions of women that i’ve ever read. i don’t think patrick rothfuss hates us or anything, but i’m not sure he’s ever actually interacted with a woman.
i am a long term fantasy reader, i am used to male authors writing male dominant stories with sidelined and sexualized female characters. i am also used to male readers praising books full of this trope and not even recognizing it. name of the wind is no exception yet there was also something about its specific depiction of women that deeply pissed me off.
there are noticeably few women in the entire story for no clear reason, even as background characters, and it’s even pointed out that women are a rarity at the magic school (why?). nearly every female character is sexualized or traumatized. i don’t criticize authors lightly. this was a genuinely fucking weird depiction of women. they exist to be pitied or lusted after by the narrator.
women and girls are described as, without any awareness of it being problematic:
1) “Young, pretty, unassuming...The sort of girl who spent her life in a perpetual flinch because the innkeeper had a temper and a sharp tongue and wasn’t afraid to show her the back of his hand.”
2) a thirteen year old: “She threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek...I hadn’t noticed before, but she was beautiful.”
3) a fifteen year old: involved with a man twice her age (and using him), discussed by said man, who is a sympathetic character and friend to the protagonist
4) instinctively and universally disliking a female character because she gets male attention (this epiphany is told to a teen boy as genuine advice by an adult man)
at one point, a male character POINTS OUT that there’s a “paucity of women” in the tale, and the main character goes yes of course my guy you are so right, it is missing a **singular woman** who of course has a mysterious traumatic background and then at one point needs rescue by our hero.
this was also a wildly exhausting book to read, and took me 6 weeks when i’m typically a 1-3 day reader. anyway, i enjoyed the overarching story and i will read the sequel because i’m an idiot clown.
i am a long term fantasy reader, i am used to male authors writing male dominant stories with sidelined and sexualized female characters. i am also used to male readers praising books full of this trope and not even recognizing it. name of the wind is no exception yet there was also something about its specific depiction of women that deeply pissed me off.
there are noticeably few women in the entire story for no clear reason, even as background characters, and it’s even pointed out that women are a rarity at the magic school (why?). nearly every female character is sexualized or traumatized. i don’t criticize authors lightly. this was a genuinely fucking weird depiction of women. they exist to be pitied or lusted after by the narrator.
women and girls are described as, without any awareness of it being problematic:
1) “Young, pretty, unassuming...The sort of girl who spent her life in a perpetual flinch because the innkeeper had a temper and a sharp tongue and wasn’t afraid to show her the back of his hand.”
2) a thirteen year old: “She threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek...I hadn’t noticed before, but she was beautiful.”
3) a fifteen year old: involved with a man twice her age (and using him), discussed by said man, who is a sympathetic character and friend to the protagonist
4) instinctively and universally disliking a female character because she gets male attention (this epiphany is told to a teen boy as genuine advice by an adult man)
at one point, a male character POINTS OUT that there’s a “paucity of women” in the tale, and the main character goes yes of course my guy you are so right, it is missing a **singular woman** who of course has a mysterious traumatic background and then at one point needs rescue by our hero.
this was also a wildly exhausting book to read, and took me 6 weeks when i’m typically a 1-3 day reader. anyway, i enjoyed the overarching story and i will read the sequel because i’m an idiot clown.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, and Sexism
Minor: Pedophilia
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