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dromwald's review against another edition
5.0
I really wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the premise of this one but once again Kay's storytelling blew me away. In fact, if anything, I think this tale by this author is the best so far. I can't wait to devour the next one I have downloaded to my nook.
shoutman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
subparcupcake's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first Kay novel, and I was extremely impressed. I'll definitely be reading more from him, and soon! It was beautifully written, and had an very engaging plot. The characters were very well drawn, and I found myself connecting to all of them. For me that's definitely essential in a book - if I don't care about the characters I won't care about the story. That certainly wasn't an issue here. I can't wait to read more from Kay! Highly recommended.
xeyra1's review against another edition
4.0
I love Guy Gavriel Kay's writing. It's probably one of the best in the genre, in terms of how lush and flowing it is and how beautifully a sentence is built to convey an idea in ways that surprise and impress and elevate. A Song for Arbonne shares this beautiful prose with the other novels I've read and really enjoyed by this author, though it still doesn't compare to my absolute favorite of his (and one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time, Tigana).
Kay's writing really transports you into the world and the cultures (inspired by our own) he brings to life. That's his great strength, as well as his ability to create a self-contained story with a beginning and an end, without needing to drag it through multiple books, and still make it complex enough to entertain and interest. A Song for Arbonne has political intrigue, interesting characters, warring nations motivated by religion and its last chapters are probably going to make you cry (I did!) both with sadness and happiness, and make you blink in surprise and admire the way foreshadowing is used for things you'd never would have considered (well, I didn't!).
The troubadour culture of the country of Arbonne did frustrate me at first (there's just something infuriating about the culture, especially when seen through the eyes of Blaise, an outsider), as well as the never ending feud between Talair and Miraval because of a woman, which almost proves to be the undoing of the kingdom. There were a lot of interesting characters, which were mostly female all of the more prominent ones were well developed and strong in their own ways, be it in politics, in their emotional strength, in their determination to escape.
I think the main issue that make this a rounded 3.8ish than a true 4 star rating is Lisseut, a secondary female singer, who falls in love with our Gorhault protagonist after one conversation and a night of spying, and who is completely and utterly extraneous and unnecessary to the story and has absolutely no interest to the plot to the point removing her POV from the story would make it the same story and would change nothing whatsoever.
I understand she's there as a representative of the troubadour culture the novel takes place but, despite liking her character (except the part where she realizes she's in love with someone she had a conversation once months ago), she's completely outside of the plot that it's just so jarring to suddenly jump into her POV and then forget about her while the main characters go get shit done. It really did take some of the enjoyment out of the novel because it just seemed so tacked on.
Kay's writing really transports you into the world and the cultures (inspired by our own) he brings to life. That's his great strength, as well as his ability to create a self-contained story with a beginning and an end, without needing to drag it through multiple books, and still make it complex enough to entertain and interest. A Song for Arbonne has political intrigue, interesting characters, warring nations motivated by religion and its last chapters are probably going to make you cry (I did!) both with sadness and happiness, and make you blink in surprise and admire the way foreshadowing is used for things you'd never would have considered (well, I didn't!).
The troubadour culture of the country of Arbonne did frustrate me at first (there's just something infuriating about the culture, especially when seen through the eyes of Blaise, an outsider), as well as the never ending feud between Talair and Miraval because of a woman, which almost proves to be the undoing of the kingdom. There were a lot of interesting characters, which were mostly female all of the more prominent ones were well developed and strong in their own ways, be it in politics, in their emotional strength, in their determination to escape.
I think the main issue that make this a rounded 3.8ish than a true 4 star rating is Lisseut, a secondary female singer, who falls in love with our Gorhault protagonist after one conversation and a night of spying, and who is completely and utterly extraneous and unnecessary to the story and has absolutely no interest to the plot to the point removing her POV from the story would make it the same story and would change nothing whatsoever.
I understand she's there as a representative of the troubadour culture the novel takes place but, despite liking her character (except the part where she realizes she's in love with someone she had a conversation once months ago), she's completely outside of the plot that it's just so jarring to suddenly jump into her POV and then forget about her while the main characters go get shit done. It really did take some of the enjoyment out of the novel because it just seemed so tacked on.
callandor19's review against another edition
4.0
I really must be an adult now. I liked this *because* it was kind of about history? French history?! This was my first GGK and I get the hype. Prose feels elevated without being purple.
rogueleader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sara99's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
syphilis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
johnthecrow's review against another edition
4.0
Judging this against other Kay novels, it's too slow to start, too quick to end. Somehow wraps up too neatly yet is left too open-ended. Lacks a certain pathos and weight of some of his better novels.
Yet even a middling Kay novel is still a joy to read.
Yet even a middling Kay novel is still a joy to read.