Rating: 
Summary: A bit TOO lyrical?
Review: A Song of Arbonne reads like a poem. That style has many inherent advantages as well as disadvantages. The intellectual emotion is high but the human emotion is low. This book feels like a dream instead of an experience. It is constantly fading in and out of one's reality. Like a poem, one never gets a grasp upon it. It stays aloof from the reader, teasing us with its soft caresses.That said, it's still a good read, though somewhat different. The melodrama is in abundance, as is lyrical style, but not much raw drama.
Rating:
Summary: An introspective song of human drama
Review: This is the first of Kay's works where the conventions of fantasy are largely abandoned. In his preceding work, Tigana, he has already dropped the plethora of non-human and mythical entities that are an obligatory part of most fantasy settings. Here, he further reins in the role of magic. In A Song for Arbonne, magic is reduced to a completely subsidiary function. It is used only to supply a motive for one kingdom's conflict with another. This is an entirely good thing. By divesting himself of fireballs, voodoo and the most overwrought elements of the supernatural, Kay has freed himself to play to his strengths: his gift for characterization, his lyrical voice and his facility with evocation. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with a basic blood-and-guts sword and sorcery epic. Some of my favourite tales are Howard's original Conan stories. But Kay is a different writer. He is strongest when depicting the human condition. He does not paint dragons or demons convincingly. But his balladeers are so real that you swear he must have lived as one in a prior life. It is not a perfect work. The changing tenses are confusing and unnecessary. Allusions are sometimes indulgent. The main character arrives at his redemption a tad too easily. The antagonists are not fleshed out deeply enough. Some of the secondary characters need more to do. But these are quibbles. They are noticeable only because Kay has achieved such a high standard throughout, that any criticism must focus on the niggling stuff. However, they are distracting enough to prevent a perfect score. So what is there to recommend this book? Kay has produced a world so textured and substantial that we are intrigued more by the imaginary land of Arbonne than the real land of Provence after which it is modelled. We care not only for the main characters, but for all its inhabitants. A land so given to music and courtly love brings out the romantic within us. And Kay presents it with such grace and moderation that it is never forced or affected. As a result, the inner journey of the main protagonist from dour cynicism to compassionate nobility is entirely believable. Kay's writings are not for everyone. His later work, especially, strays further and further from the comfort zone of fantasy, and this alienates many readers who are attracted to fantasy precisely because of the comfort zone. It is as if a mystery writer neglected to include a murder or a romance novelist foreswore any scenes of heartbreak. Kay appeals more to the introspective sort who appreciates human drama, in whichever setting it may take place, and feels at home with departures from the formula. For such a reader, this is a treasured find.
Rating: 
Summary: Even the birds above the lake...
Review: "Even the birds above the lake are singing of my love..." for A Song for Arbonne, by Guy Gavriel Kay. Set in the fantasy land of Arbonne, a sun-kissed fertile kingdom of paganistic, matriarchal religion, the plot of the book is based on an old secret, firmly rooted in the history of Arbonne, dealing with courtly love. Bertran de Talair, arguably the most colorfully complex product of Kay's imagination and also my favorite character, is a highly respected troubadour, or songwriter, and duke of Arbonne. His scandalous relationship with the wife of a prominent duke and princess of Arbonne ended with her death that caused him grief for decades to come, an inner turmoil that he seldom speaks of. Though he is connected with a long line of women, Bertran never married and he is not just a handsome troubadour, but an aging one, who, through the years, never managed to find another love, making the reader sympathetic with the blue-eyed courtier. Kay unravels the history of Bretran carefully, and though the tale is revealed early on in the story, when Bertran tells it, the reader is crushed by his sorrow, creating a bond between Bertran and the reader through dramatic irony and well developed characters. A classic song the joglars of Arbonne sing praises the beauty of Aelis de Miraval, written by Bertran himself, and the reader is opened up to the history of the love affair as well as the culture of Arbonne: "Even the birds above the lake are singing of my love..." (21). The day twenty three years ago when Bertran and Aelis were together, she claimed there was magic in the room and she was right; a women of so much power like herself, daughter and heiress to her father's kingdom and wife to the most powerful duke of all Arbonne was standing weak-kneed before the handsome, young troubadour, both in love, capturing the reader in the seeds of a romance that ended in tragedy. Duke Bertran de Talair, influential and seductive, was not the powerful, composed man he seemed to be, but an angsty, grieving, aging man, weakened by the loss of the love of his life, as the reader can see by the veil lifted by Kay's writing. After another accomplishment in the bed of a local baron's wife, the duke says nostalgically, "The gods know, and sweet Rian knows I've tried, but in twenty-three years I've never found a woman to equal her, or take away the memory, even for a night" (39). At the end, with the death of his lifelong enemy, Urte de Miraval, Aelis's husband, "Bertran had lost... the passion of hatred that had ordered and shaped his life for more than twenty years", and the reader, already so caught up in the tale, feels the sting of an old burn because of the relationship already created with Bertran. Conflicts like the ones between Urte and Bertran or within Bertran himself add to the exquisitely complex storyline based on that ancient secret, and it isn't just another cliched fantasy story of good vs. evil. Bertran is plagued with the death of Aelis and the child she carried, unable to kill Urte all through the years for the truth he may carry although he hates him for never loving his wife, a unique conflict where neither side is good nor evil. Although there is another conflict with the land to the north of Arbonne, Gorhaut, a savage and cold kingdom that declares war on the southern country for religious differences, Kay didn't stop there with his writing and added more conflicts. A Song for Arbonne is an extremely involving, fast read that is not only romantic but also has action and historical aspects, ideal for readers who enjoy vivid descriptions that bring the characters and land to life.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Stand-Alone Novel Fantasy Writer
Review: Kay continues to amaze me with the level of character and plot development he can cram into a 500 page novel. I enjoy reading ongoing series but it is too inconvenient to have to wait for the latest installment from Goodkind or Jordan. Kay has beautifully written a complete, stand alone book that outshines many trilogies out there today. Tigana remains one of my favorite books of all time and this one ranks right up there. Blaise, Bertran, Ariane and all of the other characters are multi-dimensional. We get to see their flaws and errors. It is not specifically a novel of good versus evil. A Song for Arbonne measures up against any Fantasy or Historical novel out there. If you have never read Kay before, be prepared to become hooked. I was.
Rating:
Summary: Almost flawless
Review: I loaned this book - what a mistake -I doubt I'll ever see it again. It is an evocative and enchanting work rich in history and politics, religion and culture. There are plots, sub plots and Dickenesque twists of parentage. The liberal artistic and beautiful Arbonne threatended by the dour and dark forces of Gorhaut. The medieval lifestyle is elegantly portrayed and the one thing that did not ring true in the entire book was the king of Gorhaut engaging in sexual exploits with the wife of a Coran in front of his nobles. A strict and fundamentalist society does not tolerate such behaviour even in it's kings. It may be harsh treatment but this single slip loses GG kay my fifth star. It was just too large an error for me to take!
Rating: 
Summary: A Better Effort
Review: After buying several of Kay's books upon recommendations from a friend, I had the terrible misfortune of choosing the turgid and empty Tigana, as the first of his books to read. After long consideration, I finally decided to give Kay another chance and chose A Song for Arbonne. It was somewhat of a refreshing surprise to find that Kay is an interesting fantasy writer. Where Tigana seemed to offer a barren land with one dimensional characters, Arbonne develops a rich tapestry, full of interesting characters, from the grim soldier, Blaise, to the haunted Duke Bertran. Arbonne begins with the battle of two noblemen over the love of a woman long dead, and grows in complexity with the arrival of Blaise, a mercenary from a northern land. Unlike Tigana, where the main story was often submerged to long introspective passages from minor characters, Arbonne moves along at a swift and satisfying pace. This is not to say that Arbonne does not have it's own problems, thought they are more the fault of the authors style, than to any flaws in the tale itself. Kay still uses far too many differing points of view to drive his narrative, sometimes switching in the middle of important scenes. He also has an annoying habit of giving away important plot developments and then taking the reader painstakingly back over events that lead up to the revelation, (A device used by many other authors, including Stephen King). Also, I found that his female characters are oddly one dimensional, even those who are given positions of great power. Events are generally pushed forward by the actions of men, while the women use the familiar roles of seductresses, or spies to get them involved into the plotlines. Not having read any of his other books s far, (other than Tigana of course) I still can't help but wonder if there is supposed to be a connection to any of them. He refers to Finovar several times in this book, and Arbonne seems a place where magic is more subdued, if present at all, while mention is made of various lands where it is abundant. Arbonne still suceeds because it's story is tightly woven, and even though, like Tigana, his reliance upon troubadors does absolutly nothing to enhance the story, at least this time, there is a story to care about.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful sentences, moronic plot
Review: It's a shame that Kay can write such lovely sentences, such beautiful words that lure the unsuspecting reader into mistaking such an unsubtle book for a great one. All you need to do is read the Gorhault council scene to know that you're not reading a writer who trusts his readers: he instead feels he has to hit us over the head with a 16-ton weight of characterization. I think _Tigana_ was an accidental success for Mr Kay, and that the pandering pastiche of Fionavar is more typical. This book is polished on the surface, but that's as deep as it goes. I suppose that makes it better than most fantasy. But doesn't Kay seem like he's capable of doing something better?
Rating:
Summary: Inexorably powerful
Review: How does one to describe what this book is about? It begins with love, circles around to honor, loyalty to one's country, one's family--and then at last comes full circle to explore love once again, this time striking into deeper waters than were previously believed to exist. While it is not as tightly plotted and cohesive in its structure as 'Tigana', 'A Song for Arbonne', by exploring the uncharted waters of love and sacrifice, reaches a new level of depth and sadness which instead of harshly stabbing to the heart, sinks in slowly. There is less high drama here (although there is plenty) but the drama that there is has been built by mounting tensions which allow all the pieces to eventually draw together toward a wrenching conclusion. In the end it is all the more powerful for the subtle elements which went into its weaving. 'Tigana' dealt with shattering tragedies. This book does as well, but focuses more on the moments of deep grief and sadness, the nostalgia for lost innocence and music pouring from a broken heart; all the things born of tragedy yet so often ignored. I do feel that this book has flaws: for one thing, Kay's tendency to dwell on perversion comes to the forefront in this book. All of it was extraneous to the story and could have been left out. Also, as mentioned above, there was sometimes a lack of coherent structure--sometimes the book would have been more effective if there had been less jumping to different viewpoints; aside from the main cast, which is spectacular, some of these characters are minor and hard to care about. When I re-read the book, I tend to skip these sections. However, these flaws are not enough to cloud the bittersweet glory of 'A Song for Arbonne', for they are eclipsed by the emotion and power which shines so brightly. Kay has created a masterpiece that any reader, even someone who does not read fantasy, can appreciate on its own terms.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Kay!
Review: Here is how I would rank Kay's books: 1. "The Song for Arbonne", 2. "Lions of Al-Rassam", 3. "Fionavar Tapestry", 4."Tigana". I guess the less magic is in a book, the better it seems for me. However, all of them are good, and "The Song for Arbonne" is simply amazing. Read it!
Rating:
Summary: G.G.K. Fist-timer
Review: I'm reading a G.G.K. novel for the first time and "A Song For Arbonne", with it's rich and beautful imagery has captured me completely, entirely. I'm enjoying this book so much. The "raison d'etre" not being too obvious early on really gave me something to look forward to besides the eventual outcome of the story itself. As the story continued on to the inevitable 'revelation' so too grew my expectations. Though I will admit to some feelings of annoyance for being kept in the dark, the world of Arbonne with its peoples, mysteries, music and magic really kept me going. I would read - put it down - then be compelled to continue a day or two later. Now, I don't want to stop at all. Being 'in the know' now, I eagerly look forward to seeing how this tale unravels. (I don't think I will be disappointed). Mr. Kay's literary style is disconcerting only because, for me, it is quite unlike any other writing with which I am familiar and this did initially cause some difficulty, but now, having read this far and being now 'accustomed' it's my belief that the story's essence and lyricism would be lost if it were written any other way. As for his characters, with each chapter, each scenario, I'm loving them more and more; for their courage, strength, high values, beauty -and yes, for some - their darkness. All of them! What a wonderfully complex and contrasting world is Arbonne! I love it! With this book Mr. Kay has won my undying loyalty as a reader in awe and gratitude of his talent as an author, (and I'm only halfway through it). I can't wait to read his other works. I know I will be reading "Song" over and over and over and enjoying it more each time and it will be endearing to me because it was/is the 'first'.
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