A Song for Arbonne

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable but perhaps unmemerable
Review: A Song for Arbonne seems to really be about two things. A country with a culture centered around music and romance, where adultry is encouraged amoung the enfranchised, and the quest of a young man to have the last word in a family struggle dealing with politics and inter-family relationships.

Kay develops many characters in depth, and I found it hard to piece the threads together at first. Some of the characters seem too deep for their importance to the storyline. Nonetheless, once the base hase been built, the story reads quickly, and holds the interest of the reader.

I enjoyed the book and the story, and recommend the book for those enjoying fantasy with a heavy dose of romanticizing love of women and country.

Rating:
Summary: good book falters towards the end
Review: First of all I'd have to give the first two thirds of this book a nine out of ten and the last third of this book a six out of ten. It seemed to me that after the careful expostition and elaborately unfolding storylines the last part of this book just unfolded way too fast. Also this story lacked a good antagonist. What was up with the king of gorhaut? He was way over the top. It was like he escaped from a bad goodkind or jordan novel into this book! As well some of the minor characters (roban, lisseut) were overwritten as they were pretty irrelevant to the story while my favorite character Rudel was a little underwritten (whatever happened to him at the end?). Despite these flaws and slight lack of payoff at the end this book did deliver good storytelling while avoiding most cliches that plague todays fantasy. overall I'd give it a seven out of ten

Rating:
Summary: Superbly readable, but overly sentimental
Review: First of all: a word of warning. Although this book pretends to be a blend of historical novel and fantasy, the elements of 14th century Europe are hardly more than decorative elements used to tell an all-out royal fantasy. Avid readers of that genre should not expect the unexpected. Actually, some of the adaptations of historical material are rather irritating, at least to my European sensitivities. The main example are Kay's portrayal of citizens and culture of the six countries which make up his fantasy world: these are instantly recognizable as stereotyped versions of medieval European countries, including backstabbing Italians and boorish Germans. Compared with Kay's other 'historical fantasies', Arbonne's plot draws little on historical material. His later 'Lions of Al-Rassan' succeeds much better at capturing the drama of an age.

This is not, however, my main reason for feeling somewhat disappointed with the book after I finished reading it. I blush to confess that I would take an in-your-face fantasy over a well-researched historical novel any time. But while 'Arbonne' is certainly in-your-face (I could imagine that some readers would find some rather explicit descriptions of rather personal encounters between characters even a bit too in-their-face), its main shortcoming is Kay's clicheed and exaggerated depiction of his protagonists' mental life. As a reader, I like my emotions subtlely shown in the characters' actions, rather than shouted at my face by the author. And since Arbonne's characters are largely driven by emotions, there is a lot of shouting going on in this book. Although there are some scenes in which this sentimentality works admirably well, and which genuinely touched me, overall I felt shamelessly manipulated by Kay's prose, and I did not like the book better for it. Again, compared to 'Al-Rassan', 'Arbonne' comes out the lesser book.

All in all: if you like to spend a nice weekend with a royal fantasy with a slight twist, and you do not mind your emotional sensitivities played soap-opera-style, this is a perfect book for you. Otherwise, consider yourself warned before you start reading: you will not be able to turn it down, but you might end up somewhat dissatisfied, just like I did.

Rating:
Summary: Kay's Best Work?
Review: I have greatly enjoyed Guy Gavriel Kay's writing, and even found "The Fionavar Tapestry" engaging, if not equal to his later, more mature work. Kay is certainly one of the best and most original writers fantasy has to offer, and this work remains a favorite. Like "The Lions of Al-Rassan" and "Sailing to Sarantium ", the story is loosely based upon a historical period and culture, in this case the troubadour era of Mediterranean Europe. Kay interweaves his tale with the customs of medieval knighthood as well as the conflicting worship of a patriarchal sun god and an older, magical veneration of a goddess familiar to anyone having studied Robert Graves. Interlaced into these plot motifs are elements of court intrigue, mystery, and familial skeletons in the closet. Yet out of this seeming disparate stew Kay is able to distill a complicated tale of conflict that is not only believable but attains a life of its own. Unlike much fantasy fiction, the characterization is mature and complex, both in thought and motivation, and Kay's characters evolve with the story. Further, neither the plot nor the players always follow what is expected, yet at no time does the action become contrived or a stretch of one's credulity. Kay obviously loves the unforeseen twist, and cleverly calls it to use. And I think you'll find the aftermath to "A Song for Arbonne" an unsuspected delight.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant! A beautiful, powerful, passionate story!!
Review: It was the recommendation of other fantasy reviewers that pointed me towards Guy Gavriel Kay's books. The first one I picked up was A Song for Arbonne. I must admit that I am not easily impressed, but this story simply bowled me over. Kay's writing moved me, and sometimes to tears. This was undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read! What a beautiful and powerful story! What occurred to me throughout was the fact that this book was written with such PASSION!! You find yourself actually swept into the roles of the principle characters, allowing you to feel the strength of their emotions, particulalry their passions -- for their land, their culture and each other. This is truly a one-volume epic, proving it can be done. No pages are wasted on trivialities. Everything ties together nicely. The story keeps right on ticking, and keeps the reader anxiously turning the pages and lovingly absorbing it all. The only bad thing about the book was that it eventually ended. ! This is a MUST addition to anyone's collection. HIGHLY recommended! A classic! Enough said.

Rating:
Summary: Guy finds his own voice
Review: Dearest Guy, brother in spirit, At last you find your own voice, beyond the knife of Christopher Tolkien and the shadow of Dorothy Dunnet (who's great Lymond series washed through your Summer Tree trilogy). Your characters speak their own words through the medium of your pen. The emotions of the characters suffuse the book with powerful longings that sweep us, the readers, along with them, full tilt, much like a river in full flood to the sea. When will you have the courage to bring your poetry into the light, the suppressed songs from your heart. Or will they continue to creep around the edge of your novels as we crept around Stonehenge in the moon filled night? Your sister in spirit.

Rating:
Summary: Beyond Fionvarre....
Review: I finished Arbonne feeling starngly depressed, and not at all sure that I liked it. But after the book hovered in my mind for two weeks, I deceided there must have been something there to influence me like that, so I read it again.... Arbonne's power is the same reason it left me feeling disturbed. It's a book that, unlike most fantasies, refuses to take the easy way out. The theme intruduced in Tigana is here given full play: we do not live in Fionvarre. We live in a world that's complicated and dark, and where things seldom turned out as planned. The many ironies-- whether it is Alaise nearly destroying her land in repayment for an evil which never exsisted, Bertarn being forced to keep alive a man for a secret he doesn't know, or Blaise being controlled by his father as he defines himself by rebelling against him--all these ironies within ironies, the shattering of charished assuptions show that Kay is willing to deal with the world on its own terms. The rich inter-relationships, which, by any other author would have been crude and dramatic, instead give a sense of muted tradegy and add to the theme of an imperfect world, where we can't always finish what was began. Ranald and Blaise's twisted relationship, or Lisseut staying in the shadows leaves a longer and deeper impression then the usual happy ending. Robin Hobb is the only author I can think of who has had the courage to do the same.

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe this book is so popular.
Review: The best Mr. Kay can do at characterizing the ruler of Gorhaut is to have him force another man's wife...during a council meeting. Obviously not a book for children, or for anyone unwilling to have Kay's attitudes about the characters beaten into their heads. He would have done better to have assumed the omniscient tone and said: "He was a very, very bad man."

This book takes Tigana's flaws and elevates them into odious art, but it has few of Tigana's virtues. END

Rating:
Summary: Look around you, so many people can't be wrong!
Review: Look at other reviews and tell me that this is a coinky-dink. I've read Jordan, Tad Williams, White, Eddings, Tolkien and many others. I would say that this book is above most of the mentioned above. Tad Williams is still my favorite, but that is because I have only read this one book by Kay. I do not know where to start. History, lessons that can be applied to our own. then and now, love, courage, politics, and much more. What grabbed me the most, which other authors fail to do many times is that Kay's story is very much realistic when he makes his villains much more believable and not try and blanket the people we root for. It is rare when a story moves me, this one did like very few others.

Rating:
Summary: No man is an island, his actions will always touch others.
Review: Remember our history lessons of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Knights of courtly love, The barbarians contrasted with the French sophisticate? Guy Gavriel Kay captures the magic, romance, and heartbreak inherent in such a world. Set in a fantasy based Provence, France we follow the twists in history caused by Aelis, Bertran, and Urte. We see what heartbreak their youthful, heedless love brings their country.

Gorhaut,The country to the north has its own tradgedy tearing it apart. The King, Ademar has approved a cowardly treaty. His Spiritual Counselor the power behind the throne, is seeking to use it for his own fanatical goal. He means to destroy heretical Arbonne. In the midst of all this Blaise, seeking to follow the true path of his god, refuses the evil ways of his father, the spiritual counselor. As he enters Arbonne all the strands of their gods twist into one strand of fate to make the most wonderful tale of love, hate, war, with just a little magic. I sat up reading this book all night.