Reviews

A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay

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zoer03's review against another edition

5.0

😲 I am in love with this book it has everything fights adventure, complex characters and some comedy and yes a lil bit of magic. Just in awe of this author

rickwren's review against another edition

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2.0

I tried, I really did. I could tell it was well written and a lot of intrigue was going to happen, but to me it felt like every other high fantasy set in the UFL (ubiquitous fantasy land), and it couldn't capture my interest. Slightly Tolkeinian naming, forests, mountains, castles, bandits, sword-play, kings and blah blah blah blah. I prefer something new in the genre and this just didn't give it to me. Sorry if I offend Guy Gavriel Kay fans, but I'm not among your ranks.

connorpetrick's review against another edition

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5.0

This is what a great novel reads like.

An intensely satisfying novel, A Song for Arbonne succeeds on every front, whether that be its prose, characters, or plot. As I read, I was shocked at how economical and effective Kay's prose was, how every sentence seemed to flow necessarily from the sentence before, eradicating the modern writing tendency to rehash details exhaustively. Even more shocking to me was each scene's tendency to curve down the most exciting and intriguing route possible, doing so with realism rather than melodrama, and frequently earning excited exclamations from me. And the characters, the characters! They were intelligent, unique, and oft-humorous, tragic, and occasionally despicable. For me, this book single-handedly bumped the author's numerous other works into the "must-read soon" category.

Guy Gavriel Kay is a master storyteller. That much I know.

5/5 Stars

brinygherkin's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

quillandkindle's review against another edition

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5.0

This was my first exposure to Kay's work, and I've to say that I've already fallen in love with his writing.

In A Song for Arbonne, he created a dazzling and extraordinary tale of mere mortals, whose life were entangled by malevolence, political intrigue and love. From this overtly distinct mix, Kay managed to weave such a convoluted story that acquire a life of its own. This, coupled with the story's multi-layered characters, interesting plot and Kay's very own magnificent prose produced an awe-inspiring, emotional and immensely satisfying novel.

If you are among those who enjoy historical fiction, sprinkled with a little bit of magical element, I dare say that reading Kay's A Song for Arbonne is a definite must.

brendalovesbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

I liked this, but it took me awhile to feel connected to or care about any of the characters. It did get better though, when I could finally remember who was who. The plot wasn't anything earth-shattering, but it was interesting.