I wanted so much to like this book better than I did. I thought the characters were flat, there was hardly any plot, and what plot there was was very predictable. Perhaps I'll try another Kay novel since everyone seems to love him so much and I'm a big fantasy fan. We'll see. ( )

Excellent examination of the exercise of power in a variety of contexts (male-female, parent-child, government-individual). Kay always offers complex storytelling, unexpected plot twists and larger-than-life heroes. Set in a fantasy world similar to medieval Europe, A Song for Arbonne recounts the experience of a soldier, Blaise, whose destiny calls him to a complex world of political machinations. ( )

A magnificently told tale of honor, chivalry and song, Guy Gavriel Kay raises his status as storyteller and master of prose to new heights. The novel has many different levels of plot and theme such as redemption, conflict and the mysticism and magic of the land of Arbonne. Being the expert weaver of tales that Kay is, he brings all of these elements, and more, together in a powerfully satisfying tale.

This is the story of the conflict bewteen of two societies that embody two very different pictures of medieval times. Arbonne is the seat of chivalry and romance, the medieval world we often imagine, while Gorhaut is a cold and feudal realm, probably far more realistic and much less appealing.
Gorhaut is ruled by the amoral King Ademar and the even less scrupulous High Elder and Chief Counsellor, Galbert. Galbert is strongly opposed to Arbonne’s female rulers. The primary character, the mercenary Blaise, is the son of Galbert. Blaise is a man at odds with himself, his family and what his position means to the world at large. Arbonne has echoes of Avalon, in that it is surrounded by mystery and ruled by the Goddess.
Kay focuses on the subtle political plots and personal problems that are overcome, rather than on the battles and battle preparations. The carefully measured existence of magic makes that the reader experiences the belief in the gods and the mysticism as the characters do, while at the same time it does not take over the main story. The characters are believable and inspire emotion, and the answers they find are never formulaic. Plot, characterization, descriptive writing, and original ideas all mesh perfectly.
The strengths in this novel are Kay's magnificent descriptions of all things chivalric. From Blaise's contemplations and declarations of his honor, to the battles fought, the sword fights, and the inner dialogue characters such as Rosala has with herself, Kay instills each scene and each interaction with a depth of respect and display of veneration that ultimately brings them from page to inner eye with great flair and reverence. Kay also evokes vivid imagery and settings through the songs his troubadours sing. In all, Kay displays a talent for writing these scenes and interactions as if he lived during the time period (France in the years 1000 to 1200) in which this novel is based.
The genius of Kay's prose and the strength of his character development place this novel at the top of the fantasy genre. Kay is one of my favourite writers and this is my favourite among his books.

GGK is in my top 3 Fave authors, and this book is one of the reasons. I love all his other books that I have read to a certain extent and for different reasons, but this book has something special about it.

I adore this story (in fact writing this reminds me I havent read it in a while and should do a reread), although oddly enough its pretty much the only book of his that doesn't make me cry at the end.

Summary:

Arbonne is the country in the sun, country of wine, women, courtly love and above all, music. But it is a country divided by hatred between its two strongest counts. Gorhaut, country to the north, is a country of war, and cold and snow, and cruelty and rigidity. The two are polar opposites, but the young king of Gorhaut wants the weak country to the south to expand into.

Blaise is a warrior son of Gorhaut, disenfranchised by a divisive battle that saw Gorhaut lose a great deal of land to another neighbour in battle. He comes to Arbonne to escape, and expects a country of softness and women.

Instead he finds friendship, culture, politics, men of integrity, and women of stature, and ultimately, his future. ( )

So far I have simply loved Kay's alternative history novels. A Song for Arbonne is no exception to the rule: it's an excellent story. Set in beautiful Arbonne, the book's actual historical setting is the medieval France of the troubadours. Arbonne is ruled by women, full of music and courtly love, while the northern Gorhaut is an extremely masculine country bent on war.

One can guess what happens with a setting like that. However, despite that, the story manages to be surprising and full of unexpected twists. The characters are many-faceted and full of life. The plot makes sense and packs in plenty of action, intrigue and romance. Religion plays a big role, as does family.

Kay is a master: A Song for Arbonne is another fine story well told. Even though the book is labeled fantasy, there is very little supernatural in it, so as long as one is interested in medieval themes, even those who dislike most fantasy books will be able to enjoy this one.

(Original review at my review blog.) ( )

A friend first recommended Guy Gavriel Kay to me, and suggested Tigana as a starting place. It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked and immediately went on to read A Song for Arbonne.

For someone who grew up fascinated by courtly love, both in myth and in history, this book was a nice find. A good mix of lots of plot elements- loyalty, love, magic, treachery, devotion, populated by troubadors and ladies, schoundrels, preistess, and heroes.

Ah to escape into another world through the pages of a book.... ( )

Basic Reason for Beginning: This was on my, pretty much ignored, 'to reread' list. And then the Green Dragon decided to hold a group read for the book. It was the perfect excuse to reread this.
Basic Reason for Finishing: I will admit, it was harder this time around. At least until I hit the last third of the book and all the strands come together.
Texture: There is a problem I have with singing music. When there are two melody lines in the same vocal range, with the same text sung at the same time my ears get confused. They don't know what to pay attention to or manage to block out one in favour of another. That's similar to my experience with Arbonne. But more on that after the cut.

Full review here

Book Rereadability: This is my third reread of the book. The last time, I reviewed it here.
Author Rereadability: This was the first book by Kay that I ever read. I'm slow in catching up on his works, but I've never yet looked back.
Recommendation: This... is a tough one. I don't think it's the best introduction to Kay's work, having read a few more, and I don't think it's something easily recommended. It is, in parts, very very dark, however, because of the themes it deals with. ( )

I'm still a little unsure of how I felt about this book. Initially, I found it lacking in comparison to Lord of Emperors, my favourite work by Kay; however, once I was able to put aside my biases, I found that I enjoyed it on its own merits. The world is nicely drawn; I found it easy to slip into and become involved with. The musical theme carries through very well. The characters are individual and relatable. There were moments when the book was a pure pleasure to read.

And yet, I really felt that I wanted a bit more depth to it all. It seemed, at times, as though Kay was only skimming the surface. I wanted a few more telling moments, scenes that opened the story up and allowed the reader to really dive into what was going on underneath it all. I liked the characters, but I wanted more insight into them. I wished that certain revelations had been built up a bit more, with a few more clues planted early on. I can see some of the groundwork Kay laid, but I don't think it's as masterfully done here as in some of his other novels.

But despite all this, I found it quite satisfying overall and was sorry to see it end. I think this is one of those books that I'll enjoy much more the second time through, when I know what's coming and have some prior knowledge of the characters. ( )

This book is classified as fantasy, and Guy Gavriel Kay is a fantasy author, but I'm hard pressed to actually describe this book as being fantasy. It takes place in a made-up country in a made-up culture, but there's nothing supernatural, magical, other-worldly, nothing fantastical about it - with a few changes it could very easily have been set in medieval Europe. Moving past that nitpick of categorization, however, this book was excellent, a very enjoyable read. It had a lot of the same themes and structure and character types as Tigana (the only other of his books I've read), but that didn't really matter - Kay's such a good writer that his world and his characters just glow with life. The one part that I didn't entirely buy was the main bad guy's motivation for starting a holy war - we never really got to see the source of that fervor, and it felt pretty hollow without it, but if you accept it, everything else flows beautifully and realistically from recognizeable human emotions. The "dark secret" that drives the book is not as shocking nor as powerful at the reveal at the end of Tigana, but neither does it feel like a cheat or a throwaway. Things don't wrap up perfectly for the characters, but the end is still quite satisfying. In general, I thought this was a wonderful, lyrical, very richly woven piece of "historical fantasy". ( )

Kay never stops to astonish me - even with lots of people enjoying his works he surely is one of the most overlooked authors of our time. And the reason for that is the stamp of "fantasy" written all over his work.

Reading first Tigana then The Lions of Al-Rassan I can clearly see how his writing, his ideas, and his characters evolved from Tigana to A song for Arbonne to The Lions of Al-Rassan and yet all three of these books are worthy of praise.

Set in a country resembling Langedoc or Provence in southern France, taking cues from the crusade against the Cathars during the 13th century, the mindbending, heartbreaking but neatly and precisely written story lets us in on the things happening to a wealth of people; everyone with their own motives and obligations, during a decisive time.

I thouroghly enjoyed reading it, and had I not read The Lions of Al-Rassan before this one I had given it 5 stars.
It is not far behind, though. Read it. ( )

This book contains a great story. Unfortunately for me (and the primary reason for the reduced rating) I had a real hard time keeping names straight. Even two thirds of the way through I'd hit a character that hadn't been mentioned in a while and I'd be confused as to exactly who that person was. This problem made the start of the book very difficult to get through.

Fortunately I was able to push on, and was glad I did. Kay has a talent for good descriptive writing, and presents a plot that is interesting. The book does leave you wanting more; not because the story is left unfinished, but you want to see what happens next in peoples lives.

This is definitely a book about the relationships between people, but with a good amount of action, intrigue, and various twists thrown in. (3.5/5) ( )

Pretty common fare, as we have come to expect from Kay, who solidifies the genre more than pushes it or explores new directions. A nice enough work, but not worth crossing the street for. ( )

http://www.susanhatedliterature.net/a... ( )

Oh wow, what a story, what a book.

I think this would be a book that would be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys historical fiction, not just people who enjoy fantasy (in ways it may appeal more to historical fiction fans). With a complex world, well thought out characters (could have done with a little more difference in some of the names, minor quibble tho) and complex reasoning for going to way it's a book well worth the effort.

In a kingdom where courtly love is important the neighbouring kingdom have different ideals, ones that put women far below men. When a wife of a lord of that kingdom escapes to the other it starts a cascade of events that make people choose. And these choices will change the way of the world. ( )

I think I am different from most Guy Gavriel Kay fans in that I really didn't care much for his novel, Tigana, and I LOVED A Song for Arbonne.

The story has a great blend of history, action, romance and drama. Taking place in a fantastical French Provence, Kay details a country built on art and culture, worshipping a godess (therefore making it "womanish") and its passion to stay afloat in a world ruled by men and war. The characters are richly-written, the story well-told, and the setting perfectly chosen.

This is the sort of book you can read once and be captivated. And to come back to it after a long absence is like finding an old friend all over again.

Beware- last I saw, this Roc paperback edition of this book had a VERY important typo in it, that can change the way you read the ending of the book. I don't know if this has been taken care of yet, but it's something to take note of. ( )

http://scooterchronicles.com/2004/12/... ( )