A Song for Arbonne is Guy Gavriel Kay's critically acclaimed fantasy of love, both courtly and forbidden, and of kingdoms endlessly opposed;...
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Jun 08, 2009
Jon
rated it: 
4.5 stars
Halfway through this book I had an epiphany. In fact, I woke up in the middle of the night with a realization - Kay's A Song for Arbonne has few if any traditional fantasy elements woven in it's rich tapestry of love, music, honor, courage, tragedy and hope. Yet I was so enthralled with the lives of his characters that I could not bear to be parted from them. The greatest tragedy of the entire tale was that it ended. I yearn for more, as I strain to hear the plaintive ec More...
Halfway through this book I had an epiphany. In fact, I woke up in the middle of the night with a realization - Kay's A Song for Arbonne has few if any traditional fantasy elements woven in it's rich tapestry of love, music, honor, courage, tragedy and hope. Yet I was so enthralled with the lives of his characters that I could not bear to be parted from them. The greatest tragedy of the entire tale was that it ended. I yearn for more, as I strain to hear the plaintive ec More...
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Apr 17, 2010
Chris
rated it: 
I am in awe. This might be the best book I've read this year. It might be one of the best books I've ever read.
If you like epics, this is for you. Romance, intrigue, artistic expression, mystery, combat scenes, sex, violence, passion, compassion, bitter revenge, redemption. It's all here.
This book was what makes fantasy great. It is what makes historical fiction great. A perfect blend of the two, with very human elements there to give life to the characters. The reader is More...
If you like epics, this is for you. Romance, intrigue, artistic expression, mystery, combat scenes, sex, violence, passion, compassion, bitter revenge, redemption. It's all here.
This book was what makes fantasy great. It is what makes historical fiction great. A perfect blend of the two, with very human elements there to give life to the characters. The reader is More...
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Feb 17, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
I’ve had a lot of favorite authors. I’m sure book nerds are familiar with this dilemma- with so many books in the world, how can one pick just one? Limit oneself to feeling that just one way of seeing is worth so much more than the others? However, of all of them, it is the work of Guy Gavriel Kay that has made the most lasting impression upon me. Many of the wildly different authors whose work I have since fallen in love with share elements of Kay’s approach, in style or message or atmosphere-
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Feb 04, 2009
Jeanne
rated it:
I enjoyed this much, much more than Tigana. Where I felt the writing was a bit choppy in the beginning, either I got used to Kay's style or became so swept up in the story it didn't matter. I loved all the twists and turns the story took, the subtle discoveries of hidden agendas and politics, the world, the sociology of the people, gee I think I just loved it all! I particularly liked the sociology of the Arbonnais people with their love of music and the concept of "the court of love".
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Sep 21, 2011
Dawn
rated it:
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.
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May 20, 2011
Margaret
rated it:
Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favorite authors, but I have to admit that I've never been as fond of A Song for Arbonne as of most of his other books; on my last reread, I tried to figure out why.
In Kay's alternate version of medieval Europe, Arbonne is a rich and beautiful land, ruled by Signe, countess of Barbentain, whose people love poetry and music and worship the goddess Riannon; to the north lies the patriarchal kingdom of Gorhaut, ruled by the corrupt king Ademar and his advisor More...
In Kay's alternate version of medieval Europe, Arbonne is a rich and beautiful land, ruled by Signe, countess of Barbentain, whose people love poetry and music and worship the goddess Riannon; to the north lies the patriarchal kingdom of Gorhaut, ruled by the corrupt king Ademar and his advisor More...
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Feb 08, 2008
Zgirnius
rated it:
Kay is one of my favorite fantasy authors, and this is possibly my favorite book by him, though it would be a tough call to make. He creates fantasy worlds based loosely on cultures/events from European history.
In 'A Song for Arbonne' a country (loosely based on the troubador culture of the South of France in the middle ages) faces the possibility of conflict with a more warlike neighbor to the north. The main character is a northerner who spends time in the south and comes to appre More...
In 'A Song for Arbonne' a country (loosely based on the troubador culture of the South of France in the middle ages) faces the possibility of conflict with a more warlike neighbor to the north. The main character is a northerner who spends time in the south and comes to appre More...
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Apr 07, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
Really enjoyed the writing & plotting in this story. 'Arbonne' is one of those books where you can lose time reading it because the characters & time period come alive, including a few harsh scenes that I wish weren't part of my memory now! I thought at first the story would be pure escapism but there are plenty of details that I had to read and re-read in order to follow the story completely. A map at the beginning is extremely helpful for following the political storylines and where the acti
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Jul 20, 2011
Don
rated it:
This is the second book of Kay's that I have read; the first was The Lions of al-Rassid. A Song for Arbonne isn't, in my view, quite up to the level of The Lions, but it's close. (For the most part, my review of The Lions could apply to Arbonne.)
Like The Lions, this is sword & sorcerer fantasy, but without the sorcerer. It is set in a fictional world that resembles 13th-14th Century western continental Europe; Arbonne is a stand-in for Provence, and other countries are intended to More...
Like The Lions, this is sword & sorcerer fantasy, but without the sorcerer. It is set in a fictional world that resembles 13th-14th Century western continental Europe; Arbonne is a stand-in for Provence, and other countries are intended to More...
Apr 05, 2011
Emma
rated it:
A Song for Arbonne is a lovely book, and Kay is on his way to becoming one of my favorite fantasy authors.
The book focuses on the conflict between Arbonne (inspired by Provence, with a troubadour culture and a goddess and women in some powerful positions) and northern Gorhaut (a warrior-based culture that brutally oppresses its women). I was a little concerned by what the bookjacket built up as a war of the sexes, but in reality the focus is on the conflict between two very differen More...
The book focuses on the conflict between Arbonne (inspired by Provence, with a troubadour culture and a goddess and women in some powerful positions) and northern Gorhaut (a warrior-based culture that brutally oppresses its women). I was a little concerned by what the bookjacket built up as a war of the sexes, but in reality the focus is on the conflict between two very differen More...
Nov 27, 2010
Jasmine
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 21, 2010
Mark
rated it:
I think one of the things I like about GGK is that he is so much different than what I read the rest of the time within the fantasy genre. Sweeping, multi-tome epics that get too big for their authors are fun to read. A grand story, a huge world, battles between good and evil and all that. These are fun, even if I get stuck waiting six years for Dance with Dragons. Something else that's fun is to be swept up in a fantastic story that plays out in 500 pages.
If you've read Tigana, you ca More...
If you've read Tigana, you ca More...
Jul 24, 2010
Snail in Danger (Sid)
rated it: 
This was one of the first religious fantasy books I read. (And when I say "religious fantasy" I mean "fantasy fiction with religion as a major theme or motif.") It may have even been the first; I read The Mists of Avalon around the same time, if my memory serves me correctly (~1994).
I loved this book when I first read it. Upon re-reading, many of the characters are somewhat shallow (though some are fantastic and it's a shame they don't get more page time). The More...
I loved this book when I first read it. Upon re-reading, many of the characters are somewhat shallow (though some are fantastic and it's a shame they don't get more page time). The More...
Jul 13, 2010
Oroboros72
rated it:
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Apr 18, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
Really well done-- good writing, great story, interesting charecters. There are just three things bothering me:
1. So Blaise is going to go back to Gorhaut now and strike up a war against the north to get hteri land back? and all the other countries are totally cool with this? Bwha? Or is he just going to sit around doing nothing? I'm confused.
2. They should have either not included Lisseut as much as they did, or they should have made her a more important character. I k More...
1. So Blaise is going to go back to Gorhaut now and strike up a war against the north to get hteri land back? and all the other countries are totally cool with this? Bwha? Or is he just going to sit around doing nothing? I'm confused.
2. They should have either not included Lisseut as much as they did, or they should have made her a more important character. I k More...
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Dec 11, 2010
Catie
rated it:
This was my first Guy Gavriel Kay, and I was not disappointed. I would recommend this book for any fans of emotional, historical epics. There's really not too much fantasy here, besides that the story takes place in a fictional world with two moons. This story centers around Gorhaut, a God-worshipping, male dominated nation that recently went through an upheaval in leadership, and Arbonne, it's neighbor. Arbonne is a Goddess worshipping nation in which troubadours are greatly admired and wom
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May 23, 2009
Ron
rated it:
Story-epic; storytelling-heroic; mechanics-so so.
A simple proofreading might have saved the reader a few rambling sentence fragments and improved the readability. Those who devour books may not notice.
A simple proofreading might have saved the reader a few rambling sentence fragments and improved the readability. Those who devour books may not notice.
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Jan 30, 2012
Mike
rated it:
It is interesting how the first series of books by GGK (The Fionavar Tapestry) was somewhat deceiving, in a sense that, as a fantasy trilogy, it established GGK as one of the greats of that genre, but also created an expectation that his subsequent books would fit into the same mold. They really don't; they are history novels that use a transparent trick of taking place in a parallel world where the familiar elements of human civilization develop under different names, with a (very) light sprink
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Sep 16, 2011
Ivana
rated it:
The reason why I give this book four not five stars is not because it is not a well written book but simply, like in other novels by the same author, I feel there is some dept missing to consider it an excellent book. (By dept, I mean philosophical or metaphysical aspect of a writing.) Nevertheless, I really like the novel and consider the medieval atmosphere wonderfully accomplished. Contrast between culture dominated by man and women is very interesting. In particular,the portray of troubadour
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Nov 14, 2010
Sian
rated it:
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Jul 15, 2010
J.
rated it:
A solid story, A Song for Arbonne has compelling characters, good pacing, and a fun (if sometime a little exaggerated) setting. While the plot is thoroughly typical, there's no thinly-veiled attempts to surprise the audience with plot twists: the story instead progresses naturally, the possibilities honestly exposed so that the can freely guess before events turn one way or the other.
More than anything, though, I appreciated that the novel had a clearly-defined beginning, middle and More...
More than anything, though, I appreciated that the novel had a clearly-defined beginning, middle and More...
Jun 16, 2010
Marcia
rated it:
As an avid reader and aspiring writer, there are a few authors who, when I read them, I am left so dumbfounded, so inspired, that I'm jealous that I didn't write that. Guy Gavriel Kay is at the head of that group. A Song for Arbonne is just... breathtaking. Set in a world like medieval France, where troubadours write songs of courtly love for their ladies, it's a beautiful tapestry of politics, war, music, and love. There's not a lot of magic like in Tigana, and the book reads more like excellen
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Feb 25, 2010
Julie
rated it:
I liked this book quite a bit. I didn't give it 5 stars because it didn't enthrall me. I think that 5 star books should be those that you just CAN'T put down. Some parts of this book were like that but others weren't. If I read this book again in the future my opinion may change.
I like how this story reads, it is like poetry but not so much that I couldn't read it. I'm not a fan of poetry as it is usually above my head but through this book I was able to appreciate it more. I More...
I like how this story reads, it is like poetry but not so much that I couldn't read it. I'm not a fan of poetry as it is usually above my head but through this book I was able to appreciate it more. I More...
Jun 18, 2011
Ablmf
rated it:
My favorite Canadian author
Sometimes, I felt ashamed to have kindle eBook reader. Since I bought it last September to improve my English reading comprehension, except one novel, most of the time I just use it to check email or read twitter on bed.
However, recently I found a book that actually whets my appetite of reading, A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay, a Canadian author of fantasy fiction. Until now I've only finished 48% of it, but I'm absolutely sure Guy is my More...
Sometimes, I felt ashamed to have kindle eBook reader. Since I bought it last September to improve my English reading comprehension, except one novel, most of the time I just use it to check email or read twitter on bed.
However, recently I found a book that actually whets my appetite of reading, A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay, a Canadian author of fantasy fiction. Until now I've only finished 48% of it, but I'm absolutely sure Guy is my More...
Aug 06, 2011
Nicholas
rated it:
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1715843.ht...
A Song for Arbonne is set in a vaguely parallel world, a story of conflict between the free loving Provençal-ish people of Arbonne and the nassty Norman-type bigots of Gorhaut, with pseudo-Celts, pseudo-Italians, pseudo-Spaniards and pseudo-Germans as well. The exiled northern aristocrat who appreciates southern music is the central character, and you know from quite early on how it's likely to end (and it duly does end that way), yet I found More...
A Song for Arbonne is set in a vaguely parallel world, a story of conflict between the free loving Provençal-ish people of Arbonne and the nassty Norman-type bigots of Gorhaut, with pseudo-Celts, pseudo-Italians, pseudo-Spaniards and pseudo-Germans as well. The exiled northern aristocrat who appreciates southern music is the central character, and you know from quite early on how it's likely to end (and it duly does end that way), yet I found More...
Mar 11, 2009
Arthur
rated it: 
It is a second book by G.G. Kay that I have read. The first one was Tigana and it was perfect. I cannot say I didn't like A Song for Arbonne, but...long way from Tigana. The writer simply do not have enough space to introduce the characters, however likable they are, in enough depth to really fall in love with them. The plot has a few nice twists and you just keep on turning pages on and on but when you finish the book, you feel somewhat disappointed. The book leaves something empty inside of yo
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Sep 11, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
I know I'd read this book before, but I had absolutely zero memory of the plot. Which is a shame, because it's a very good book that does a lovely job of world-building, using the milieu of courtly love in Europe as a starting point. Along the way there are some interesting discussions about the balance between being true to a nation's peaceful nature and allowing one's self to be destroyed, as well as contemplations of the selfish side of love and the inability to let the past go. The story
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Oct 18, 2011
Kay
rated it:
This was definitely my favorite Kay book so far. While I classified it as fantasy, it does not have typical fantasy characters and only a little magic but this should not stop someone from reading this novel because it is wonderful. This one had everything I enjoy in his books or any book: action, intrigue, beautiful settings, and amazing characters. The story flowed well and kept me engaged. I loved the all of the characters of this book and quickly became emotionally involved in their lives. T
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Apr 18, 2010
Beth
rated it:
Much like Kay's book Tigana, this book started out introducing the reader to many characters before pulling things together. It didn't bother me, though, since I knew from Tigana that I was in for something special.
I love and hate that Kay gives his books less-than-pat endings - love it for its cliche-avoidance, but hate it because I always want to know the rest of the story! I do love that Kay has written a few of these stand-alone novels, though - a nice change in the current wor More...
I love and hate that Kay gives his books less-than-pat endings - love it for its cliche-avoidance, but hate it because I always want to know the rest of the story! I do love that Kay has written a few of these stand-alone novels, though - a nice change in the current wor More...
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Jun 23, 2009
Daniel
rated it:
Kay did it again! "A Song for Arbonne" met my expectations as another wonderful book. Much like "The Lions of al-Rassan" this book is set in medieval times, however it's not Spain that you'll find the troubadours of Arbonne, it's medieval France. In my opinion Kay tried to hard incorporate quite a bit of art, in particular poetry into the novel. Also, this book has a little bit more fantasy written into it than Kay's other books with this same authored outline, but I'll t
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