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The Name of the Wind
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May 2011: The Name of the Wind / Finished Reading - how did you like it? **SPOILERS** allowed
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I read this book when it came out about a year ago, it really is a very refreshing take on fantasy. I like how Kvothe wasn't the normal kind of fantasy hero, Patrick rothfuss doesn't play him up to be morally good and righteous all the time, Kvothe often makes mistakes, and pays for them. The battle scene with the "dragon" was one of my favorites, I also liked the last scene with Ambrose, and his relationship with each of the different professors. I actually like this book more than book two, but book two is really good as well. If you really like this book, Patrick Rothfuss's blog is often witty and fun to read. Plus he does updates about the books there often.
My Review: I gave it five stars when I first read it; five stars to me is a book I would pick up and re-read any time. I still would rate it that highly, although possibly for slightly different reasons (strange how books grow with you, right?). Even now, I can't say exactly why I like the book so much, but it is an incredibly compelling story and routinely made me lose track of time while reading. The aspect of the book that sticks with me most is how Rothfuss describes Kvothe's need for music and how he feels when he plays. Those scenes resonate very strongly with me and how I feel about music. I had the opportunity to meet him at a book signing in San Diego in 2009 and asked if he had any experience playing an instrument. He does not, making those scenes all the more impressive to me.
I agree that the first was just a little better than the second, although perhaps the only difference was the freshness of The Name of the Wind; a sequel just can't be as original. Having read the second book (my review), I think Rothfuss has his work cut out for him to finish the retrospective plot line in just one more book.
@Sleo. What do you view as the ambivalence of Kvothe's relationships?@Kyndall. Which of Kvothe's actions did you view as being not "morally good and righteous"?
I most liked:
-the lyrical narrative style
-the gradual metafictional creation of one original myth from which all others stem
-the vibrancy of the minor characters (namely Auri, Bast, and Devi, and several of the professors).
@Graham - Denna was certainly an ambivalent character - was she or wasn't she involved with the Chandrians? Why is she so secretive? Is she leading Kvothe on?The Chandrians are also ambivalent. Of course, our introduction to them makes them appear evil, but they did spare Kvothe. And I'm always skeptical of characters that appear all bad. So often it's a cover.
Bast is certainly ambivalent. First of all, what is he? Man, demon, beast? Does he serve Kvothe or dominate him? What is his relationship to iron.
I found Kvothe himself to be ambivalent. His time after the slaughter of his family is agony. He learns to survive by stealing. He only gradually regains his self confidence and is able to apply to university. He has an alternately overblown/under rated opinion of himself.
I would say that little in the book is as it seems.
I thought the Name of the Wind was really interesting. The only down points of the book were when Kvothe got pissed when he inadequately explained Denna and that dragon part...otherwise it was awesome. I think Bast is a demon and as they showed in the beginning of the book demons are harmed by iron. That's why he's repelled by it though I still think of him as a protagonist. I share your suspicions of Denna. Her being present at the backwater village when the Chandrians attacked is too much of a coincidence for me.
I read this back in Sep 2008 and it just blew me away. Soon after I joined GoodReads (Summer 2008), one of my new friends recommended Name of the Wind. The result being I not only love this book, but GoodReads as well. The beginning of a long fulfilling reading relationship. :)Here's my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Milo wrote: "I thought the Name of the Wind was really interesting. The only down points of the book were when Kvothe got pissed when he inadequately explained Denna and that dragon part...otherwise it was awes..."I have to go back to the book, but I thought Bast was of the fae. There was something mentioned about his parents.
This book is grade A fantasy. Nice plot, characters, and world-building.Only thing that irritated me was how Kvothe's parents were so lovey dovey.
Besides that, it was great. The size of the story also leads me to believe that this will be more than a trilogy. There's just so much content to explore and questions to be answered that I would feel extremely unsatisfied if the series ended with the next book.
Plus, I doubt Kvothe's story is at an end. He's not that old yet. Unless he gets killed in the next book.
5/5 or 9/10
@Kyndall. Which of Kvothe's actions did you view as being not "morally good and righteous"?
Maybe me saying this was a little influenced by my read of the second book, which I won't go into detail about because I don't want to spoil it for anyone. But he did make the song about Ambrose being an ass, which is something any young adult would do and think it was hilarious. He never feels guilty about it. I felt like some authors might be tempted to write how Kvothe might be able to sympathize with Ambrose (maybe Ambrose had a hard childhood, etc) but even if Rothfuss did, I don't think Kvothe (at least, in character) would feel sorry in the least about it, which I loved. There's no "Well I could understand where Amrbose is coming from" or "Maybe he's just like me in some ways", they simply just don't like each other, and Kvothe has no guilt about that.
Also, some characters might feel bad about trying to sell drugs, but it's realistic that since he's always short on cash he'd risk selling it (even to an apothecary), and while some characters might have moral qualms with that, Kvothe did not.
I guess all in all, I like how Kvothe is practical, and not dressed up as a hero who should always feel like he's doing the right thing. Sometimes people are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and they have to make tough decisions that aren't always necessarily right or easy, and I like how Rothfuss does this, without all the frills or preachiness.
loved it loved it loved it.. absolutely loved it...and I can't begin to tell you why...it's a favorite
right now i'm in mind of grabbing Wise man's fear and read it immediately
To be short and frank (I love being frank - lol), it was great, and I loved reading every minute of it.
Jamie wrote: "To be short and frank (I love being frank - lol), it was great, and I loved reading every minute of it."that's exactly how i felt... i was just enjoying the read... didn't want to ever end
I really liked this book a lot.What I liked about this book:
Character development: I liked the way he develops both his primary and secondary characters. They don't just say things that advance the plot, they are play their parts well. I remember stopping several times to enjoy the interaction with relatively minor characters.
Humor: It's a reasonably witty novel, I found myself chuckling both at the banter between the characters and also at some of the soliloquy observations of the main POV characters.
Page turner: While I was reading this book several friends and associates noticed me not wanting to put the book down (when I got home, when I got to work ... I figure that's a good thing).
What I thought could have been improved:
A couple of times in the book the author mentions relatively modern concepts such as 'germs' which feel like they're out of place in the medieval setting (even with the existence of magic). I didn't spot anything that would really explain these discrepancies and found them slightly jarring.
I summary I can't wait to read the next book in the series, my only reservation being the series not being completed yet (hate when that happens).
When I first read this book, I was so annoyed about it and didnt think it lived up to the hype. I re-read it for our read here, purposely trying to figure out what it was I didnt like...because really, I devoured it. I thought the writing was good, and it kept me locked in. I likedd the concept of the Chandrian as the 'opposition'. I thought the magic was great.
So, I think my problem was two fold...1) Its told in an unreliable first person chronological narrative. Now that is a legitimate device, but here it felt like nothing got finished...I was waiting for any of the plot threads to come together and they just didn't. 2) Kvothe was an ass. Not at the beginning when he was young, but once he got to the University I Just Didn't Like Him anymore. But really, to be truthful, would I like any arrogant university teen? Nope.
So my conclusion is... I am annoyed that the book stopped. lolol
So apparently I need to have some faith in Rothfuss that all will end in a way I like, and go on to the next one. (although maybe I can put it off a bit so I dont have a long wait for the third)
Maggie wrote: "When I first read this book, I was so annoyed about it and didnt think it lived up to the hype. I re-read it for our read here, purposely trying to figure out what it was I didnt like...because rea..."Interesting Maggie. I neither liked nor disliked it. I liked the writing style too and agree that nothing was resolved but am not curious enough to read the next one. I thought the dragon was hokey and a distraction.
Maggie wrote: "When I first read this book, I was so annoyed about it and didnt think it lived up to the hype. I re-read it for our read here, purposely trying to figure out what it was I didnt like...because rea..."Felt the same way
I do have to say, it didn't really feel like it hit any sort of ending. Typically in a trilogy, even if the full storyline isn't finished, there is some plot specific to the book in question that concludes with the book. This really lacked a climax. (I wouldn't refer to Bast at the end as a climax, for the record.)It took me quite a while to get into this book, at least a hundred pages. All of the stuff around the inn, especially dealing with the spider things, felt like a story that I'd missed reading the beginning of. Once it was transitioned to Kvothe's narrative of his past, I liked it more. I actually find I kind of liked (young) Kvothe, but I didn't love him, and there were no characters that really gripped me.
I didn't mind the university bit like some of the others above have mentioned, but it really did lack someone really putting him into his place; somehow it seems that he failed to learn from either the lashings or even the leap off the balcony. His arrogance and thoughtlessness were never duly checked.
The story did seem to involve a lot of luck, didn't it? Especially closer to the end, when he would luck into some cash, and then luck right back out of it, only to luck into more later -- and so forth.
Chris - The lack of climax/ending is something that is a problem in both the books, i read somewhere that the trilogy originally was planned to be just one book.. Which whould really explain a lot of the flaws in the books so far..
Mhmmm. I just finished it today. I rated it 3.5 out of 5. I liked the book, but some things just got a little repetitive.For example, the going in and out of poverty, his failed attempts with finding Denna (although I have to admit, it was kind of cute), and the lack of a climax. Unless the climax was with the Draccus, but I didn't feel that captivated.
My first thoughts on this book was mild confusion, and questions about the how the story was told. I wasn't too keen on the idea of telling a life story as the way to tell the story in the book. But the more and more I got into Kvothe's life the more I appreciated the technique. I definitely liked it as a way of dealing with the "coming of age" of the character. It's definitely unique and welcomed. That being said I'm not sure I "like" Kvothe, he seems to be able to do anything and get out of scraps with just luck. He is talented, intelligent and lucky....and cocky! It may be just his age, as one reviewer pointed out but I need a bit more. The mystery of the Chandrian and Denna are just that mysteries and I wish that we had gotten further explanations of at least the Chandrian. I understand that Denna is meant to be mysterious for a while to our "hero". Which leads me to the "magic" of the series, an extension of my questions about the Chandrian I suspect. What is it and why do some people have it and others don't? What drives it? It seems like the sympathy is the lesser magic, which anyone can do with study but the naming magic is the one with real power. But it only develops accidentally and needs passion. That and you can go mad using it. I guess I like my magic to have rules, which this system of magic does and doesn't.
The writing technique in and of itself is worth the read of the first book. I began to not enjoy it at first cause I really didn't know what was going on, but after I got used to the idea of the telling of a story with in a ... story it became enjoyable to read.I found that several times I would put myself into Kvothes' shoes and was rather impressed with how much the character fit me personally. The idea of a rags to riches is a great story but to not always get the easy way out made it for me.
This book... 4 stars! Good read!
I love this book. I fear that I will not be able to explain why....it's one of those things where you like it and it feels undefinable as to why you like it so much, but I am going to try.The Name of the Wind was suggested to me by Amazon; my purchases or wishlist titles must have made its software configurations think this book was good for me. I was intrigued by the blurb...mysterious past hero relating his story in a pub. Sounded good, but I ignored it for a long while as my wishlist is rather long, and this was just an Amazon suggestion. Finally, I purchased it as an audio download. I walk for exercise, and my little town is rather dull to walk around in, so I definitely need distraction. If you haven't heard the audio, it is very good. As soon as I completed it, I quickly bought the actual book so that I could read it again, immediately.
I think that I liked it because:
1) The backstory is just as intriguing and beguiling as the current events of the story. I really want to know more about Lanre. Who are those Chandrian? What is the connection between the university of the present to the mysterious city of beautiful fountains?
2) The "magic" is so non-magical. It seems like science. More of a skill one learns than an actual gift such as in Harry Potter. Although I sense that there is a gift there was well...it doesn't feel like it.
3) The story is rife with political undertones. Not full-fledged screaming at ya politics, but the everyday present of politics we cannot escape. Class structure, poverty, education, religion, corruption, sexism, the usual.
4) The emphasis on the power of stories sucks me in. Rothfuss tells us a story about a man who is relating his own story about a life in which he wove his own reputation while he was engaged in figuring out past stories!
5) The general wordiness, slow development, and number of characters and situations. I like words. To me, this is like a fantasy for Dickens lovers.
6) Most importantly, Kvothe himself. His endearing childhood, the tragic death of his family, and his incredible perseverance first engaged me. As a young adult, he is completely cringeworthy, but then so are most people. Of course, he is not entirely lovable, but he is an incredibly well-developed character. He is so darn real, so believable, that even while his talents and powers seem incredible, he himself feels like someone I know whose feelings I don't want to be hurt, someone who I definitely want to succeed and become happy again.
Michele wrote: "I love this book. I fear that I will not be able to explain why....it's one of those things where you like it and it feels undefinable as to why you like it so much, but I am going to try.The Na..."
I listened to the audiobook as well, and usually, I only listen to books in the car during my commute. I was so gripped by this story, however, that there were several nights when I listened on my iPod way past when I should have been asleep.
The wordiness (the language was so beautiful) was a big plus for me as well. I haven't re-listened, but I know that I will because I enjoyed that first listen so much.
After reading, I came to GoodReads and wanted to see what others thought, and was actually surprised that people didn't like Kvothe. Like Michele, I really enjoyed the character of Kvothe as written (both in the past and present). Upon reflection, I can see how Kvothe could be irritating, but for me, the story was good enough & his character developed enough that he didn't bother me. I like his mischief, and I think that his arrogance is a natural outgrowth of his talent (without parents to temper that particular trait, I don't see how it could have been avoided).
I haven't read the 2nd book yet (sometimes when I'm reading series, I hate for the story to end, so I postpone reading the next. It's why my copy of Towers of Midnight is still sitting on my shelf. I've been reading that series for almost 1/2 of my life...), but I'm really looking forward to it.
Stacia wrote: "After reading, I came to GoodReads and wanted to see what others thought, and was actually surprised that people didn't like Kvothe. Like Michele, I really enjoyed the character of Kvothe as written (both in the past and present). "That's kinda funny, 'cause I'm one of the people that doesn't like Kvothe and I'm surprised at how many people seem to actually like the annoying little twit. ;)
I am with you Colleen. Although I liked the writing, the magic, the backstory, I found young Kvothe very irritating. I am hopeful he 'grows out of it', so I will read the next book.
Kvothe annoyed me too. Well, not entirely. For the most part, he annoys me. I only like him when he's not telling the story. During the interludes, he's just fine. (:
@many: this is, essentially, an autobiography...I think we can excuse the lack of a climax.@many more: I love that Kvothe isn't a trite and tired old stereotypical perfect and earnest young child that just makes stupid mistakes and muddles through. Like the line from the song "never found treasure in a garbage can", many of us can't truly imagine Kvothe's childhood...I know I can't. I have both parents and have never had to beg for a living. Who am I to judge HOW he survives? Relative morality is easy to pick at. Personally, I like some aspects of Kvothe, but love the fact that he has layers - brilliant mind, yet completely unable to see that Denna (or any other woman) is interested in him. Kind of like many clueless teenagers! His stones, to sneak into the admissions hall to preview the audience and outsmart them...and yet too dim to not step off the balcony merely because he hasn't figured the prof out yet.
Kvothe grew across the first book, and is no longer so completely self-absorbed. I feel quite confident that as he continues his story of his life, he will continue to grow into the man who is truly satisfied by owning a pub...even if that isn't entirely true. After all - who isn't at least slightly self-delusional some of the time? (My goodness, aren't I a handsome devil?!?!?)
PS. Five stars, couldn't put it down unless my eyes auto-closed, usually around midnight. Traitorous eyes! (But handsome!) LOL
Kvothe may be annoying, but I feel sorry for him too. His thinking is so skewed by his life circumstances and his lack of human resources. I wouldn't want to date Kvothe, but I still like reading about him!
i loved this book. very little criticism i could think of, and that was minor. kvothe is a great character, i didn't even mind denna, and the mystery of the chandrian fascinates me. not a tightly paced novel and i also didn't mind that - i enjoyed the stops & starts, twists & turns, side adventures, etc. overall, a wonderful experience and i'm looking forward to the sequel.the review i wrote after reading it a couple months back:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Derek wrote: "@many: this is, essentially, an autobiography...I think we can excuse the lack of a climax. What do you mean by that ? I think the lack of climax is a pretty fatal mistake (in both the books).. the whole scene with the junkie-dragon, is pretty much rothfuss trying to cover up the fact..
I remember somewhere in the book kvothe talks about how this is a "real story" and therefore the order in which things happen might not be your standard fairy tale structure, and while that might be a excuse Kvothe can use, it doesnt really work for Rothfuss..
I think we can conclude that the chandrian is these books main conflict, not denna, not his finances, but the chandrian.. For this book to have a satisfying ending something should have been concluded regarding them..
---
I would be interested to know why so many dislike Kvothe ?
I agree that he is a flawed character, but i thought that was the trend these days.
I guess it's because he is an arrogant show-off ?
I think that is the natural way for him to be..
He is adema rue, which is a social looked greatly down upon.. kind of like gypsies..
He has no money and no clothes in a place where most people is some sort of nobility sponsored by their rich parents..
I think his need to show off all the time, is him rebelling against the inferiority complexes that he must have..
He must show everyone that he is as good as they, and being too talented, he overdoes it and alienates all the people he tries to impress.. including the reader..
What did annoy me about him was his constant going on about Denna.. She really have done nothing to justify this obsession with her, quite the opposite i think..
Still he drags us through long descriptions of how wonderful he think she is, ohh so hard to get, and how he always looks for her, but can never find her..
(and seriously, what's with the glorification of her ears ? hahaha how weird is that !)
The music part, i think, is also largely overdone..
The way he always seems to be either crying, or having a near sexual experience, when talking about his music.. less could have done it..
Michele wrote: "Kvothe may be annoying, but I feel sorry for him too. His thinking is so skewed by his life circumstances and his lack of human resources. I wouldn't want to date Kvothe, but I still like reading about him!"Precisely! Kvothe is a very interesting character but not necessarily a person I could realistically hang out with. I like that he relies on his own skills (and increasingly, those of his friends) to work himself out of situations that his circumstances (or character flaws) create. I still think he's a little too lucky, but his story is very compelling.
What did everyone think of the foreshadowing element of the book ? Things along the line of "I didn't take Ambrose seriously. I was a fool".
I think on balance I liked it.
Every time Kvothe borrowed money or did something risky my mind went racing thinking 'oooh I bet this is when Ambrose is going to do something epic'; but I can see how fore-shadowing can also come off as a bit cheesy and melodramatic.
IMO it didn't create much tension because there was always a long wait before the 'uh-oh' happened. It did serve to guide you in certain directions while reading. While I liked the first 'story within a story' I got uncomfortable with the other stories within a story within a story. All those mythic fables usually leave me cold, and these were no exception. So I didn't like that much.
Ben wrote: "What did everyone think of the foreshadowing element of the book ? Things along the line of "I didn't take Ambrose seriously. I was a fool".
I think on balance I liked it.
Every time Kvothe b..."
I'm not a fan of heavy foreshadowing. King uses it a lot, and it's one of the few things I really dislike about his writing style because I agree with Sandra that it kills a lot of the tension for me.
That said, I also kept expecting the thing with Ambrose to happen and for the thing that gets him kicked out to happen, but then I was mostly pissed off when it didn't happen that it was being so belabored.
I felt like it was a tease - a thread to keep you interested when/if your attention waned, but a thread that didn't pay out, at least in the first book. And I ended up more irritated by it than anything else.
(It was like sitting through the credits at the end of a movie 'cause you know there's a little scene afterwards, and then you finally see the scene and you're like, "Really? I sat through all those for that?" Of course, I haven't read the second book so maybe they pay-out's really big once it finally happens. At this point, I'm not sure I care enough to bother. I'll wait to see if it actually ends with the third book, or if those who are predicting another trilogy after this one are correct.)
I found the foreshadowing didn't move me much one way or the other. A lot of the time it was pretty clear even without foreshadowing; for example, the foreshadowing about Ambrose was an obvious development. (That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but it did render the foreshadowing a bit moot.)
I really enjoyed it. I thought that Kvothe was a great character. He has his flaws and at times one might think he is a little to lucky, but in the end, it kept me interested in his life. Rothfuss did a great job pulling me in and hooking me from the beginning.
Favorite part of the book, when Kvothe and Denna first see the draccus:
"Look at it!" she hissed at me. "It's right there! Look at the huge Goddamn dragon!" ROFL.
Fun read, looking forward to seeing what happens to get him kicked from the university.
Favorite part of the book, when Kvothe and Denna first see the draccus:
"Look at it!" she hissed at me. "It's right there! Look at the huge Goddamn dragon!" ROFL.
Fun read, looking forward to seeing what happens to get him kicked from the university.
The foreshadowing just seems a part of the story, since it is a story within a story. I think it would be a pretty different book if it were not Kvothe telling his own story. I think he gives the story gravitas. (I think that's the right word!) If the story was just happening as it happens I don't think we'd have the same sense to be looking for all the important events of his life. There would not be the tension of wondering when Ambrose is gonna get him because of course we wouldn't know it was coming.
So... I read it, loved it, and went straight into Wise Man's Fear... and... I was very unhappy with the second book... /sigh. 100s of pages of... never mind, I wont spoil anything.I do plan to pick up the next book, but I'm afraid that could be a long wait given the four-year span between books 1 and 2. Maybe that will be enough time for me to get over my disappointment with book 2.
I loved it. When I was finished I found myself missing the characters and the world they lived in. I'm just sitting down to start reading the second book. I can't wait to re-immerse myself in Kvothe's world. I find Kvothe to be an interesting and intriguing character even though I don't always like him very much. I often am annoyed at his conceit & irresponsibility, but I think they're a realistic part of a talented young man's personality.
I loved the book. Unfortunately I had many pressing matters to tend to when I first read this... so I ended up ditching all those responsibilities because I was so glued to this book. I thought it was an enjoyable read -- I went straight into the Wise Man's Fear after I finished, and was truly dazzled by all the depth Rothfuss put into both books. I've been browsing these forums (Wise Man's Fear spoilers!) and there are just a bunch of little things that the readers have picked up on in the writing in both books (there are things in the first book you can't appreciate until you read the second, clues to the chandrian, some identities, etc). It really made me appreciate the series just that much more.
I liked the story quite a bit. It kept me turning the pages. And it is the reason I am moving right along to book 2. The characters on the other hand, well, I don't particularly care for any of them. I'm hoping some of them will grow on me in the second book. That is not to say some of them didn't have good moments.
It took me some time to decide to read this book. Many good reviews convinced me to give it a shot. And I was not dissapointed. Book is perfect for me- enough magic and humor, but spiced with many accidents and bad luck for protagonist. Can't wait to read second book (and third :P and more if we are lucky)
I gave it four stars. The things that stand out for me were:
The mystery of the Chandrian
Kvothe's musical ability
The switch from present to past or the story within a story technique
Kvothe's relationship with Bast in the present and with Denna in the past. Both relationships are so ambivalent they're intrigueing.