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    A Song for Arbonne
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    A Song for Arbonne
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    A Song for Arbonne
    Ebook691 pages12 hours

    A Song for Arbonne

    By Guy Gavriel Kay

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Based on the troubadour culture that rose in Provence during the High Middle Ages, this panoramic, absorbing novel beautifully creates an alternate version of the medieval world.

    The matriarchal, cultured land of Arbonne is rent by a feud between its two most powerful dukes, the noble troubador Bertran de Talair and Urte de Miraval, over long-dead Aelis, lover of one, wife of the other and once heir to the country's throne.

    To the north lies militaristic Gorhaut, whose inhabitants worship the militant god Corannos and are ruled by corrupt, womanizing King Ademar. His chief advisor, the high priest of Corannos, is determined to irradicate the worship of a female deity, whose followers live to the south.

    Into this cauldron of brewing disaster comes the mysterious Gorhaut mercenary Blaise, who takes service with Bertran and averts an attempt on his life. The revelation of Blaise's lineage and a claim for sanctuary by his sister-in-law sets the stage for a brutal clash between the two cultures. Intertwined is the tale of a young woman troubadour whose role suggests the sweep of the drama to come.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateFeb 10, 2011
    ISBN9780007352029
    Author

    Guy Gavriel Kay

    Guy Gavriel Kay was born and raised in Canada. He lives in Toronto, although he does most of his writing in Europe. His novels include ‘The Fionavar Tapestry’ trilogy (described by ‘Interzone’ as ‘the only fantasy work… that does not suffer by comparison with ‘The Lord of the Rings’), ‘Tigana’ and ‘A Song for Arbonne’.

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    Reviews for A Song for Arbonne

    4/5

    761 ratings27 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Fabulous epic fantasy. Thematically interesting, with a multitude of engaging, deeply-imagined characters who grow and change and find their destinies in an intricately-woven, extremely satisfying plot.

      I was also struck by how many of the Internet-dispersed "rules" for writing genre fiction that Kay breaks with impunity and panache. Don't have too many viewpoint characters; don't change viewpoints in the same scene; avoid adverbs when tagging dialogue ("She said" is always better than "She said gravely." -- No it isn't!). Most remarkable is how almost every scene is embellished with endless flashback and character-illuminating backstory. There is doubtless a reason these "rules" are prescribed to novice writers, but in the hands of a master like Kay, breaking them results in a novel of grand scope, riveting detail, and heart-breaking depth.

      The book is not totally flawless. The fight scenes are sometimes unconvincing, and the author manages a few times to remove actors from the scene with "precise blows to the head" that render them conveniently unconscious until the plot is ready for them again. Also, while most of the book is in standard past tense, some areas are unaccountably switched to present-tense. This particular rule-breaking was an annoyance, at least for me.

      As in other of Kay's fantasy's I've read, there is almost no magic. What there is here is at least well-explained and vivid, albeit it plays an extremely minor part in the story. So if well-imagined magic and wonder are what you crave in fantasy, you might want to look elsewhere.

      My edition of the book has a quote from Charles de Lint calling this "the ideal novel." While I do not totally agree, I'd say it is pretty darn close.
    • 4/5
      Guy Gavriel Kay has the kind of prose that makes me want to bury myself and cry because I'll never be able to write like him. A Song for Arbonne has everything: romance, troubadours, intrigue, war, passion, revenge. It's an epic story. Guy Gavriel Kay writes something I wouldn't call fantasy but more alternative history. He takes a place (here it's the lovely Provence) then does his research and sets a story in an alternative version of it. Beautiful plot, great characters and a lot of heartbreak.There were a few things I liked less about this book. The antagonists seem to be evil, just to be evil and I couldn't really find a motive. I find a villain who is a villain just so there's a villain a bit unsatisfying. And I wasn't happy with the resolution at the end, but maybe that was just me.Definitely a must read for all GGK fans. If you haven't read any of his work yet, I suggest you start with The Lions of Al-Rassan. It made me sob into my pillow.
    • 4/5
      A little overly romantic for my taste but still a very well written and enjoyable novel.
    • 4/5
      I started this book with some reservations, as I'm more a fan of Kay's later works than his early novels. However, I'm happy to say I was dead wrong. This novel, like many of Kay's later novels is set in one of his Earth-like kingdoms, in this case Arbonne is an analog of southern France. In sunny, peaceful Arbonne, minstrels and the court of Love and the goddess rule. That does not mean all is happiness and light, as the story revolves around two Dukes of Arbonne who hate each other forever. Into that mix throw a covetous northern kingdom (Denmark?) and the plot is set for personal and political intrigue.I found I did not want to put this book down. The characters are excellent and the world is interesting, though not fully developed. There are a couple of questionable plot points in this book, but all in all, excellent.
    • 1/5
      DNF @ page 134. One-dimensional characters, not so much a plot as a series of set-pieces to show how bad the baddies were, how mysterious the priestesses were, and how magnificent the protagonist was. Not for me.
    • 3/5
      2.75 stars (round up to 3).Two bordering regions are completely opposite. Arbonne is ruled by women and is full of songs, poetry and love. Garhaut is ruled by greedy, power-hungry men. Blaise from Garhaut wants to get away from his father (one of the most powerful men in Garhaut), so he travels to Arbonne. Some months after Blaise arrives and befriends people in Arbonne, events happen to start a war between the two regions.I am not a fan of fantasy, and I found it took a really long time to get into the story. It was difficult to keep straight the characters and what was happening for the first quarter of the book or so. I found it got much better, though, after that. I was interested in what happened after that point. I think for someone really into fantasy, they'll enjoy the book. For others, if you can get past the opening of setting up the world and the characters, it's not bad. I kept my star rating as low as it is mostly because I found the setup so long and boring.
    • 5/5
      This book is truly masterful. Beautifully written as only Guy Gavriel Kay can, A song for Arbonne tells the story of a conflict between Arbonne and its neighbor, Gorhaut. What I love is that although the conflict is the subject of the book, what it really is about is people. In a way, the conflict is exacerbated by the relations between several of the people. I'll admit that I found it easy to put this book away, but on the other hand, I kept returning to it. It has a great atmosphere and world, and my heart sank and soared with the characters. There may have been little magic in the story, the book itself and the writing brimmed with it.
    • 3/5
      I LOVE Guy Gavriel Kay's writing. [book:The Fionavar Tapestry|1148721] and [book:Tigana|104089] are some of my all-time favorite books. Books that I make friends read, even if I have to give them my copy. I did this one audio and I think that's what saved it from getting tossed away early. The narrator was REALLY good.It felt like someone tipped this book at an angle and all the story flowed down into the last third of the book. The first two thirds were just boring, nothing really happened other than world and character building. Of course in the last third of the book, right around the time I was seriously thinking about giving up the pace picked up and by then I knew the characters intimately and really cared that something was (finally) happening to them.Because his prose is so magically delicious (I just made that up), this should probably get 3 stars, but really if I would have been actually reading this I would have had to give up. I just don't read fast enough or have enough time to be bored.
    • 5/5
      Such beautiful, rich language! I re-read it over the past few weeks, and all of the questions I had reading it the first time through just fell into place. The tortured love of two people that changes the dynamics in a country, the twisting of religion into a reason for invasion, all are elements that Guy Gavriel Kay masterfully brings to the printed word.
    • 3/5
      I found the book to be ok but full of clichés and standard plot items without much new. The writing was of good quality and I liked the concept/idealism of the Arbonne province surrounded by others of such different and brutal laws. Yet overall I found the characters too simplistic and basically the same characters I've read in countless other novels. Was a bit disappointed in the novel and would unlikely read this again.
    • 4/5
      Kay's take on the Provençal culture of troubadour and courtly love of the Middle Ages. Very good book. Blaise the well-fleshed out mercenary hero from Gorhaut, a rival kingdom of Arbonne fights on the side of the Arbonnais a war with his own kingdom to get rid of the present cruel king and the brutality of Gorhaut, as opposed to the softness of Arbonne. I thought it odd all women were attracte d to Blaise; sure, he was a good, gentle man, but this was a bit over-the-top.
    • 4/5
      Review: 11th July 2009

      I've reviewed A Song for Arbonne before, but it was hardly adequate, and I need to review it again for it to count for my "read my own height in books" challenge, and I've come to like it so very much more since the first time I read it.

      As I pointed out before, I'm aware that technically this book is part of Guy Gavriel Kay's alternate history type books -- not sure how exactly to describe them, because I am still not familiar with the events the book is based on. Maybe one day I should find out, and then reread it to write a review with that in mind. For now, as before, I stuck to seeing it as pure fantasy and it didn't hurt any to do that. It doesn't matter what historical connections can be drawn, Guy Gavriel Kay still writes a fully realised world. It'd be surprising how little space he needs to do that, if I wasn't already aware of his skills. He sets up the conflicts easily, sets up the reasons, sets up the religions. I'm half in love with Arbonne myself.

      I do think that it's a bit of a poetical ideal, more that than a realistic place. It somehow doesn't bother me, though.

      Character-wise, I got to like the characters more this time round. Blaise and Ranald, especially. Their family is so broken and painful, and Kay does a good job in this book of showing how far small splits within and between families can carry -- as with Bertran and Urté. Blaise is a little irritating at first, but he does develop into a character worthy of being king. Ranald is... pathetic. But he redeems himself somewhat and I actually cried at his death. It's more pity for the opportunities lost than attachment to the character.

      Bertran... I liked him better from the beginning, knowing what I know about his past, because I knew what he was doing. Again, there's a good job of showing his wasted potential.

      The romance also didn't bother me as much this time. I still don't think it's Kay's strong point. A lot of it comes out of nowhere, and while love isn't rational, I'd like just a bit more explanation.

      I do have a couple of quibbles with the book. The writing is lovely -- tastes nice -- but sometimes it becomes just a bit too poetical and lyrical and faintly... old-fashioned. It suits the tone of the book, because the whole of Arbonne is like that. It has a kind of enchantment of its own, but I feel kind of wary about reccing this book to people I know in case it doesn't work for them and they cry purple prose. I think it walks a delicate line, and for me, it doesn't cross it. But I know for some people it definitely does. More so than his other books, maybe.

      Also, what the hell is with all the women wanting Blaise? Come on. One man is not all that attractive -- he isn't even given the nicest character at first, but there's all these women falling into bed with him! Ariane, Lucianna, Rosala, Lisseut...

      I would have liked more of the minor characters, like Rudel and Valery. Rudel would have been lots of fun, and Valery was just one of those characters that gets to me -- loyal and quiet and unflinching.



      Review: 30th August 2009

      I'm aware that this book supposedly has connections to real history, but I read it as pure fantasy, and loved it as such. Guy Gavriel Kay is rapidly becoming one of my favourite fantasy writers. I love the way he can pack so much into just one book -- I felt as if as much was going on here as in the three books of the Fionavar tapestry, and I felt the same about Tigana. His world building is amazing, even if it does build on actual historical events. Even completely ignorant of those, I built up an incredibly rich picture of Arbonne in my mind.

      There were a few plot twists that I didn't expect, which is something I love in a book. I'm not sure Kay got it quite on the nose here: I saw foreshadowing for what happened to Aelis' child from about halfway through, but I didn't see any foreshadowing for who it would be, and nor did I really care about it when it was finally revealed.

      Characterwise... I didn't get as fond of Blaise as I have been of other Kay-protagonists. I'd have liked to see him as a person built up more -- perhaps through interaction with his best friend Rudel -- although I did like his slow growth into acceptance of the goddess. I also liked Ranald's little character arc -- I wouldn't say I was fond of him, but I was quite upset when he died at that moment. I was fond of Bertram, somewhat, mostly. Other times I wanted to hit him. The women characters didn't appeal to me so much, here, but overall the characters didn't disappoint me. I hold Kay to pretty high standards! It didn't match Fionavar or Tigana, but it did beat The Last Light Of The Sun and Ysabel. It's funny: I thought those were quite good when I first read them, but now I think Kay can write much better.

      In terms of handling romance, in some ways I thought Kay was better in this book than in others. I was sort of rooting for Lisseut, but I was quite glad that nothing explicit happened between her and Blaise at the end: I didn't see the build up for it on Blaise's end, or the cause of it on Lisseut's. Rosala and Bertran seemed a little out of the blue. Ariane and Blaise I kind of liked, though it could have done with more development.

      Overall, I liked A Song For Arbonne quite a lot. Not his worst work, but not his best, either.
    • 5/5
      This was from my earlier fantasy days but has withstood a recent rereading and remains a favorite. The language is beautiful, the characters seem like archetypes from some myth your high school teacher forgot to assign. This is High Romance, with ballads and minstrels, courts and queens, unrequited love and heartbreaking loyalty. This is definitely one to curl up with (complete with hot cocoa and comforter, please) and enjoy on a rainy day.
    • 5/5
      I first read Kay in high school and was hooked immediately. I was drawn to the emotional depth of his characters, as well as the themes of love, loss, obsession and redemption. Re-visiting Kay as an adult, I am now hooked by his political intrigue, cultural richness and mastery of pacing.A Song for Arbonne followed his critically acclaimed series, The Fionavar Tapestry which was set in an alternate universe and was fantasy on an Epic scale. Arbonne branches away from much of the fantastical elements of Tapestry and focuses on more familiar historical fiction in the guise of alternate-Europe, particularly France, Italy and Russia. This has become Kay's forte, but he did it best here.Kay's characters are detailed and evocative. Even the death of minor characters is heart-breaking. As well, Kay gives us a stand-alone novel which is rare in this R.R. Martin age. Rest assured, there is a satisfying and final conclusion. All in all, this epic tale of intrigue, rivalry and jealousy is still as fresh and modern today as it was when I first read it as a teen. I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates being lost in a world not so dissimilar to ours. And Canadian too!
    • 4/5
      Really good; solid story; interesting twists.
    • 5/5
      Possibly my faavourite of all of GGK's books, although Tigana gives it a run for it's money. Beautifully written with wonderfull drawn character's. It is a stand-alone novel which is rare in the fantasy genre. I loved the cultural richness, the wealth of characters and the way GGK can break your heart (even a seemingly insignificant character's death hurts).
    • 4/5
      It's difficult to introduce this book without giving the plot away, so here's what I can say: A Song for Arbonne is filled with political intrigue, big battles, and heroes-for-hire. Kay's style has matured quite a bit by this effort, exhibiting the traits that become so characteristic of his current works: in-depth character development, and a breathless mastery of present tense.The structure of the book is interesting. All the action takes place in four different times: a few days in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. This is both a good and a bad thing. On the positive side, the action moves quickly because it isn't spread out over months. On the negative side, the climax seemed out of place. The build-up you would expect was replaced with the final battle.Arbonne sets the tone for the rest of Kay's books. The explicit fantastical elements of his Fionavar trilogy were toned down in Tigana and are mere background elements here. Fortunately, Kay's storytelling doesn't rely on fantasy—he's quite at home in historical fiction.
    • 5/5
      If you are looking for a sweeping, epic tale and enjoy stories of intrigue and courtly love, this is the book for you. Kay's setting is Arbonne, an idealized country that echoes the myth and fantasy of the middle ages, and Gorhaut, a more accurate, barbarian country to it's north. There is an epic struggle for power as these two cultures clash, and much family drama, intrigue and romance takes place in this long, standalone yarn. I enjoyed this book, though I felt the fantasy world setting was not necessary - the world having two moons did little to add to the plot, when everything else about the world was so like our own. I also did find it a little predictable, but not in such a way that I wanted to put it down. This is the only book I've read by Kay, and given his mastery of pacing and beautiful writing style, I will definitely pick up more of his books in the future.
    • 4/5
      An alternate history romance with fantasy elements, set in a highly idealised version of mediaeval France and utilising the elements of the tradition of Courtly Love. Kay’s writing is impeccable, but his characterisation tends to be broad and a little cold.
    • 4/5
      I'm a fairly big fan of Guy Gavriel Kay, particularly loving his Sarantine Mosaic duology. So its a bit of mystery why I left this lying around in my tbr pile for so long (well not such a big mystery - my tbr pile is more a mountain than a pile and things tend to get lost in there). The world Kay conjures is rich and evocative, with the titular land of Arbonne being a slightly distorted version of Provencal France in the High Middle Ages. It is a land known for its trabadours and its Court of Love, wherein music and courtly manners are celebrated. To its northern neighbour, the rugged, cold land of Gorhaut, it is a land ruled by a weak woman and whose men have fallen to womanish ways. Its rich vineyards and olive orchards seem ripe for the conquering.The book is a stand-alone novel, something rare in the fantasy genre these days, and even more rare, still manages to create a rich and complex setting and plot. The characters are well drawn and their various loves, hates, rivalries and jealousies give the story a rich, almost burlesque texture. Its a satisfying tale, but i did knock off a half star from my rating because on occasion I found Kay's writing a little too precious, with the artifice too obvious when building up to a surprise revelation. I don't seem to recall having this issue with any of the other books by Kay that I've read (both those written before and those written after A Song for Arbonne - either I was too engrossed in the story before, or this one was written in a slightly different style. Overall though, this was an enjoyable read and reccomended to fans of Kay, and those who might be interested in the setting.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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)
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.