Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #453985 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Customer Reviews

Deep, compelling, enthralling
As with most of Guy Gavriel Kay's novels, this is set in an alternative version of our own reality. Arbonne stands in as a fantasy version of Southern France (Languedoc) at the time of the Albigensian Crusade - when the population of Cathars was exterminated as heretics in one of Europe's earliest and most shameful episodes of religious-based "ethnic" cleansing.

Because GGK is writing of an alternative universe, the story remains compelling even though the outcome in our own world turned out to be tragic: you don't know if the same fire and destruction is going to be visited on Arbonne, with her olive groves and vineyards, her beautiful ladies and gallant troubadours... the picture painted is so vivid, and the characters so well-drawn, that you'll truly hope all will be well (don't worry, I'm not going to reveal what happens).

What I will say is that this book haunted me so much that I decided to read up on Catharism and the Albigensian Crusade. GGK's work can have that effect: his Sarantine Mosaic (Sailing to Sarantium, and Lord of Emperors) also made me want to know more about the Byzantine Empire. I have to say I slightly prefer the Sarantine Mosaic to this, but no matter, it's impossible for me to award a novel of this quality anything less than the full five stars.

Haunting and compelling
I wish I had not read this - because I would love to experience again the wonder of reading it for the first time. The plot is epic and Romantic (with a deliberate capital)and the characters breathtakingly well rounded. Blaise is a magnificent creation, a hero despite himself, and Ariane is a refreshing change from the usual fantasy female. In fact it demeans Kay to even compare his people with the stereotypes of other lesser genre writers.The world he creates is not quite history and not quite fantasy, but an hypnotic blend of both. It's seductively real, which means you don't like every aspect of it. The style too captures the poetry of the setting, with passages that can be read aloud so that you roll the words around like wine. This all makes it sound a bit serious - but it also contains plenty of humour - broad and subtle. In short, it's a joy.

Wonderful
This is truly a wonderful book, beautifully written and brilliantly thought out.. The story is woven around and between some of the most well developed and "real" characters I have ever come across, taking you on a journey which is terrifyingly easy to get lost in as the inner disputes of Arbonne threaten to be its downfall in forthcoming war.

A Song for Arbonne delivers a well-balanced and thought provoking novel, involving the reader in the relationships of each character in such a way that your heart races as they talk and plunges as they fight - there is no single 'bad guy' as such, the differences here are more often cultural than otherwise. This might sound "fluffy" or some such to someone reading it but believe me.. this book is far from fluffy. It is touching at times and stomach-churning at others..... having read it far too many times to be truly objective any more I can only say that every single person I know who has read this after I recommended it to them has fallen for Arbonne and several have gone on to read all Guy Kay's other novels.

If you're skeptical (you needn't be) just try it; I wish I had the opportunity to read it again for the first time.