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Product Description
Book Description
Arbonne and Gorhaut—two lands as different as the sun and the shadowed moon.
In the south, the olive trees and vineyards of Arbonne flourish, as the troubadours fill the air with the music of love and desire. To the north, the history of Gorhaut has been forged with blood and fire, and now a degenerate king and his ruthless advisor seek to quench a thirst for conquest by sweeping down upon Arbonne. But the land of courtly love is also a land of passion, willing to wage a complex and cunning fight to survive.
Inspired by the glorious world of the troubadours, A Song for Arbonne is Guy Gavriel Kay's love song to medieval Provence.
About the Author
Guy Gavriel Kay is the author of nine novels: The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road (which comprise The Fionavar Tapestry); Tigana; A Song for Arbonne; The Lions of Al-Rassan; Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors (which comprise The Sarantine Mosaic); and, most recently The Last Light of the Sun. He is also the author of the acclaimed collection of poetry Beyond This Dark House. His work has been translated into twenty-one languages. He has twice won the Aurora Award, is a three-time World Fantasy Award nominee, and is the recipient of the International Goliardos Award for his contributions to the literature of the fantastic. Guy Gavriel Kay lives in Toronto.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kay's vision of Provence,
By
This review is from: A Song for Arbonne (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm a Kay fan in general, and enjoy all of his work, particularly his books that contain an alternate vision of history. In this book, we see Kay's take upon the cultural clash between the Langue d'Oc and the Langue d'Or. It has echoes of the Albigensian Crusade, as well as many other elements of medieval Provence.
There's a lot to enjoy in this book, from clever dialogue and plot twists to some well drawn characters. The one thing that makes me hesitate before picking this book up to reread it is not a criticism, but praise for the strength of Kay's characterization: the main character's father is so all-encompassingly horrific that he puts me off my food. And goodness knows, we can't have that.
5.0 out of 5 stars
North and South with troubadors,
By
This review is from: A Song for Arbonne (Mass Market Paperback)
As always since the Fionovar Tapestry, GG Kay writes thinly disguised history with a touch of magic. Or, you might say fantasy in a parallel universe close to our own. This is a tale of the South of France vs the almost Germanic North of France. Sort of like Eleanor of Acquitaine against Clovis or Charlemagne.
The South has troubadors, and courtly love, and damsels in distress: all the usual accoutrements of high medieval fantasy. It's not really Provence so much as Acquitaine, but the battle of Langue d'Oc vs Langue d'Oeil is fought again. The North has steel and warriors, and the will to use them. Kay has engineered a clash of cultures in a rich pseudo-historical milieu, with strong characters you can believe and identify with. They, too, have doubts and feelings. Some of the northern killers are good people shaped by their culture; some of the southerners are thieves and villains. Although the readers' general sympathies are with the southerners, the northern point of view is equally well presented. It can be exhiliarating and heart-breaking by turns, reading this marvellous book. Strongly recommended, as are most of Kay's works.
5.0 out of 5 stars
an imaginary land with real worries and an unforeseen depth,
By Tami "ghart27" (Winnipeg Manitoba CANADA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Song for Arbonne (Mass Market Paperback)
Here is a story, in the best sense. A book with many pages to read (a very good feature, in this case, so it doesn't end too soon). Although a paperback, and - in our days - cheap compared to other books, this story shows neither skrimping nor derivation from other stories. There are no misprints nor bad grammar nor spelling mistakes. Okay, with all that being true, what IS in this book?
I reveal no secrets by saying that it is a story about one land - a place very much like medieval Provence. It has grown distinct from neighbouring countries through the encouragement of the art of troubadours. Some battles occur, and there is magic, but not in the way of other books called "sword and sorcery". All is very much as our own real day-to-day world, with the strong feelings and agonies/ecstasies that come to us out of a world which shows no signs of anything exceptional. It is just a day-to-day world. And miracles occur! Life provides tremendous surprises! If you perhaps find fulfillment in such stories as Moby Dick, or Romeo and Juliet, or The Jungle Book, or other similar classics, try this one. It IS another classic - that is just what it is. And its author has already participated in the editing of other classics (check the last lines of the forword for a book called "The Silmarillion").
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