Trio for Lute [Mass Market Paperback]

R.A. Macavoy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1988

A Trio for Lute by R.A. MacAvoy

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 680 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (June 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553274805
• ISBN-13: 978-0553274806
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,074,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My All-Time Favorite Novels, NOT Just My Favorite Fantasy, March 25, 2004

By 

"roisin_dubh" (Everett WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trio for Lute (Mass Market Paperback)

The three novels by R.A. MacAvoy that were issued in _Trio for Lute_ as an omnibus edition are _Daminao_, _Damiano's Lute_, and _Raphael_. I read each of these when they were first published in the early '80's, and they have remained my favorite books for two decades now. Ms. MacAvoy's writing is, well, _luminous_. Her descriptions of settings and landscape have that spare but beautiful quality that you see in the backgrounds of Gothic and Renaissance paintings. Her characters are real people (even the nonhuman ones,) and you become involved and engaged in what happens to them. I won't spoil one of the oddest and most unexpected twists of plot I've ever read by telling you what happens at the end of _Damiano's Lute_, but let's just say that few writers could pull it off. As you'll discover in _Raphael_, "Bertie" MacAvoy did it with astonishing grace. I read a lot of fantasy, and I can't say much of it could move me to tears. These books do. If you like he-man swashbuckling fantasy heroes, these aren't the books for you. But, if you like thoughtful, well-written books where the characters are more important than the magic and derring-do, try to find either the omnibus or the individual books. I believe all but three of her books are out-of-print, although those 3 (not the Damiano books, alas) are available now as both print and ebooks. I've seen Ms. MacAvoy's name on many fantasy fans' lists of favorite authors, yet many readers have never heard of her. She's a "lost" master who deserves to be better known.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich and engrossing, October 21, 2000

By 

Kathleen Cobcroft (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trio for Lute (Mass Market Paperback)

This volume is an omnibus of R A Macavoy's gorgeous trilogy: Damiano, Damiano's Lute and Raphael.

Damiano is a renaissance witch (although a Christian - magic use is hereditary in his family, and he fears that he is automatically damned). He uses his powers to grant speech to his Dog Macchiato (Spot)and to call an angel, Raphael, who gives him music lessons on the lute. At least, that is how the story begins. War comes to his sleepy Italian town, and drives him out into the world, which is rather ill prepared for.

The story is written freshly and the characters are all real and well rounded out.

The Black Dragon (from "tea with the...") also makes a nice cameo appearance in the third part in his dragon form.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She is an amazing writer, November 23, 2004

By 

Kate Rothwell "reads and writes" (CT, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trio for Lute (Mass Market Paperback)

Plot, characters, setting -- she is a superb story-teller. I don't understand why RA MacAvoy isn't on more must-read lists. There's magic but it's good substantive stuff, not just showy nonsense and the characters (human and otherwise) come first.