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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful prose, but highly contrived plot and ending., August 1, 2006
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.
This epic fantasy is inspired by the troubadour culture of Provence and the historical events of the Albigensian Crusade in the 13th century. Those who do not truly understand Arbonne--a land of goddess-worshippers ruled by a woman, a place that values song and the romantic conventions of love above all things--might think of it as weak. Certainly, that's what Blaise, a wandering young knight embittered by recent events in his home country of Gorhaut, believes at first. But Blaise gradually discerns the hidden strength of Arbonne, and his dawning respect for the land and its people as well as his passionate love for his own kingdom will lead him to defend Arbonne and Gorhaut against the man he perceives as a threat to both: Gorhaut's most powerful cleric--Blaise's father.
This is a wonderful book, filled with many characters with interesting potential. One major regret was that some of the characters I found most interesting, such as Blaise's assassin friend from an analogy to an Italian city-state, or the homosexual husband of Ariane Barbentaine, don't receive the development that they deserve. The assassin fellow is fascinating enough to star in his own series. Also lacking development is Bertrand's rival, and late husband to his lost love, who lurks like a menacing cloud behind the Barbentaine court and over the heads of other major characters, but whose ultimate actions and motivations remain a mystery.
Regardless, as one other reviewer said, it's easy to ascertain when an event of some great importance to the story is set to occur, as every major character suddenly appears in the room. The book is also pretty heavy handed with "real men", the rough and tumble types, but glorifies the delicate yet artistic types that one can only assume Kay himself identifies with. While the writing style builds to a fairly interesting emotional level in the first quarter of the book, by the time we actually reach Arbonne, the tone changes so much you feel Kay is driving home a personal point, and the book starts to feel more than a bit "preachy".
Finally, the dénouement is somewhat contrived, in that it appears that the main enemy, in the person of Blaise's father, has only had Blaise's best interests, as he perceives them, at heart all along. His crimes on behalf of Gorhaut, and ultimate price paid for them, are merely stepping stones to ensure Blaise's security. One's credulity can only be stretched so far.
Regardless, the prose is, indeed, beautiful, and I'm currently starting Tigana, in hopes of a rather better story with more believable character motivations. After that, there's always the Sarantine Mosaic, and Lions of Al Rassan.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful, wonderful book, October 30, 2007
So far I have simply loved Kay's alternative history novels. A Song for Arbonne is no exception to the rule: it's an excellent story. Set in beautiful Arbonne, the book's actual historical setting is the medieval France of the troubadours. Arbonne is ruled by women, full of music and courtly love, while the northern Gorhaut is an extremely masculine country bent on war.
One can guess what happens with a setting like that. However, despite that, the story manages to be surprising and full of unexpected twists. The characters are many-faceted and full of life. The plot makes sense and packs in plenty of action, intrigue and romance. Religion plays a big role, as does family.
Kay is a master: A Song for Arbonne is another fine story well told. Even though the book is labeled fantasy, there is very little supernatural in it, so as long as one is interested in medieval themes, even those who dislike most fantasy books will be able to enjoy this one.
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