Book Discussion: A Song for Arbonne - SPOILER FREE Thread

Here's the place for Spoiler-Free discussion of our June 09 group read, A Song for Arbonne. Have fun!

Thanks for doing this, drneutron. I won't get to even start reading this until next week or so. I hope there are other people who aren't already done! LOL

I am also late in starting. Was trying to get the book for our GD book group meeting finished....failed! and decided I needed to skip the meeting too. I am too busy, what with nanny life, and all. So I should start Arbonne tonite...well, in just a couple of minutes, I guess.

Well, I'm only at page 148 or something, but it IS my third read of the book so maybe that doesn't count ;-)

I haven't picked up my copy from the library yet. I'm feeling overwhelmed with life and it is interfering with my reading. *pouts* I always seem to get in a funk this time of the year.

Given that I didn't much like tigana is it worth me looking for Arbonne? I already know I can't find it as an ebook, which is one strike gone, and Tigana makes 2, but if anyone can pitch a rounder for it, I might be convinced.

I think it's a bit different from Tigana but he has a very distinct style and tone so if you're not sure - maybe you should skip it. It's quite a few pages (500-something)...

I do like it, though.

#6 - Part of why I like GGK's books is because of the way he writes, the rhythms I sense in his words, the way they flow. I guess what Busifer means by tone and style? So if that's what is throwing you off...

But I also think his characters are wonderful and the worlds he creates for them. His novels are never related but I always find myself wondering if these group of people or that country weren't also mentioned in a another of his books. I love how there are these tenuous weavings between his works. The term Wordsmith comes to mind when I think of Kay's works. I never heard of the word before the GD but Kay came to mind when I did.

OTOH, my brother doesn't like his books, can't get into the way Kay writes, and my MIL thinks there is too much violence in them. Neither of them have been able to finish any of his books.

Some people think he's overly elaborate, too much the intellectual poseur, and too much of a misogynist.

Me, on the other hand, loves most of his books and tolerates the not so god stuff, too (for me that's the celtic stuff, as in Last light of the Sun & Ysabel, and, to some extent, Fionavar. But Fionavar has some other qualities, like the internal discourse on the high fantasy genre as such...).

Fionavar also has age to it. You can see Kay's craft isn't as honed as it is in other books.

*partially posting to bump thread back up* Clam, I'll also be starting the book (relatively) late. I have two I (feel I) should finish before starting something else and then the book I've been waiting for for months and months finally arrived and I want to pounce on it right now and I can't because I have those two other books left and then I can pounce on it and love it (I hope) and then I can get to A Song for Arbonne at last. But first I have to read those two books!

#10 - Regarding Fionavar: I definitely agree with you. Reading that trilogy after having read everything else he'd written except Ysabel it was very easy to see where some things that recur throughout his stories originated; also it was interesting to track how certain concepts or character types have evolved throughout his books...

#8 - does your MIL read other fantasy/scifi books? This is the only GGK book that I have read so I don't want this to sound too general but I found the amount of violence to be less then many but what was there was very personal, not sure if that makes sense - I think it was the way it was described and the sadistic nature of it maybe.

BTW this is my first group read so if this crossed the line into the spoiler thread please let me know.

CarolO - Yup, that makes sense. My MIL has read, and loved, Tolkien's books. It's been a long while since I tried to read the LOTR, so I'm fuzzy about how much violence is in it. I seem to remember there being violence but it wasn't explicit. And I've heard the movies depicted too much of the violence compared with the books.

I don't think she's read many other fantasy/scifi. I seem to remember she tried Tigana because my husband and I were raving about it so much. But for someone averse to violence, she sure does like her murder mysteries :oD

PS - It doesn't sound like you've crossed any lines there, but then again I've already read the book several times :o)

CarolO, I don't think merely alerting people to a bit of knowledge of how much violence there is in a book is a spoiler, no worries. (If you'd said "This person does this to that person and this is how it's done and that's why my opinion on the matter is such." that would have been a spoiler.)

Thanks!

I'm about 150 pages in and I'm really enjoying it. Oddly, though I would say it's not quite as beautifully written as Tigana, I am just as attached to a handful of the characters as I was while reading that.

I'm still reading this as well. I think I'm down to the last 100 pages. It's been almost three weeks but I just can't seem to find the time to sit down and read big chunks. Only dabs here and there. And I find that if I know a tense/painful part is coming up sometimes I'll put the book down for a bit because I just can't bear to read it just then. Still enjoying it though, and I've forgotten enough that I'm staying out of the spoiler thread for now.

I have about 180 pages left, and I am sucked in and not wanting to do any of the things I am actually supposed to be doing. :o/

Hey, is anyone else reading this, or was I the last one to finish? LOL

Still reading *sigh*
I'm having a hard time finding the time to read

#20 - Understood. Sorry to hear that, though. :o/

I'm still reading, plugging away. Can't believe I'm saying that about a G.G. Kay book. I really am having problems concentrating with any book, but it's a little easier with Arbonne. I'm about half way through now. It's lovely meeting up with the characters again, I do like Bertran and Blaise.

Okay, so there will be other people posting in the spoiler thread at some point. I was afraid I'd missed all the action. LOL

I think the spoiler thread already has a bit of conversation in it. Unfortunately, I still haven't gotten my hands on a copy, so I haven't even started yet...8^{

I am still reading it too. I also have more difficulty than I used to have in finding chunks of time when I am willing to sit down and stick with a book. Odd. Maybe the eyes are just not as young as they used to be. And life is not such that I want to escape from it. But when I do read it I enjoy it. I was very concerned recently when I misplaced it and could not find it. So .... I'll hunt up the spoilers thread days from now and post there late. heheheheh

#25 - Well, I have noticed that I have a much harder time concentrating on a book when there are real life issues that need my attention. Even when I get a free chunk of time I can't seem to disengage my brain. :o/

You do have a lot on your plate right now!

Here's a link to the spoiler thread when you are ready to join us over there.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/66487

I've been watching this thread but most of my conversation has been on the spoiler one. There have been several interesting conversations but our pace has slowed...so, hurry up and finish...we need some fresh imput!

#27 - Who are you talking to? LOL

#28 - well, everyone I suppose. But more specifically Maggie1944 said she needed to look up the spoiler thread so I thought I would post it here to make it easier for all to find.

Sorry for the confusion!

Thank you, CarolO, but I don't think I'm ready quite yet. I was talking about the future....far, far, into the future....hehehehe

I was kind of waiting for the spoiler thread to take off. Does this mean I am going have to re-read when other people are ready to discuss? I guess not knowing how these things work I dived into reading too soon (I have a terrible memory). As I love GGK's work and am a fast reader not a problem, but in future I'll leave reading until the discussion is well up and running.:( {is that smiley? I meant it to be!} Not complaining!
p.s Trying for humour in thread (doesn't read that way to me though)
edited for p.s and is that smiley but left as first written

No worries, calm, we can laugh even when humor is not intended....

so smiles might look like this: :) or (: depends

I also like (; a winkie!

#31 - I don't think this discussion will get any hotter. Sometimes a lot of people manage to finish at approximately the same time and then the talk rolls on, but sometimes it's more like this - a simmer.
Doesn't mean nothing worthy is said, though.