---
product_id: 6930545
title: "A Song for Arbonne"
brand: "guy gavriel kay"
price: "€ 38.98"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.nl/products/6930545-a-song-for-arbonne
store_origin: NL
region: Netherlands
---

# A Song for Arbonne

**Brand:** guy gavriel kay
**Price:** € 38.98
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** A Song for Arbonne by guy gavriel kay
- **How much does it cost?** € 38.98 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nl](https://www.desertcart.nl/products/6930545-a-song-for-arbonne)

## Best For

- guy gavriel kay enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted guy gavriel kay brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![A Song for Arbonne - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Z0voWbz0L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Enjoyable, if Somewhat Forgettable Medieval Pseudo-Fantasy
  

*by F***S on Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2017*

Song for Arbonne is, like many of Guy Gavriel Kay's works, a pseudo-historical fantasy set in a fictional yet wholly recognizable time and place in our own world, in this case, 13th century France, specifically, the southern provinces (Aquitaine, Provence, Burgundy, etc.). Here the eponymous fictional kingdom of "Arbonne" acts as the stand-in.Like most of Guy Gavriel Kay's works, the writing, language, and rhythm of the prose is hypnotic. If you're used to the usual sparse and barely functional prose of most fantasy writing, Kay can be a bit of a jarring experience. Jumping from throw-away dime pulp fiction style to something entirely literary can take some getting used to.Be warned, Kay does not stay in one viewpoint in his novels. If you're one of those who dislikes jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint, you may find Kay's approach frustrating. However, given the scope of the plot and the depth of character insight in his books, staying with one character the entire way would mar the overall effort of Kay's writing.In Song for Arbonne, our main character is Blaise de Garsenc, son of an overbearing priest from the pseudo-Germanic country of Gorhaut to the north. Blaise is thrust into a world of courtly intrigue, betrayal, and assassination, ultimately forced to make a choice between himself, the well-being of his homeland, and the friendships he forms with Arbonne's nobility, particular the Duke of Talair, a former troubador.In the interest of full disclosure, I think that Kay's novel Under Heaven is one of the finest pieces of fiction I've ever read, and his novel Tigana is not far behind. So I'm obviously a fan, and with that said, the rating here is somewhat me being generous to Kay for past enjoyments. Truthfully, Song for Arbonne is probably a 3.5 star novel, not a 4 star.While the writing is sublime, and the three main characters are compelling (Blaise, the Duke de Talair and the Queen of Arbonne), Kay's supporting characters in this novel (and there are many, many, many of them) never quite rise to the level of care or realism that he reaches with his other novels.Particularly egregious is the young female troubadour Lisseut, who is given multiple chapters of viewpoint in the novel that ultimately end up being aimless. She's a spectator to the real action, has no real arc to her character, and kept finding myself disappointed that nothing happened from her viewpoint.Likewise, the villain characters (Blaise's father, his brother, and the king of Gorhaut) are so over-the-top vile and irredeemable that I didn't want to spend any time with them at all. In a sense they exist as a counterpoint to Blaise, to show how much better/humane Blaise is than others of his time and culture, but as characters they're flat, one-dimensional cardboard cutouts of "moustache twirling eeeeviil".Too, more than any other of his books I've read so far (out of the five), the character introspections in this text simply don't resonate. The Duke of Talair's dilemma is supposed to be this soul-wrenching, timeless treatise on love, but really his entire backstory is based on the premise that he's a serial adulterer. He's an interesting character, but not entirely sympathetic--which, come to think of it, is probably my biggest problem with the book as a whole.While the world and characters presented are interesting, they're just not relatable. I simply didn't connect with any of the characters. Thus, their choices were all ultimately coin tosses; yes, they could choose one thing or another, and the choices made would have an impact on others around them, but I simply wasn't tied to any outcome for the characters individually. They could have all died, or all lived in bliss and frivolity, and ultimately their chosen ends would be met with a quiet, "Eh. Okay."With Tigana and Under Heaven I couldn't put the book down, was driven to finish them as quickly as I could. With Song for Arbonne, I found myself going days, even a week at a time without really feeling the need to dive in.That said, compared to most fantasy literature, Song for Arbonne is a clear step above the usual morass of mediocrity, but it certainly doesn't reach the heights of Kay's best works, nor even those of other entries to the genre. At the end it's something you remember somewhat pleasantly, but with no real recollection of the details. Enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Wonderful!
  

*by D***. on Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2023*

This is the 6th novel I've read by Kay and it's my favorite. His other novels had so many characters and places I couldn't pronounce or keep track of, it became a chore to get through them. This one was the opposite. A novel shouldn't be a lot of work, it should be a pleasure. This one delivers. The pace was perfect, the characters were interesting, the plot twists kept my interest high. Loved it!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    An epic novel to read, a song to sing
  

*by A***F on Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2020*

Born from the history of troubadour culture evolving in large areas covering the south of France, (Aquitaine, Provence, Occitanie), the country of the langue d’oc, north of Italy (Occitan Valley, Piedmont) and north of Spain (V’al D’Aran), A Song for Arbonne is a pseudo-historical fantasy set in a fictional yet easily recognizable medieval Western Europe. There is also a Germanic substrate,  with names like trovaritz (troubadour) singers, Aulensburg and Götzland.The novel is slow, but it flows in a lyric way that makes everything feel like an epic song, written a long time ago, brought again to live by a troubadour named Gavriel Kay, only to prove that a slow pace can provide an entertaining experience too. It is a multi-centered story, in which internal and external conflicts, religious and cultural differences move together toward an epic battle final. One third in the book, the path of Blaise de Garsenc, an enigmatic mercenary, becomes deceptively predictable, only to realize that everything goes along a road resembling a river with many meanders and a large delta at its mouth. You will know only in the last moment which path will carry you to the end.Most characters are introspective and, seeing them from some place far above, makes a connection difficult, even with Blaise, but that, in a strange way, only strengthens the connection with the book itself. Some of them seem to be aimless, like the troubadour Lisseut, yet she resembles a reader who reads the novel from inside, a vehicle to provide more insight into that particular world. We have also the Duke of Talair, an enigma inside a riddle, sympathetic and uncaring in equal parts.In the end, A Song for Arbonne, feels like Ramir’s song, which is the main theme of the novel, a mesmerizing piece of storytelling, lyrical and romantic, weaving adeptly through the fabric of human emotions.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nl/products/6930545-a-song-for-arbonne](https://www.desertcart.nl/products/6930545-a-song-for-arbonne)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Netherlands*
*Store origin: NL*
*Last updated: 2026-02-11*