--- product_id: 6930545 title: "A Song for Arbonne" price: "SAR 118" currency: SAR in_stock: false reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/6930545-a-song-for-arbonne store_origin: SA region: Saudi Arabia --- # A Song for Arbonne **Price:** SAR 118 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A Song for Arbonne - **How much does it cost?** SAR 118 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.sa](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/6930545-a-song-for-arbonne) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: A Song for Arbonne: 9780451458971: Kay, Guy Gavriel: Books Review: This guy, Guy can flat out write - I actually started reading this book 20 years or so ago but for some undetermined and totally unfathomable reason I didn't finish it. Perhaps I was too busy being a parent helping to raise our three children. Perhaps I was too involved in my career. I'm sure those two reasons were part of it but I think that what really contributed the most was a real bad case of Muse envy. My Muse was just beginning to awaken after a long dormant period and I was beginning to do a little writing around the time I was reading A Song for Arbonne and my Muse was so shaken by the immaculately flowing style of the author that she, through her envy, forced me to stop reading it. Since then, however, my Muse has matured enough to admit that she will most likely never attain the high standards of Mr. Kay and the brilliant Muse who inspires him, so, it was okay to read the book. This feeling was enhanced by a conversation, of the social media variety, with one of my favorite authors, SJA Turney in which he, in a not so mild a suggestion, implored me to give it another go as this book was his favorite of all time and had done much to set him on the path to becoming an author. So, dear reader, what did I find the second time around? A masterful bit of storytelling full of great characters and a plot that kept me mesmerized throughout as it wove around and through the fabric of human emotions. One thing I realized about a third of the way through was that I basically knew the path the character of Blaise de Garsenc was going to take to become who I imagined he would be in the end. However, what I could not imagine was the many different forks that path would take, a long, winding and entertaining road indeed. As to this being a work of fantasy, it does, after all, feature an earth with two moons, it is also a work of real history as well,especially in the way the author portrays the misuse of religious power and the dangers inherent in that type of elitist exclusivity. To me it calls to mind the Crusading Popes and the modern Islamic jihadists. One thing that is certain is that I am in awe of the writing acumen of Mr. Kay and will certainly be adding his other works to my ever growing "to be read" pile. 5 stars for this brilliant and beautifully written book. Review: An epic novel to read, a song to sing - 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. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #176,230 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #470 in Historical Fantasy (Books) #1,426 in Sword & Sorcery Fantasy (Books) #2,567 in Epic Fantasy (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 969 Reviews | ## Images ![A Song for Arbonne - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91pWdxPOSaL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This guy, Guy can flat out write *by P***T on May 21, 2015* I actually started reading this book 20 years or so ago but for some undetermined and totally unfathomable reason I didn't finish it. Perhaps I was too busy being a parent helping to raise our three children. Perhaps I was too involved in my career. I'm sure those two reasons were part of it but I think that what really contributed the most was a real bad case of Muse envy. My Muse was just beginning to awaken after a long dormant period and I was beginning to do a little writing around the time I was reading A Song for Arbonne and my Muse was so shaken by the immaculately flowing style of the author that she, through her envy, forced me to stop reading it. Since then, however, my Muse has matured enough to admit that she will most likely never attain the high standards of Mr. Kay and the brilliant Muse who inspires him, so, it was okay to read the book. This feeling was enhanced by a conversation, of the social media variety, with one of my favorite authors, SJA Turney in which he, in a not so mild a suggestion, implored me to give it another go as this book was his favorite of all time and had done much to set him on the path to becoming an author. So, dear reader, what did I find the second time around? A masterful bit of storytelling full of great characters and a plot that kept me mesmerized throughout as it wove around and through the fabric of human emotions. One thing I realized about a third of the way through was that I basically knew the path the character of Blaise de Garsenc was going to take to become who I imagined he would be in the end. However, what I could not imagine was the many different forks that path would take, a long, winding and entertaining road indeed. As to this being a work of fantasy, it does, after all, feature an earth with two moons, it is also a work of real history as well,especially in the way the author portrays the misuse of religious power and the dangers inherent in that type of elitist exclusivity. To me it calls to mind the Crusading Popes and the modern Islamic jihadists. One thing that is certain is that I am in awe of the writing acumen of Mr. Kay and will certainly be adding his other works to my ever growing "to be read" pile. 5 stars for this brilliant and beautifully written book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An epic novel to read, a song to sing *by A***F 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. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Intricate characterisation in the time of the troubadours *by H***S on July 15, 2015* If you care at all for fantasy, even just Harry Potter and Frodo and Gandalf, you should read Guy Gavriel Kay. This is such a masterful work it stands with his greatest: Fionavar, Sailing to Sarantium, the River of Stars. As always, the plot trajectory is a bit, well, fantastical, and the characterisations are deep and rich. And he makes it all work with an embrace of ambiguity that reminds this reader of George Eliot or Thomas Hardy. Just when you think you have a character pegged, he turns them slightly and shows a side you had not suspected, and you find it believable and even insightful. A mercenary finds himself in the middle of trouble in Arbonne, where troubadours extol forbidden love, and women exercise more choice than was the case in the medieval days the tale is modelled after. Arbonne is vulnerable because of twenty years of feuding between a noble husband and his wife's lover, who has unexpectedly become a nobleman himself. To the North, the harsh land of Gorhaut is preparing to exploit this weakness. But the dominating, manipulative priest of the God Corannos, the power behind the throne, has a way of making enemies. I will save you the spoilers - it is fun to watch things unfold, and Kay is as inventive as ever. His work is as interesting as great historical fiction like the Three Musketeers or Tale of Two Cities, but with a feel for the enchantment that has always been part of human life. Give it a look, if you haven't. --- ## 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.com.sa/products/6930545-a-song-for-arbonne](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/6930545-a-song-for-arbonne) --- *Product available on Desertcart Saudi Arabia* *Store origin: SA* *Last updated: 2026-04-29*