Hi Guys,
Got an older one for you today. A friend and I go back and forth with book recommendations and this was one I was told I had to read. I kept putting it off but finally made a point to make it a priority and boy am I conflicted.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is one part fantasy, one part coming of age tale, and one part adventure story. Kote is an innkeeper with many names and a man with one epic story. The Name of the Wind is the first book in a series of three, telling the story of one boys journey into magic, mystery and mayhem.
Kote or Kvothe depending on who you ask, narrates this book by telling his apprentice and the Chronicler the story of his life. Starting as a young boy we follow Kvothe through his childhood, past tragedies too great for words, over rooftops, homeless and afraid, to university and beyond. We witness his obsession with truth and we watch as a boy journeys toward manhood and begins to harness immeasurable power.
Kvothe is clever, witty, brave to the point of recklessness and kind in his own way. How does Kvothe, a man of legend, end up Kote, a mild tempered barkeep with no patrons? We have three days and three books to find out!
Hmm, I really struggled to rate this one. It gets three stars because I liked it and disliked it in equal measure. For me, this was two stories: Kote and Kvothe’s. There are bookends and inserts written from a third person narrator that describes Kote telling his story, of the man he used to be. But there is more going on then just the telling, there are dark forces at work and the reader can tell something is coming–we just don’t know what. Then there is Kvothe a boy we both pity and root for; he is our hero and yet he is always asking for trouble.
Kvothe’s story started out slow for me but picked up speed once he goes to university. Kote’s story (the present) started out interesting and then got more and more annoying as the book went on. I kept waiting to get back to Kvothe and tale.
This book has a lot of details and yet it didn’t quite delve deep enough in some respects. We get a little bit about a lot and I just wasn’t quite satisfied.
What was really great was the folk lore in the book. So well done. The author really builds a terrific foundation for these tales. Songs, story, rumor and more. Rothfuss created lore so believable and for that I am impressed.
I did liked the relationships Kvothe builds with the females of the book. Kvothe’s relationship with each of the women are extremely well done. He builds these unique bonds and I enjoyed them all.
Overall, I did like the book but I’m not invested in it. Will I read book two and three? Yes. But I am not rushing out to do so. An entertaining read with some real potential. We’ll see if it picks up speed in book two.
That’s all for now!
-M-