The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

AR Reading Level: 5.1
On the library stacks: Adult fiction
Awards: Publishers Weekly Best Book; Alex Award; ALA Notable/Best Books; Quill Book Award (2007)
Series: Book 1 of 3 (Kingkiller Chronicle)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am not a serious fantasy fan like my husband. But I kept hearing great things about this book, and then my in-person book club decided to read it this month. After being initially put off by the heft of this thing (the paperback is 722 pages), I started reading it out loud to my husband when we went on a little getaway. That led to us fighting over the book for the next week (he finished it first!).

Kvothe is a pub owner in a small town. He goes by the name of Kote since he's an outsider with a past he wants to keep quiet. Then one day a renowned scribe named Chronicler comes into town, tipped off that Kvothe might be there. Legends about Kvothe have abounded throughout the land, and Kvothe decides to set it all to rights and begins telling Chronicler the story of his life so the truth can be preserved. Going back and forth between the past and the present day, Kvothe details his childhood and his teenage years, focusing on the time he spent learning to become an arcanist at the University.

This book took the author 7 years to write, and it is a beautifully written novel. It moved along at a nice and steady pace for me with a good balance of detail and engaging plot lines. I'm not totally enamored with Kvothe or his love interest, Denna, but in this case I think that's actually a good thing. The story wouldn't be as sincere if they were too perfect. While this isn't a book I might typically read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and am anticipating the next in the series which comes out March 1st.

Also reviewed by: Piling on the Books ~ Reba Reads Books ~ Fuzzy Cricket ~ The Book Bluff ~ Your link here?

Source: Purchased