Must be a group member before inviting friends

From the Bookshelf of Project Realms Reads…

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Patrick Rothfuss

Start date: July 1, 2021

Finish date: July 24, 2021

Discussion: Forgotten Realms Reading

Why we're reading this: We take a break from the Realms this moth to read this popular fantasy entry from 2007.
[close] We take a break from the Realms this moth to read this popular fantasy entry from 2007.

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 16 topics — 138 comments total

Forgotten Realms Reading

Black Wizards by Douglas Niles ~ The Moonshae Trilogy, #2)
By Nikki ~ The N… · 8 posts · 8 views

last updated Jul 12, 2023 01:12PM

Darkwalker on Moonshae (Forgotten Realms: The Moonshae Trilogy #1)
By Nikki ~ The N… · 29 posts · 18 views

last updated Jul 12, 2023 01:06PM

showing 2 of 2 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jun 04, 2012 Carrie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, recommended, own, fbtbp

And I have finished this masterpiece.

The Name of the Wind gripped me into it's web and held me like a book hasn't done in some time. I ate, slept, breathed this book. I needed, not wanted, but actually felt like I needed to be reading it, when I wasn't I wished I was. I have loved many stories, I have given many 5 stars. But not all have made me feel as if I needed it to survive.

A new favorite, that will be loved over and over again.

Who needs food or sleep when you have The Name of the Wind

description

...more

42 likes · Like · see review

Oct 29, 2021 Raechel rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

Patrick Rothfuss has a fantastic writing style. By this, I mean his prose, sentence structure, metaphors, descriptions, etc. These are all great. Technically beautiful in some places. He has a keen mind for the importance of naming and character perspective.

What he is not good at are the characters he uses to populate his beautifully written stories.

Name of the Wind was an arduous slog that put me a months-long reading slump and had me questioning my taste and sanity as a reader. How does this b Patrick Rothfuss has a fantastic writing style. By this, I mean his prose, sentence structure, metaphors, descriptions, etc. These are all great. Technically beautiful in some places. He has a keen mind for the importance of naming and character perspective.

What he is not good at are the characters he uses to populate his beautifully written stories.

Name of the Wind was an arduous slog that put me a months-long reading slump and had me questioning my taste and sanity as a reader. How does this book have 750k+ reviews? And a 4.5+-star average? That is INSANE. This book is beloved and I don't understand why.

The magic system using sympathy is cool, but I don't think it's entirely unique or solely responsible for such a high rating. I think what it is is our hero of the story, Kvothe.

Kvothe is clever and quick-thinking and handsome and amazing and always comes out on top... except for the couple of times where the story needs him to be stupid for plot progression. All the ladies love Kvothe (I've heard this is worse in the second book), but he only has eyes for his Manic Pixie Dream Girl, kept apart by cruel fate.

Some people try to argue that Kvothe isn't a Mary Sue, he's an unreliable narrator... which doesn't make sense because the audience and other characters in the story see Kvothe do these amazing things. So he has to be at least partially as amazing as we're lead to believe.

This book is far too long to just represent one-third of the series/Kvothe's life. Because 95% of it is all a flashback about how Kvothe came to be so awesome. Oh sure, there's some modern-day problem about demons and spider demons that no one (except Kvothe) is amazing enough to kill... but I guess that's not what this series is about?

There is no tension in this story. Why? Because the framing device is Kvothe, in his inn, talking about his past. So we know that whatever happens he gets through--and we see every little problem he runs into ends up being a blessing for him and he comes out even better than he had before. Example: oh he's supposed to be expelled? What if we just academically promote him instead after like a week into his first semester?

I continue to be completely mystified as to how this series is so loved. I know I am in the thinnest sliver of a minority but... I don't understand how anyone can love this book. ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Jun 28, 2017 Maddie rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, books-i-own, books-i-own-have-read

Actually 2.5 stars. Meh. Average. Way too freaking overrated. No idea why everyone loves this.
I found it really boring. Everything was seriously dragged out. Kvothe annoyed me to no end. He just thinks (view spoiler) As does Denna. (view spoiler) ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

May 06, 2013 Banjo Mullis rated it it was amazing

I was hooked from the first page. The writing is relaxed but brilliant in a, you are that good that you don't have to act like it, way. It was a sad day when I came to the last page of this book, but wherever the story goes, I am in! ...more

Like · see review