A non-fantasy reader's review of The Name of the Wind

I finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss at about 7 o'clock this morning. I was pretty relieved to have it finished so quickly went to goodreads to make it as completed. I gave it two stars. And I actually wrote a brief comment in the review section. (I rarely write reviews in goodreads unless I love a book.) I wrote that my 2 stars should be discounted since I'm not a reader of fantasy... BUT... I read the book for book club, showed up at the meeting not having finished the book yet went on to finish it just because. So rather than giving it one star, I gave it two. I think this is the first time ever that I went to book club having not finished a book that I did plan to finish after the fact. And that's what made me bump my review up a star. Usually, if I'm not done with a book by book club, it means that I don't like it at all. In that case, it goes to my "dropped" shelf on goodreads as soon as the meeting is over.

I'm not quite sure why I finished the book. Fantasy is really not my genre. It was long, it took forever to get into - at least 200 pages into the book, I'd imagine. And because it's a trilogy, I knew that there were going to be lots of loose ends at the end of the book. Perhaps it is because I was so close to the end of the book at the time of the book club meeting, and I was wondering where the author was going with this story. I have no desire to read on to find out how these loose ends are tied up. Goodbye Kvothe. So long Denna.

Although members of my book club felt this was fairy tale/fantasy and not coming-of-age/fantasy, the middle section of the novel, which I did enjoy, reminded me of I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe. The following quote comes from World Cat Fiction Finder. (What a cool website. I couldn't remember the title or author of Charlotte Simmons - could just remember her name was Charlotte. Typed in "girl in college" into the novel search, up popped an easy to scroll book - and on page 3, there was Charlotte Simmons.) "At Dupont University, an innocent college freshman named Charlotte Simmons learns that her intellect alone will not help her survive."

My favorite part of The Name of the Wind was the middle part of the book where Kvothe finally gets admitted into the university. Both Kvothe and Charlotte were super smart with a high aptitude.Both characters had problems adjusting to life in their institutions of higher learning. This part of the book resonated with me. Interestingly enough, the fantasy lovers in my book club disliked this part of the story, preferring the beginning of the story where Kvothe learns of his magical powers and the end of the book where he gets to use them.

The story took place in a fantasy place in a fantasy time. I'm not even sure if it was the past or the future. It was that different. And oh, the language. I didn't realize I'd need to learn a whole new language to read a fantasy book. Spans were measures of time (most likely 11 days). Jots and silver talents were monetary units. Many of these "foreign" (made up) words I simply glossed over. For all I know the author could have been using some big words I was unfamiliar with that truly exist in the American English language... and I would have no idea!

In a nutshell, The Name of the Wind is Kvothe's story as told to the Chronicler who arrives in town for some undetermined reason. Kvothe's story is the larger story within the smaller story of what's going on in Kvothe's life at the time the Chronicler arrives. Kvothe was born to parents who were traveling performers. It became apparent at an early age that he was gifted in some way. A fellow named Ben joins their troupe for awhile and becomes Kvothe's mentor. As he's teaching Kvothe lessons in life - and in magic - he talks up his time in University. University seems to be a place that Kvothe should be headed for.

As happens with these traveling troupes, Ben decides to stay put in one of the towns they make a stop in. Kvothe is really at a loss after he leaves. Typical to most fairly tales, Kvothe's parents are killed. (This happens early on. I hope this isn't too much of a spoiler.) The rest of Kvothe's story is about his struggles to find his place, get to the University and then his experiences during his first year and a half there.

Can I recommend this book? Not personally. But from the enthusiastic responses of the fantasy lovers in the book club, you might want to pick this one up if you're looking for a good fantasy trilogy.

I was going to pick Cross Creek back up tonight for my bedtime read. Then I got notice from the library that The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman is now available as an e-book. I should be able to read this one quickly. There's always time for Cross Creek. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings isn't going anywhere. (Plus I purchased that e-book anyway!)