…on The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss {Audiobook}

Posted July 26, 2012 by Asheley in Uncategorized / 25 Comments


The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Series: The Kingkiller Chronicles #1
Book Published by DAW Trade
Publish Date: January 1, 2007
662 Pages
Source:  Library (print) & Audible.com (audio)


MY NAME IS KVOTHE.

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

You may have heard of me. –(excerpt from summary on back jacket)

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss


My Thoughts: There is nothing that I can say on this blog post that can tell you how much I loved this book, so just know that before you go any further. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is absolutely one of the best recommendations I’ve ever received in my entire life. For a person who loves high fantasy and doesn’t mind a longer story, this series is perfect.

The first thing you need to know is this:
I took practically FOREVER with this book.  
I read it from mid-February to early-ish July.  
Y’all know that I choose to read some of my books super-slowly. This is one of those books. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: THIS WAS THE PERFECT CHOICE FOR ME. It was the perfect choice for me, for this book. When I allow myself a little at the time, I can remember details so well. AND I seem to connect with the characters so much more. AND I just fall in love with the setting and the story so much harder.

The Name of the Wind is a very descriptive book, very detailed. Patrick Rothfuss took time to describe things such as how the wind blew the leaves, the way the rocks looked by the side of the road, the texture of Kvothe’s cloak, etc. He literally painted a picture that is almost perfectly reproducible in our minds as readers not only as a flat image, but as a 3-D image if we choose to view it that way. For me, the only way to take this book in was slowly.

Some of my reading friends have inhaled it, and I think that is awesome. At times, I was almost jealous of this. But still, I trudged on slowly and steadily. When the book was over, I felt like I was shutting the cover on a huge chunk of my life (because several months kind of IS).  

*It should also be noted that I re-read/re-listened to several entire chapters several times because I loved them so much, which made my reading time longer. One example of this was, I think, Chapter 7, which includes the summary I included above. I’m talking about when Kvothe was giving a brief explanation of exactly who he is. I think I listened to that chapter via audio four times alone, not counting how many times I read it in print. Perhaps I have a problem? 

The second thing you need to know is this:

  This book is, to me, a great definition of HIGH FANTASY.
(which I love love love)
Please feel free to discuss this with me or correct me. 

The Name of the Wind takes place in a world that does not exist in real life. It isn’t real. It’s completely told from the point-of-view of Kvothe. In fact, this book is the story of Kvothe telling his story to the Chronicler, who is a recorder of information.

The book starts out with sort of a BANG! and in this event, we meet Chronicler. Through this meeting, Kvothe starts to tell his story, which means that he goes way back in time to the beginning of “his story” – when he was a young boy – and he works his way forward. At the end of the first book, one entire day has taken place – one day of Kvothe telling his story to Chronicler, and they decide they are ready to break for the day and pick back up the next day (which is where book two will start, I presume).

Regarding Kvothe’s story – Of course, being such a big fantasy tale, something happens to Kvothe early on that sets him on a quest that lasts throughout the length of this book, and potentially his life. This is where the nasty good vs. evil comes to play – Kvothe being the good, spends years trying to find a certain group, which is evil. Along the way, we meet his friends and his enemies. We see how he grew up and how he went to University. We see how he was so smart he was able to outsmart anyone he wanted to or needed to. We see him fall in love and we see people fall in love with him.

This is the story of Kvothe’s life in the form high fantasy, my favorite, and The Name of the Wind is only part of his story. And oh my goodness gracious, I can’t wait to start the next book!


The third thing you need to know is this:

 I NEVER do audiobooks when I read books for the first time.
BUT…in this case, I recommend it. Let me explain. 

This book is long. Very long. And as I mentioned earlier, Patrick Rothfuss is very descriptive. In fact, when I’ve read or heard complaints of The Name of the Wind (*gasp!*) the complaints I’ve read most are about it possibly being too descriptive, which takes up too much space in the book. When I got an account with Audible, I asked around for recommendations and this was recommended to me, and it was the first audiobook that I bought for myself. Yes, BOUGHT, because I will be listening to this bad boy again and again. TRUTH. 

HOWEVER…Since it was my first time with this story AND since it is fantasy – I needed the print copy to go along with it. So I checked the book out from the library and literally followed along with the audio for some parts of the story. For other parts, I used the book to actually SEE the stranger-sounding words that the reader was saying. (I have to visualize an odd name, be it a person’s name or the name of a place or something. For example, when the city of Tarbean or the tavern Eolian came up, I needed to SEE that junk written out when I heard it over and over. Y’all understand what I’m saying? Probably not. Just know that I’m quirky and we’ll just leave it at that.)

ALSO…the reader for this story is the one-and-only Nick Podehl, who is incredibly fabulous and is probably in the top three or four of my favorite readers, ever. Podehl not only never flinches when these wonky names come up, but he has an accent for every character that is perfect for them, and he carries these accents and personalities throughout the length of the book. He sings when he is supposed to sing, and he reads with the emotions that are appropriate for the scenes of the story. OH YES, AND HIS VOICE IS LIKE WOW. Sugary sweet, you guys. 

**********************************************************

The Name of the Wind is, like I said, easily a lifetime favorite of mine. If this were not so, I would not have spent so long on it. Since I did, I feel like I know Kvothe and his friends, like I can almost reproduce his steps around the Four Corners of Civilization – or at least to the places we’ve traveled so far. I adore Kvothe and the parts of his story that I heard on this first day of his sharing it to Chronicler. I have all ideas that things are about to kick it up in the next book. I can’t wait. But I also don’t want to get into it just yet. I have to sit on this one a little while. (But not too long – I don’t think I can take the wait.)

I wasn’t expecting the ending that came with The Name of the Wind. It sort of came from nowhere. But I really loved it. By the end of the book, when everyone retires to bed for the evening, we’ve reverted back to the time and scene in which we began. And doggone it if another big event doesn’t happen. It kind of shakes things up a bit and leaves readers with their mouths hanging wide open. Or at least that’s what it did to me. I loved this, when normally I don’t really love endings like this. So why this time? Because whenever I’m ready, so is The Wise Man’s Fear, right there for the taking, because it’s already out.

 If you are a fan of Award-Winning books, you’re in for a special treat because The Name of the Wind received the Alex Award (my favorite award!) in 2008. This means that even though it is technically written as an adult book, it has received a particular interest among young adults.

Whether you choose to read in print or listen in audio, I feel like you will love The Name of the Wind, particularly if you are a fan of fantasy. The audiobook version was produced by Brilliance Audio on May 3, 2009 and is 27 hours, 58 minutes long. It is read by the fabulous Nick Podehl, who did the book brilliant justice as his voice for reading Kvothe and all of the other characters was perfect.   


The Name of the Wind will appeal to fans of

High Fantasy/Epic Fantasy & Science Fiction
INCREDIBLE Storytelling – Coming-of-Age, Travels, Adventures, Romance, Heartache
INCREDIBLE Male Leading Character, Just Incredible
INCREDIBLE Setting – Four Corners of Civilization, WOOHOO!
Romance
Good vs. Evil

*This book has everything.
And it is awesome.
 

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
is currently available for purchase.

*************************************************************
Are you fan of fantasy?
What’s your favorite fantasy stories/series?

Can you recommend some to me?

Asheley

About Asheley

Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.

You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.

Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!

Divider

25 responses to “…on The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss {Audiobook}

  1. Wow. I'm completely in awe of your review. I had to scroll up to see just how many pages this book was and completely expecting it to be in the upwards of a thousand. That's actually not bad at all. How can not anyone be interested in this book by the way you reviewed it?

    Thanks for the insight.

    • Wow, thank you! It's an incredible story and I wish I could push it on everyone. I can't wait to get my hands on the second part of it…but I also want to sit on what I've read for just a teensy bit longer. I want to savor it! It was SOOOO good.

  2. Asheley, I so agree with all of this. I took a very long time with this, too, because it was so beautiful I just wanted to absorb it. I immediately bought Wise Man's Fear after I finished, but haven't read it yet. I needed some space to enjoy Name of the Wind first.

    Gorgeous review, and you're making me want to hear the audiobook now!

    • Yay Logan! Patrick Rothfuss writes like a poet. That is all.

      The audiobook is amazing, but it is amazing because the story is amazing (and the reader reads is fabulously). I highly highly recommend it if you are a fan of audio. Like, I can't recommend it enough.

  3. I agree too! This is a beautiful review. Your love for The Name of the Wind really shines through in every word. It makes me want to LOVE this story too. I KNOW I won't be able to read it as slowly as you did, but I do want to take my time so that I can absorb the words and descriptions. And I can see myself going back over sections as well.

    Is this as dark as the Chaos Walking series? I ask because I recommended that series to a relative who loved the first one, but thought book 2 and 3 were quite dark (I think especially, when considering letting his children read them).

    I cannot believe that I've never heard of the Alex Award. What an awesome prize!

    • Thanks Lauren!

      No, this is not as dark as Chaos Walking – at least *I* don't think so. Chaos Walking is much much different. This one has plenty of happiness and fun in it and tons of times of laughter. But true to life, there are some scenes in it where there is heartbreak and sadness. It is the perfect balance of everything.

      The Alex Award is so much fun! There is a blog hosting an Alex Award challenge, and this was to be my first book for it, but as you can see here, I've taken half the year on just my first book. So I have to get hoppin. HAHA. I couldn't help it.

      The thing about the Alex Award is that so many of the books I'd have already been reading are winners or honorees, so I tend to gravitate there when I can't figure out what to read next (which is less and less lately as my TBR gets further out of control).

  4. Great review! I have been wanting to read this book for such a long time, I have seen several good reviews on it. I am going to have to get myself a copy soon!

    • If you are a fan of fantasy, you'll love it! FOR ME, it really is just my cup of tea. I adored it. I've heard the second book is even longer, though, so I better prepare myself for an even longer time with it. 🙂

    • You know, Melissa, I think that's okay! Sometimes I feel the same way about books everyone else wants to read/has read and gushed about. If you aren't a fan of the high/epic fantasies, you may not really love this one as much as I did. You have to be committed because it IS long and there are a ton of characters and settings and such. So I can understand where someone might say that it isn't all that interesting to them. It's just that I love this type of book so much, and knew that audiobook format/reading along in print needed to be the way for me to have it hold my interest.

      Nothing wrong with it not grabbing you!

  5. Excellent review, Asheley! I started reading this a couple years ago at the insistence of a friend, but then got busy with the books I had to read for classes and never got past 1/3 of the way in. My husband's reading it now, and I'm hoping I get a chance to read it before the semester starts. I love high fantasy and I loved the chunk I read before – I really enjoy the description that comes with much of high fantasy (Tolkein, anyone?). 🙂

    Fantasy recs: the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull (middle grades), Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series (middle grade), Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, Witch Child by Celia Rees.

    • AAAHHHH, thank you for the recommendations!! The only ones I've read from your group are Percy Jackson's books and the Graceling books. The rest are all on my list to get to, but I've never heard of the Celia Rees books. I'll have to check those out.

      Obviously, I can't gush about this book enough. 🙂 I hope you get to finish it before semester starts. I can't imagine what is to come in the next book. But no spoilers here!! 😉

  6. I remember reading and loving the Celia Rees book in high school; I should really reread that! Have you read Rick Riordan's other series? The husband says they're good as well, but I haven't gotten to them yet.

    Luckily my roommate left his copy of the sequel when he moved out! I think I should just start the book over; I have a terrible memory and it's been sooo long since I started it!

  7. I thought something on your sidebar looked a bit different…The Name of the Wind, it's gone from the currently reading spot!! It's been there since the dawn of time!! (You know I'm just teasing!) I think it is so cool you took your time and SAVORED this book rather than quickly inhaling it. There is something to be said about stretching out something you love, especially a good book. Your review makes me smile because your enthusiasm and passion for this book just leaps off the page, Asheley! I love how you listen to the book and then FOLLOWED along with a hard copy! That is hardcore devotion, my friend! Awesome review:)

    • Thanks Heather. I really can't do any justice to the book, the story, nor how I truly feel about it. I just loved it so much. I'm gonna savor it a bit longer before The Wise Man's Fear, but it sounds SUPER exciting and I can't wait to dive into it because I think there's some Fae action in there and good gracious I love the idea of that.

      Audio + print is so relaxing to me. 95% of the time I do both. That's why it takes me a long time – I just took even longer this time because of my overboard, extreme love for this one. The next book is 47 hours I think, so it'll probably take me something like a year (not really). 🙂

  8. SO MUCH LOVE. 🙂 LIke you I don't usually listen to books I haven't read before (or if i do, they are usually more "fluffy" books). However, I LOVE to use audiobooks to "reread" favorite books. Your description of this narrator makes me really want to listen to this one again.

    • Lorren this reader is fantastic. It's a long audiobook. I'm not sure if you are doing long train rides anymore but it would have been perfect for when you were. I find myself seeking out Nick Podehl audio sometimes. I have a list of audio that he's done to listen to, and coincidentally he's done quite a few that I've already read the print books. 🙂

  9. YAY! I've talked to you enough while you've been in the process of reading it to know that you loved it, but I'm still excited and happy to read all of your thoughts composed here. I think I read this one fairly slowly the first time (though not nearly so slowly as you because I didn't listen), but have since reread it in two day stints. The second is just as good, and I can't wait for you to read it (though you probably need a break from big freaking books right now, eh?). You have me so convinced I need to listen to Nick Podehl. I'm thinking likely Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking series.

    • YES to all of this. I already have bought the Chaos Walking audio, not only because I just love the series like WOW, but because of Nick. I haven't listened to them yet though but it is coming SOON. I am so thrilled to get into The Wise Man's Fear because I'm hoping for more of Bast and more of, well, everything. But, yes, the big books have me kind of wanting itty bitty books for a little while. It's hard not to start it though. The audio for The Wise Man's Fear is 47 hours!!! GOODNESS. I'll definitely do it the same way, though, because I just loved Nick's reading.

  10. Amy

    ASHELEY. Well, you know. I totally agree with all of your thoughts. ALL OF THEM. Especially the one about this being the best recommendation that you've ever received. Because it really is/was. Even when I'm not listening/reading this series, it's on my mind CONSTANTLY! I think of Kvothe all the time, and the University, and his friends and everything. EVERYTHING. And that to me is pretty amazing, and a sign of something truly outstanding. It's in my head like real people and places are in my head. The Wise Man's Fear is more of the same. I can't wait for you to start it! xoxo

    • Oh my goodness, I can't wait to start The Wise Man's Fear but coming off of both Wind and Outlander, I just need a teensy break from the bigger books. But it won't be too long. I want to know more about where that ending was headed!!!!! It was crazy and I LIKED IT.

      Seriously, Wise Man's Fear audio is LONG. 47 hours, dude. But that's 47 hours with Nicks' voice like BUTTAH.

Leave a Reply

Want to include a link to one of your blog posts below your comment? Enter your URL in the website field, then click the button below to get started.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.