A Brightness Long Ago, Guy Gavriel Kay
A Brightness Long Ago, Guy Gavriel Kay
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A Brightness Long Ago

Author: Guy Gavriel Kay

Narrator: Simon Vance

Unabridged: 14 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 05/14/2019

Categories: Fiction, Fantasy


Synopsis

International bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay’s latest work is set in a world evoking early Renaissance Italy and offers an extraordinary cast of characters whose lives come together through destiny, love, and ambition. In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man looks back on his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra’s intelligence won him entry to a renowned school even though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a ruling count—and soon learned why that man was known as the Beast. Danio’s fate changed the moment he saw and recognized Adria Ripoli as she entered the count’s chambers one autumn night—intending to kill. Born to power, Adria had chosen, instead of a life of comfort, one of danger—and freedom. Which is how she encounters Danio in a perilous time and place. Vivid figures share the unfolding story. Among them: a healer determined to defy her expected lot; a charming, frivolous son of immense wealth; a powerful religious leader more decadent than devout; and, affecting all these lives and many more, two larger-than-life mercenary commanders, lifelong adversaries, whose rivalry puts a world in the balance. A Brightness Long Ago offers both compelling drama and deeply moving reflections on the nature of memory, the choices we make in life, and the role played by the turning of Fortune’s wheel. “Strong historical research and worldbuilding, a vast cast of characters, world-changing events … An epic tale filled with characters compelling enough to bear the weight of the high stakes.”—Kirkus Reviews

Reviews

Goodreads review by Robin on April 09, 2019

This will be longer than my usual review because I have a lot to say. And I will attempt not to do spoilers. First of all, this book comes out in May. I received a free advance copy. I don't think that affects my review. I virtually know Guy Gavriel Kay and hope to someday play cribbage with him. So,......more

Goodreads review by Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ on July 15, 2022

Update: July 2022 reread for my IRL book club. I'm in charge of leading the discussion in a few hours. Wish me luck! Oh yeah, still a 5-star book. Original review: Amazing book! This is really an excellent historical novel, with just a trace of fantasy. If you haven't read one of GGK's recent novels,......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on June 30, 2019

To be honest, I had a lot of trouble slipping away into the world of this one. It took far far longer for the usual Kay incantation to take effect, mostly because it took far, far longer for him to start chanting it. As he’s grown older, Kay has developed an insistence on showing the teller’s hand t......more

Goodreads review by Celeste on May 15, 2019

I received this book electronically via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. You can find this review and more at Novel Notions. “I knew, once, a woman diamond bright and two men I will not forget. I played a part in a story in a fierce, wild, windblown time. I do have that. I always will. I......more

Goodreads review by Bradley on August 12, 2019

To be perfectly candid, I wasn't a huge fan of Kay's earlier work and I left off reading anything else by him, thinking I already got his measure. Two books in an early trilogy. They were pretty good but it left a not-so-pleasant taste in my mouth. So why did I come back? Give him another try? I can'......more