The Name of the Wind is written as a frame narrative, which means a-story-within-a-story. The outer story introduces Kvothe as the innkeeper of the Waystone Inn (there he is known as “Kote” to hide his identity). The inner story begins as a traveling scribe named Chronicler visits the Waystone Inn and asks to write Kvothe’s life story. Kvothe begrudgingly agrees and begins to tell his story out loud as Chronicler writes.
Rothfuss is a master of building suspense. When Kvothe is playing for his talent pipes at the Eolian. At first you think that Kvothe will win his talent pipes easily, given his skill from years of learning to play with the Edema Ruh. But then he discusses the particular song that he has chosen to play and discusses it with Stanchion, co-owner of the Eolian. Stanchion is surprised because it is such a difficult song, so this starts you wondering if Kvothe will have as much success as you thought. Then Rothfuss describes in detail all the performances that precede Kvothe’s and this adds to your doubts, as every single musician in front of him fails to earn their pipes. There is also the question of whether a female vocalist will come in from the crowd to sing the part of Aloine, an essential part of “The Lay of Sir Savien Traliard” (the difficult song that Kvothe has chosen). It finally comes to be Kvothe’s turn. He is playing brilliantly. The reaction of the crowd is described with great detail by Rothfuss. And a mysterious female voice comes in to sing the part! But then one of the strings on Kvothe’s lute breaks. And you don’t know what’s going to happen …
Another element of the book that I thought was particularly well-done by Rothfuss was its believe-ability. In other fantasy fiction I have read, the other constructs a world that is very different from the world in which we live. This is wonderful, because it’s the point of fantasy after all, but it can become difficult to stay in touch with this world if you forget other parts or just don’t understand the complexity of the world that the author is trying to create. Rothfuss created a world that with which it was easy for me to stay in touch. The struggles on Kvothe on the streets of Tarbean are very understandable. They are the struggles of poverty, hunger, and violence. His ambitions at the University are easy to understand. He has a clear goal to find out about the Chandrian. Everything is ordered to that goal. His love with Denna is a simple love, expertly described in depth and over time.
The last thing I wish to mention is the recurrence of the symbol of money. In the world of Temerant, money is copper and silver. I started to notice the recurrence of the symbol of money in Tarbean when Kvothe is forced into poverty. He has to beg and steal to survive, fighting for every iron drab. He starts to save a “rainy day” fund hidden somewhere on the rooftops of Tarbean. When he arrives at the University, he faces similar problems. Kvothe has to come up with money to pay tuition, to buy a lute, to buy a second pair of clothes. This struggle for money serves as a very relatable conflict that persists throughout the entire novel and provides very believable explanation for Kvothe’s actions.
Overall, I loved this book. I have read Dune and Lord of the Rings just before it, and it ranks as an equal, if not at the top. For those who are thinking of whether to read it, I would describe it as a mix between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, erring more closely to the side of Harry Potter.