The Slow Regard of Silent Things

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

I finished this book, and found myself several minutes later still staring blankly at the last page in some sort of wonder. . . I enjoyed the Slow Regard of Silent Things far more than I thought I might. Like so many of you, its not the book I am desperately ready for, but even so, it's been a while since I felt a book strike such a profoundly personal, meaningful chord.
On the surface, this book is about Auri. It's a glimpse into her existence, a week in her life. But more than that, it's an achingly beautiful piece of her being, with bits of who, how and maybe just a touch why she is. But it also teaches us a lot about Alchemy, and the Naming of things, which Auri seems to be quite natural at. (And it gives us some foreshadowing for the series). Pat says this book isn't for everyone, and maybe that's true in the sense that not everyone will enjoy carefully ruminating on things the way Auri does. But I feel it does have a very broad application. We all have those dark places and bright places in our minds or hearts that we can wander to, and they change the way we see the world at that given time. And in that sense, we are none of us really that different from Auri.