Reviews

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

castelruins's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.5

ashablue's review against another edition

3.0

This is one of those books that I would expect to be on a high school read list because it feels like a book rife with material for those end of year essay exams for English. That's not at all a bad thing, mind you. Like Animal Farm or Lord of the Flies it is pregnant with meaning and questions and statements on humanity, society, corruption, good intentions and bad outcomes.

There isn't a lot to spoil, exactly. Orr dreams. His dreams change reality. He has no control over his powers and it terrifies him. His psychiatrist learns to control his patient and so Orr becomes a tool of the good Dr as he tries to make the world better, with predictably weird and dangerous outcomes. His powers are bit like that of a monkeys paw. They can be guided, but not controlled and be careful what you wish for plays into it pretty heavily.

Also, there's aliens.

But I'll leave it at that.

madihoney's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Definitely enjoyed this book more than Lavinia. Enjoyed Le Guin’s take on reality, what it means to exist and to play god. 

orp4ic's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

beltsquid's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A book that really speaks to what it's like to live in a time where everything is falling apart and you wish so so deeply that it could be different, but no matter what changes everything seems to get worse.  Reading it made me feel a little less insane, ironically enough. 

benitr's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

armarierodriguez's review against another edition

2.0

This book was so messy. Unlike some of her other work, the questions and thought concepts she presents to the reader don’t seem to be grounded in expansive world building. Though the main character, George, is himself anxious and unimaginative, the sociological dreamscapes and multi-realities he imposes on the whole get muddied into what le Guin is even trying to get across.

There is this idea of power and hierarchy threaded throughout: when you are so involved and seemingly committed to doing something good, you of course can’t see the flaws that may exist and will not slow down enough to see them (Haber’s character). It is ironic because I think just this of le Guin’s writing here. Even though she presumably wanted readers to challenge the characters’ ideals and propensities, she herself was not writing in a way that engages liberated thinking. Her reckoning with race and war was lazy, uncommitted. And again, though George has these very qualities, the entire book reflected back as theatrical nonsense rather than philosophical debate regarding power, hierarchy, consent, and the relation between individual/collective. 

I did find parts of this book intriguing and wished to see more thoughtful near-future shifts. For example, the lawyers office being a converted multi-level parking garage, now obsolete because the overpopulated city needed a better mass transportation plan. I wanted more of this specific restructuring! It seemed she got lazy and impulsive writing as it went on.

Though I would not recommend this book, I am glad to garner a broader scope of her writing as I’ve been a huge fan of her other work. I must also say her writing of a black character was extremely problematic and antiblack. I am unsure how this book continues to get published with new forewords and absolutely no commentary on this. Not to mention, her imaginative future of Israel and Egypt becoming an alliance and calling these people “Isragypts” yikes.

lex311's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

wow. i did not really like the beginning but it really draws you in over time and i loved the ending. really is kind of comforting to know the world is always ending and we always live on in one way or another and find what we can to keep going. also an interesting view on helping others, and that helping one person is easy but you also need consent to help and on a large scale that's not really possible. 
ursala k le guin, man

dhopkin1's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

erraticmango's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0