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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book had me locked in damn near the entire time. I loved some characters and loathed others. It's clear to me the amount of world and character building that went into this book and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series down the line.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As much as fifty or so fewer pages would not have hurt it, this book has a terrific premise and also a better unfolding. The story is well constructed and chillingly realistic, somewhat Atwood-like, but how it unfolds is definitely the most interesting part, not so much for the plot as for what it entails. Amazing that it was written 40 years ago....
Per quanto una cinquantina di pagine in meno non gli avrebbero fatto male, questo libro ha delle premesse strepitose ed anche un migliore svolgimento. La storia é ben costruita e realistica in modo agghiacciante, un po' stile Atwood, ma come si evolve é sicuramente la parte piú interessante, non tanto per la trama quanto per quello che comporta. Incredibile che sia stato scritto 40 anni fa....
Per quanto una cinquantina di pagine in meno non gli avrebbero fatto male, questo libro ha delle premesse strepitose ed anche un migliore svolgimento. La storia é ben costruita e realistica in modo agghiacciante, un po' stile Atwood, ma come si evolve é sicuramente la parte piú interessante, non tanto per la trama quanto per quello che comporta. Incredibile che sia stato scritto 40 anni fa....
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had never heard of this book or author until I came across the language Láadan in Alex Bellos’ The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book, and I’m so glad his very short description of it was sufficient to make me order this trilogy immediately. It had been quite a while since the last time I picked up a book that I couldn’t put down!
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
phenomenal
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
This book is pretty rough to get invested in right after reading 1984 and given the existing political climate, but ultimately its worth it. It starts extremely bleak but grows to become almost a comedic satire of existing misogynistic attitudes at times. It's still absolutely a dystopia: the male characters of this book are extremely arrogant, abusive, domineering, and misogynistic, obviously, but at a certain point you realize they're also so ignorant of what is occurring and so sure of their supremacy it becomes honestly funny when it bites them in the ass and when they're so self-assured that they believe they're "solving" their problems.
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Read this from start to finish without putting it down. It stands with Handmaids Tale as a cautionary voice from the past that every woman should heed, and every man should use to examine themselves. Well written mysogyny that will make you fizz with the unfairness of what patriarchy steals from us. Validation for silent rage felt by every woman under the sun.
This does so many things I love. The reader is dropped into this new world, with exposition hinted at and doled out piece by piece -- through new characters, passing conversations, snippets of textbooks and letters and poems that feel like they exist in the world. This kept me hungry to learn more, lapping at details and implications. The characters were not perhaps richly textured individuals, but the impotence that the women had when trying/failing to express themselves to men who had no basis of understanding (or will to listen) was eminently relatable -- I felt that. It also introduces and explores interesting concepts that were the real reason I read this -- can a language be used to throw off oppression? can one be constructed that reshapes reality by expressing ideas not expressible in current tongues? if you and another person do not share fundamental perspectives about reality, is there a way to bridge that gap with language or does it require a shift too earth-shattering to withstand?
This book is readable and enticingly written, but unfortunately it brings up a lot of questions without enough else to be satisfactory. I had too many questions on a more basic comprehension level -- about the political history with regards to the linguists, about any nuance at all with regards to gender and individuals, about why the women's language led at all to the result it did at the end (and why??), how that conclusion would be built upon in the future or if it would or if that was enough of a goal in itself, and what about the aliens? what was their deal and have their cultures/perspectives made any impact on the human world and what is the role of the nonhumanoids in the galaxy even... the list goes on.
There are sequels that I definitely want to read, and while I did get what I wanted out of this book, what I loved about it was just enough for me to wish that it were more satisfying on its own.
This book is readable and enticingly written, but unfortunately it brings up a lot of questions without enough else to be satisfactory. I had too many questions on a more basic comprehension level -- about the political history with regards to the linguists, about any nuance at all with regards to gender and individuals, about why the women's language led at all to the result it did at the end (and why??), how that conclusion would be built upon in the future or if it would or if that was enough of a goal in itself, and what about the aliens? what was their deal and have their cultures/perspectives made any impact on the human world and what is the role of the nonhumanoids in the galaxy even... the list goes on.
There are sequels that I definitely want to read, and while I did get what I wanted out of this book, what I loved about it was just enough for me to wish that it were more satisfying on its own.