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justlily's review against another edition
A great plot idea killed by the fact that it takes eighteen years for anything to happen. Again I am apparently in a rut of picking up books that refuse to just tell themselves. We have to meander along forever before anything happens and I just can't do it.
bluestarfish's review against another edition
5.0
Orrec and Gry are captivating people and the poor Uplands with their mysterious gifts and way of life feel harsh and real. The ordinariness of life (for them) makes sense until it gradually breaks open as the children grow and change and make choices about their own future. Because this is Ursula Le Guin we get imaginative fiction that does question and examine the differences between good and evil, question what heroism is, examine the roots of power, and imagine moral alternatives. The gift's gift is an incredible idea that I don't get to hear of very often and has left me with lots to think about.
Time for a re-read of the series! This is the one I had the clearest memories of, but I had forgotten some key details so it still felt like a fresh read.
Time for a re-read of the series! This is the one I had the clearest memories of, but I had forgotten some key details so it still felt like a fresh read.
jackdziatkowiec's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I didn't like the characters and the ending was predictable. Am I missing something, or couldn't he just take off the blindfold when no one was around?
christinebeswick's review against another edition
4.0
I've been reading Ursula Le Guin's books on and off since I was quite young, and this was a nostalgia read for me. Her writing is, as always, quite lyrical and the characters are believable. I enjoyed reading it as much as, if not more than, I expected to.
gweno's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
twstdtink's review against another edition
2.0
What a pointless little book. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even have enjoyed this as a pre-teen (which is who I think the target audience was). Although the idea of people having genetic "gifts" is an interesting one, it wasn't highlighted enough to make this story interesting.
hamckeon's review against another edition
3.0
I had high expectations after reading some of the Earthsea cycle and was a little let down. It wasn't a bad story, but it did not stand out as much or grip me like the other series.
milktoast's review against another edition
4.0
Never wrote a review for this, oops!
I liked this book a lot. I don't see a lot of low key fantasy stories, and that's a shame. In Gifts, Le Guin creates a fascinating culture & cool magic, but the story isn't a big quest or epic tale. It's a small coming of age story about a young boy as he struggles to understand what his "gift" means and find his place in his family.
There's a lot of things I really enjoyed in this story: the worldbuilding, the small scale, the characters who are lifelike instead of larger than life, but mostly I was impressed by the emotional pull such a small and short story had. Tis a cliche, but I laughed and I cried and I walked away satisfied. Can't expect much better than that! It's not LeGuin's greatest work, but I'm glad I checked it out.
I liked this book a lot. I don't see a lot of low key fantasy stories, and that's a shame. In Gifts, Le Guin creates a fascinating culture & cool magic, but the story isn't a big quest or epic tale. It's a small coming of age story about a young boy as he struggles to understand what his "gift" means and find his place in his family.
There's a lot of things I really enjoyed in this story: the worldbuilding, the small scale, the characters who are lifelike instead of larger than life, but mostly I was impressed by the emotional pull such a small and short story had. Tis a cliche, but I laughed and I cried and I walked away satisfied. Can't expect much better than that! It's not LeGuin's greatest work, but I'm glad I checked it out.
doceon's review against another edition
5.0
Truly excellent, in a way that makes other books look bad. Le Guin’e writing is compassionate and pitiless, her worlds are fascinating and well-realized, and her books are a joy to read even when they’re filled with despair.
mrswythe89's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this a lot more than any other Le Guin book I've read -- I was able to tell the characters apart and was actually interested in them, and that's a first. I don't know why that should be.
It was a really good book, but I think I would have liked to know more of Gry's story rather than Orrec's. The stuff about gifts going forward instead of backward is really intriguing, and I would've liked to see a movement towards making them go forward again, instead of Gry and Orrec just running away because they couldn't fit in.
It was a really good book, but I think I would have liked to know more of Gry's story rather than Orrec's. The stuff about gifts going forward instead of backward is really intriguing, and I would've liked to see a movement towards making them go forward again, instead of Gry and Orrec just running away because they couldn't fit in.