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teabrewer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book confuses me. Not because of the plot, but because I'm not sure if I liked it or not. The wirld building is well done and the concept of making the gender binary foreign is very interesting. To listen to this story through the words of Genly Ai, a average 1960's man despite being from a futuristic space travelling society, made it even more interesting. The book may not seem revolutionary, but that's because it revolutionized. I didn't get the critics about it being heteronormative, have you read the same book as I? Despite the Author herself regreting the decision, I think Genly Ai refering to all people from gethen as "he" makes sense to the society he came from. I didn't get the incest stuff though, and I have been, and will be, ignoring it. I'm not sure if I got the ending either
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Slavery, Sexism, Misogyny, and Classism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Suicide, and Gun violence
Minor: War, Incest, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Transphobia
keiusify's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Slavery, Miscarriage, Incest, and Xenophobia
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really disliked this, unfortunately. I give it two stars because o can see why it was an important feminist science fiction novel in 1969. I can see how the exploration of gender, region and loyalty is important.
That being said, I found this to be extremely dry and boring during time where it should have felt tense. The pacing was slow, and that’s not something i usually enjoy in a book. I could not connect with the characters or enjoy their faults.
I also really did not like that it specifically envisioned a world where everyone is ambisexual AND then instead of being progressive about it, they also state that sibling incest is common and not forbidden. It had other potential issues that could have been called out with the Kenner system, but it was odd and felt … gross for no reason.
That being said, I found this to be extremely dry and boring during time where it should have felt tense. The pacing was slow, and that’s not something i usually enjoy in a book. I could not connect with the characters or enjoy their faults.
I also really did not like that it specifically envisioned a world where everyone is ambisexual AND then instead of being progressive about it, they also state that sibling incest is common and not forbidden. It had other potential issues that could have been called out with the Kenner system, but it was odd and felt … gross for no reason.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Suicide and Incest
Minor: Sexism and Pregnancy
acemummerz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Deportation, Death, Gun violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Violence, Torture, Child death, Pregnancy, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, War, Suicide, Excrement, Medical trauma, and Incest
theelbowparade227's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
5.0
this book was so very "killing myself to change the trajectory of your lives"....what i mean by that is that it did emotionally destroy me and also it changed my brain chemistry. 20/10 amen, incredibly well constructed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Suicide, and Trafficking
Minor: Incest
amorphousbl0b's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Incest and Suicide
Minor: Sexism
luis_vieira's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, and Xenophobia
Minor: Pregnancy and Incest
_david_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
The worldbuilding is masterfully executed, revealing a rich and diverse world and culture within the confines of a relatively short book. The characters are captivating, and the narrative effectively captures the challenges of collaboration with a culture one doesn't fully comprehend and vice versa.
The book successfully presents multiple perspectives, with the main character questioning his own ideas and cultural norms after engaging with Winter's people. What stands out is how Winter and its countries aren't portrayed as utopias nor lesser places than earth. They're not good or bad, just different, with their own moral grey areas. Even the two countries that are shown in the book have big cultural differences. Eventhough gender is a significant theme and the first thing you'll likely learn when looking up the book, the core focus revolves around learning to respect and collaborate with another culture. The way gender is represented in the book is in a world that shows the what-if scenario of a society where gender (or sexuality) has no impact on people's role in it.
The only aspect I wish were different is that 'neutral' pronouns and other terms are male to the reader. Perhaps it highlights the flaws of the main character and his default way of thinking. But I still found it odd.
The book successfully presents multiple perspectives, with the main character questioning his own ideas and cultural norms after engaging with Winter's people. What stands out is how Winter and its countries aren't portrayed as utopias nor lesser places than earth. They're not good or bad, just different, with their own moral grey areas. Even the two countries that are shown in the book have big cultural differences. Eventhough gender is a significant theme and the first thing you'll likely learn when looking up the book, the core focus revolves around learning to respect and collaborate with another culture. The way gender is represented in the book is in a world that shows the what-if scenario of a society where gender (or sexuality) has no impact on people's role in it.
The only aspect I wish were different is that 'neutral' pronouns and other terms are male to the reader. Perhaps it highlights the flaws of the main character and his default way of thinking. But I still found it odd.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Police brutality, Confinement, Grief, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Incest, Suicide, and Animal death
Minor: Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Cursing, Incest, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexism
paloverdepages's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
stuck between a 4.75 and 5 for this one- there were a few passages about gender that i resonated strongly with. i wish i understood more, hope that reading the rest of the series will give me some insight when i get around to rereading this one. maybe i'm too hesitant to give books 5 stars; i just saw no reason not to with this one. also now i get to talk about it with so many people! so excellent, absolutely merits a reread and maybe some hardcopy annotating.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Misogyny
Minor: Animal death, Suicide, and Incest
ford_defect's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.75
Le Guin’s writing is fantastic. I seek out sci-fi to get transported to other worlds, and man, can this woman worldbuild. I could easily picture Winter/Gethen despite it being so foreign. The effort put into the culture, politics, history, and characters is something one doesn't see often (and keeping a coherent storyline, too???). Even within the genre. It almost felt like reading an anthropology book about real people.
However, I was a little disappointed on how the relationship with the two main characters ended. I can only blame my friend who hyped this up as some kind of LGBT-adjacent romance, which it is and isn't simultaneously. Still, this book has given me a lot to reflect on when it comes to our gendered, heteronormative society. It's something I'll certainly have to re-read in the future.
There were a couple things that rubbed me the wrong way, though. CW: incest, sexism, misogyny, transphobiaFor one, incest is somewhat acceptable in Gethenian culture, which was certainly a choice. The main character also had inherently sexist views since he came from a gendered society and seemed to get uncomfortable when Gethenians displayed femininity. (Albeit, he does grow). Lastly, I found it a little problematic when they wrote about Gethenian procreation like they were animals mating instead of regular people having sex. It comes off as a little transphobic, but I do understand why it's there.
But overall, my discomfort didn't sour this book for me. The uncomfortable parts had their place in the story. It's still an amazing work that certainly deserves a spot in SF history.
4.75/5
There were a couple things that rubbed me the wrong way, though. CW: incest, sexism, misogyny, transphobia
But overall, my discomfort didn't sour this book for me. The uncomfortable parts had their place in the story. It's still an amazing work that certainly deserves a spot in SF history.
4.75/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Incest, Sexual content, Sexism, Misogyny, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Transphobia and Pregnancy