Reviews

Earthsong by Suzette Haden Elgin

shannonli1026's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

bunrab's review

3.0

When I first read this trilogy, the whole thing was great, I loved all of it. But on re-reading, this volume doesn't wear nearly as well as the other two - and all of them seem sort of dated. The idealization of American Indians, even the men, seems out of place, and the fact that the whole series pretty much assumes that the United States is the only country that counts, and that others don't exist or automatically follow the US's lead on everything, grates on me more now than it did 20 years ago. While the series as a whole still has some good points, and the story in the first two volumes is still fairly coherent, they're not as good as they used to be, and the disjointedness of the third volume in particular just grates.

talile's review

4.0

Harder to read, but expands the story and the world. As a whole the work is one of the best i've read.

idicalini's review

3.0

This final book in the trilogy was both more and less interesting than the other two. The characters were far less developed; there are quite some character who are only in one or two chapters, whose only point seems to be to flesh out the world. And that is also why this book is more interesting: the scope is increased, both in time and in space. Suddenly, we're reading about other planets, and the story spans several hundreds of years. The premise behind the book is really interesting, too. The idea of women working in secret for hundreds of years to improve the world is lovely and the reaction of the men at the end of the book, when they find out, seems sadly realistic. In the notes, it said that Elgin originally wanted to name this book after the Meandering Water tribe, as a reference to meandering rivers slowly effecting change over hundreds of years, just like the women of the Lines in this book. I love that imagery and it's possibly the one I will remember most from this trilogy - the subtle ways formally powerless women use their words and bodies to manipulate the ones around them with power.

ananotherthing's review against another edition

mysterious 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

2.0

dear_old_world's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.5

Was a bit disappointed by this one. The sudden shift of focus from the first two books is a bit jarring and it was harder to connect with the characters this time.

justfoxie's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring 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

3.0

valedeoro's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.75

Super interesting way to tell a story, weaving together different places, times, focusing on day-to-day interactions to figure out the cultural values of the book. Loved it. 

rosmona's review

3.0

Uhm... A triloxía ten unha premisa interesante e a desta terceira parte pode gustarlles axs anti-especistas en particular, mais pésalle ben o tempo (é feminismo da segunda onda). Trátase dun feminismo pacífico, binarista, esencialista de xénero, teocéntrico, USAcéntrico e -aínda que loita contra o capitalismo máis atroz- fica nun capitalismo amable.

meganpbell's review

5.0

The different cover artist for first printing of this third book in the Native Tongue trilogy should have been a clue. Earthsong diverges from the first two in both form and content and feels like a completely different book. My theory is Elgin had given up on Laadan becoming popular in use by the time she wrote Earthsong and shifted direction, hence the audiosynthesis plot line. Earthsong still has a lot to say about humanity, activism, and change and is a worthwhile read, but it requires a shift in mindset.