Reviews

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

samble's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.75

very good companion piece to the aeneid!

eliyue's review

emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

klparmley's review

3.0

Written in the vein of C. S. Lewis' 'Till We Have Faces; this is the story of Aeneas told by one of the least discussed of Virgil's characters. It's a decent story, but not the most interesting of LeGuin's books. There isn't much growth in any of the characters. The good guys remain stalwart and the bad guys never change. One character wobbles a little, but not much.

mtankersley17's review against another edition

informative reflective sad 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? No

3.5

audrey_03's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

joja_zch's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Exactamente, quizás 4.25 o 4.5⭐️
Excelente primera lectura mía de Ursula K. Le Guin. No soy fan de la fantasía o la ciencia ficción, pero estos retellings históricos sí que me encantan. Sobre todo porque, a pesar de las dificultades de precisión histórica, la autora se informó todo lo que pudo para precisar lo que hubiese sido la vida en esa época, en esa localidad y esa minuciosidad me encanta y me dice mucho de la autora (lo cuenta en el prólogo).
La historia de Lavinia me encantó y lo que me mantuvo pendiente fue la simplicidad de las palabras que utiliza la autora que, para mí, hace el relato real, cercano, el de una chica con una niñez dura, con temas fuertes con su madre que hacen que su relación con el padre sea muy estrecha; una chica con un destino poderoso que se ve en la obligación de cumplir (y que quiere y busca hacerlo).
La habilidad de Le Guin para aterrizar y tangibilizar una historia que en otra pluma podría resultar etérea y rimbombante, es increíble.
💯 libro recomendado.

nirbas99's review

4.0

Me ha sorprendido lo mucho que me ha gustado el libro. Está acostumbrada a otra Úrsula, por ello iba con un poco de temor, pero no podía estar más equivocada. Lavinia trata la Eneida desde un punto de vista algo diferente, desde el personaje al que Virgilio nunca dio voz. Y vaya si Lavinia se hace oír, muchísimo, porque aunque no se trata de alguien ruidoso o temperamental, su sensibilidad me ha empapado el corazón.

Una de las cosas que más me ha gustado del libro es que nos introduce una Italia totalmente diferente de la que estaba acostumbrada. Con sus tradiciones y su campo, su hogar a Vesta y los oráculos, me he sentido como una más en la historia.

El único punto negativo es que a veces se me hacía difícil seguir leyendo, algunos pasajes se me han atragantado, pero por lo demás me ha encantado.

ksonnev's review

3.0

3.5

nebulous_tide's review against another edition

5.0

I'll be honest, I spied this book in a charity shop in Lichfield and bought it purely because it was a LeGuin I hadn't read. I had no idea what the pages may contain - I assumed from the bright golden cover with what looked like a compass design that Lavinia was a place, probably frequented by airships. Yes, I expected a bit of science fantasy, maybe a bit of steampunk thrown in.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I found myself immersed in the pre-Roman, post-Troy world of Lavinia and her Aeneas!

I must confess, I haven't read the Aeneid. LeGuin writes in the afterword that it essentially cannot be translated (it sounds like translations get you the words, but not the spirit of the poem), and as I know no latin, I probably won't read it.

What a wonderful story, full of life, love and several subtle and not-so-subtle digs at how poorly women are treated throughout history. I absolutely loved this and devoured it in a couple of days.

ineedtokeepmymouthshut's review

emotional informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I adored this book. I never thought LeGuin would be able to retell the story of the Aenied in a way that feels new and yet here we are. Lavinia is an absolutely amazing book and I truly loved it