Reviews - Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea

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1.97k reviews for:

Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea

Ursula K. Le Guin

4.16 AVERAGE

kimonly's review against another edition

4.0

It was very enjoyable rereading this old, favourite series. I had never read the fourth book and found it quite enjoyable. It rounded out the series nicely.

arielmagicesi's review against another edition

5.0

I thought, "gosh, I don't think I could love Earthsea any more" and then I heard that this book had feminist whining and men being humbled and analyzing gender theory and I was like "BRO I GUESS I CAN LOVE THESE BOOKS MORE" because if there's anything I love more than fantasy books, it's feminist whining! (Just in case anyone is misinterpreting me, I say "whining" with love because any time someone says "feminist whining" they mean "a woman making extremely good points but it made me uncomfortable") This book is so so good, it develops all the characters fantastically and the world and makes me think about gender and sex and power and love. Love this book!!!

kirill_reads_sff's review against another edition

5.0

reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

In every single book so far in the Earthsea series, Le Guin managed to masterfully pick up and continue the story of its predecessor, but at same time also approach it from a new angle, introduce a new point of view, and focus on an entirely new theme. No book is like any other in the series and Tehanu is no exception. At this point I should honestly expect the unexpected and yet I was still surprised by this novel.

Where previously the plot revolved around grand matters concerning the whole world, Tehanu is, first and foremost, about life of ordinary people. It's about how these people get caught up in these grand matters, completely powerless and at the mercy of the heroes and the villains. This offers a new interesting perspective on the whole plot.

Of course, Tehanu is also about bigotry and misogyny. The book can seem to reinforce gender stereotypes, with Tenar/Goha abandoning magical apprenticeship and becoming a farmer's wife. But at the same time, she made that choice, she rejected the power handed down by men to her, and she lived her own life.

And this is what makes Tehanu brilliant. It is essentially about ordinary life which is by no means simple. No matter what seismic world changes happen around you, you still need to take care of goats, pull the weeds out, and do the dishes. And this just makes it more relatable.