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citrine's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Deportation, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Racism and Incest
bookishperseus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It did take a while for me to be able to start this book, and at times I found it incredibly slow, complex or tedious.
I did keep reading it because there was a small interest as to what would happen, even though this book is following what could be considered a 'usual every day life'.
Towards the end, I found the final 3 or 4 chapters actually quite interesting. Not something I'd read again, but glad I finished it!
I did keep reading it because there was a small interest as to what would happen, even though this book is following what could be considered a 'usual every day life'.
Towards the end, I found the final 3 or 4 chapters actually quite interesting. Not something I'd read again, but glad I finished it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Police brutality, Drug abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Gun violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence
Minor: Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Violence, Body shaming, Incest, Pedophilia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Child death, War, Chronic illness, Deportation, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Rape, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Vomit, Xenophobia, and Confinement
ka_cam's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While I liked this less than others by Le Guin, it was still a thought provoking read with themes on intercultural communication, time, friendship and relationships, gender and sexuality, faith, patriotism, and politics set on a distant in time and space, very cold, planet populated by humans who have different sexual organs and cycles than on Earth/terra. The gender analysis is a bit sideways to the modern reader due to the narrator, Genly Ai, using exclusively he/him pronouns for folks and being pretty openly misogynist. Still lots to chew on, I read this in a book group and I think having people to discuss with added a lot to the reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Misogyny
Moderate: Pregnancy
maryellen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Child death, Physical abuse, and Incest
Minor: Kidnapping, Torture, Misogyny, Gun violence, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Sexism, Suicide, Confinement, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child death, and Death
aurora_noriealis's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
the book epitomizes le guins' anarchist ideas toward states and solidarity and freedom in a loving way. it toys with trust and relationship building, and plays heavily with Themes (recognizing trust, building trusting and supportive relationships). I love it for this.
the pacing varies quite a bit throughout.
that said, some of the depictions of cultures and gender are dated, discomforting at times. noting this less as a deterrent and more to bear in mind going into reading.
as someone who doesn't typically read fiction, I greatly enjoyed it.
the pacing varies quite a bit throughout.
that said, some of the depictions of cultures and gender are dated, discomforting at times. noting this less as a deterrent and more to bear in mind going into reading.
as someone who doesn't typically read fiction, I greatly enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual content
Minor: War
much of the imagery parallels pieces of the cold war - era states. collectivization, imprisonment, and exile are presented in ways reminiscent of Stalinist and McCarthyist states.coolfijiwater's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Torture
Moderate: Suicide, Misogyny, and Incest
tigger89's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm ashamed to say that it took me many years and two false starts to get around to reading this. I knew it was going to be good, but it was very much a case of "right book, wrong time" for me. I very nearly had to return the copy unread this time as well, but decided I could marathon it over the weekend instead. I'm glad I did, because this book is a classic for a reason.
What everyone knows about this story is that it's the one where the aliens are gender-neutral, except for once a month when they become either male or female — varying from month to month — in order to engage in sexual intercourse. Frankly, in 2023, that's not the most interesting part of this story. I don't know if it's because Seinfeld is Unfunny(tvtropes) or because of our conversations around and understanding of gender evolving, but it doesn't feel terribly groundbreaking. At times, the binary themes even felt regressive, though I understand that they had a different cultural significance in 1969. Rather, what I found to be far more timeless were the cultural misunderstandings and Genly's struggle, first to salvage his mission and then to survive.
Le Guin's descriptions of the various landscapes were incredible. Let me tell you, I felt the wind on that glacier! And her explorations of the cultural institutions — such as Shifgrethor, Kemmer, and the Foretellers — were SF/F at its best. I'd never heard this book praised for its world before and that's a shame, because those who read to experience fantastical lands and cultures unlike our own(hi!) will find plenty to dig into here.
Something that I really struggled with was the extensive use of male-as-neuter language throughout the text. I found it very difficult to remember that the characters were meant to be androgynous when all the pronouns were he/him. Yes, I know the language is a 1969 thing(see also: "bisexual society", which is way less of a party than it sounds). But that doesn't make it any easier on the reader. The edition I read had an afterword by Charlie Jane Anders, in which she proposed the idea that Genly himself is an unreliable narrator of sorts, expressing his own misogyny through his use of male pronouns for the Gethenians. I really liked that idea, and have adopted it as my own headcanon.
What everyone knows about this story is that it's the one where the aliens are gender-neutral, except for once a month when they become either male or female — varying from month to month — in order to engage in sexual intercourse. Frankly, in 2023, that's not the most interesting part of this story. I don't know if it's because Seinfeld is Unfunny(tvtropes) or because of our conversations around and understanding of gender evolving, but it doesn't feel terribly groundbreaking. At times, the binary themes even felt regressive, though I understand that they had a different cultural significance in 1969. Rather, what I found to be far more timeless were the cultural misunderstandings and Genly's struggle, first to salvage his mission and then to survive.
Le Guin's descriptions of the various landscapes were incredible. Let me tell you, I felt the wind on that glacier! And her explorations of the cultural institutions — such as Shifgrethor, Kemmer, and the Foretellers — were SF/F at its best. I'd never heard this book praised for its world before and that's a shame, because those who read to experience fantastical lands and cultures unlike our own(hi!) will find plenty to dig into here.
Something that I really struggled with was the extensive use of male-as-neuter language throughout the text. I found it very difficult to remember that the characters were meant to be androgynous when all the pronouns were he/him. Yes, I know the language is a 1969 thing(see also: "bisexual society", which is way less of a party than it sounds). But that doesn't make it any easier on the reader. The edition I read had an afterword by Charlie Jane Anders, in which she proposed the idea that Genly himself is an unreliable narrator of sorts, expressing his own misogyny through his use of male pronouns for the Gethenians. I really liked that idea, and have adopted it as my own headcanon.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Incest, Misogyny, Suicide, and Gun violence
Minor: Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness
imrereads's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
4.0
Usually I try to not think about which books I "should" read, but sometimes it pays off. This book is an example of that. It was written in 1969, and is considered to kickstart the feminist sci-fi genre. It took me a hot minute to get into this book, but once I did I found not only a good story, but also a very interesting conversation of the effect sex and gender has on culture and society. The setting of the story if the planet of Gethen, were people don't have a fixed sex, and our narrator is from a different planet where they do, so it's very much an outsiders perspective which brings up a lot of interesting conversations.
There are certain things I wish were done differently, particularly the use of he/him pronouns on the Getheran people, and I've since read that Le Guin regretted that decision herself. I think a neutral pronoun would have been a better decision, but I will admit that he/him does tell us something about our narrator and it does make some sense.
All in all I'm very glad I read this book. Not only does it give me some insight into the history of the genre, but it was also a genuinely good reading experience.
There are certain things I wish were done differently, particularly the use of he/him pronouns on the Getheran people, and I've since read that Le Guin regretted that decision herself. I think a neutral pronoun would have been a better decision, but I will admit that he/him does tell us something about our narrator and it does make some sense.
All in all I'm very glad I read this book. Not only does it give me some insight into the history of the genre, but it was also a genuinely good reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Incest, Blood, and Death
tiredcreature's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
5.0
This is my second readthrough, the first having been many years ago now. It's a difficult book, that doesn't only speak of a different world, but is itself from a different world - the country called the past. I've read a fair bit of classical sci-fi, but no other book so far has given me such a keen feeling of its age as The Left Hand Of Darkness. Perhaps because how personal its themes are to me. For all of its difficulty, I found it less frustrating when I reminded myself of that.
And so, Genly Ai, a man from Earth, preoccupied with his masculinity, and passively misogynistic by upbringing, comes to the planet Gethen, where the people are both male and female and also neither, and the duality of the sexes doesn't exist. He is an alien in many senses here, but his journey and the bond he forms with Estraven along the way leave him changed, until he feels more familiar with the Gethenians than with his fellow Earthlings. When the story comes full-circle, the world has, largely, stayed the same; it is Genly who returns a different man.
And so, Genly Ai, a man from Earth, preoccupied with his masculinity, and passively misogynistic by upbringing, comes to the planet Gethen, where the people are both male and female and also neither, and the duality of the sexes doesn't exist. He is an alien in many senses here, but his journey and the bond he forms with Estraven along the way leave him changed, until he feels more familiar with the Gethenians than with his fellow Earthlings. When the story comes full-circle, the world has, largely, stayed the same; it is Genly who returns a different man.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Confinement
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
smolren's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.0
I didn't expect this. I started reading it and thought it was going to be a lot of hard work for little reward, but I was wrong. I'm so grateful to have read about the beautiful friendship at the core of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, and Grief
Minor: Drug abuse, Animal death, Vomit, Incest, Suicide, Misogyny, and Sexual content