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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
This book was a slow burner for me, but I was utterly captivated by the final third. This is largely due to Le Guin’s fantastically atmospheric writing, where the brutal and suffocating presence of the environment is expertly contrasted with moments of genuinely moving tenderness.
My main gripe with The Left Hand of Darkness, and the reason for a four, rather than five star review, is the constant likening of negative character traits as feminine. On the one hand this is a really interesting thought experiment about gender, sexual drive, and the impact this has on society and human development. On the other hand, Le Guin’s idea of an ‘ambisexual’ human race depends too heavily on gender essentialism in the rest of the universe, whereby being a man or a woman are presented as having fixed traits and characteristics. I can interpret this as a result of the narrator’s limited life experience, and I can also see how Le Guin perhaps intended for the novel to act as a criticism, or deconstruction of masculinity and the often toxic traits associated with it (the desire for war being a prominent one). However, as a modern reader this felt flat and dated, serving simply to reinforce, rather than challenge, a gender binary.
Despite its flaws, The Left Hand of Darkness is still a beautifully written, thought-provoking read.
My main gripe with The Left Hand of Darkness, and the reason for a four, rather than five star review, is the constant likening of negative character traits as feminine. On the one hand this is a really interesting thought experiment about gender, sexual drive, and the impact this has on society and human development. On the other hand, Le Guin’s idea of an ‘ambisexual’ human race depends too heavily on gender essentialism in the rest of the universe, whereby being a man or a woman are presented as having fixed traits and characteristics. I can interpret this as a result of the narrator’s limited life experience, and I can also see how Le Guin perhaps intended for the novel to act as a criticism, or deconstruction of masculinity and the often toxic traits associated with it (the desire for war being a prominent one). However, as a modern reader this felt flat and dated, serving simply to reinforce, rather than challenge, a gender binary.
Despite its flaws, The Left Hand of Darkness is still a beautifully written, thought-provoking read.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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:
N/A
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Audiobook read by George Guidall, who did an alright job, but without much variation between characters.
This is my first Le Guin I've read for the pleasure of doing so and the first after a long, long time, having read the Dispossessed in grad school over 10 years ago. I wasn't sure how I would feel as I started the book, but The Left Hand of Darkness is compelling, while being almost entirely introspective of the main protagonist, the Envoy.
Left Hand is a great example of why students who are assigned Le Guin in their English class end up loving her work outside academia. In more than a few instances, the events of the book mirror 2025 current events regarding immigration, governmental paranoia, and misinterpreted benign ignorance due to culture clash.
This is my first Le Guin I've read for the pleasure of doing so and the first after a long, long time, having read the Dispossessed in grad school over 10 years ago. I wasn't sure how I would feel as I started the book, but The Left Hand of Darkness is compelling, while being almost entirely introspective of the main protagonist, the Envoy.
Left Hand is a great example of why students who are assigned Le Guin in their English class end up loving her work outside academia. In more than a few instances, the events of the book mirror 2025 current events regarding immigration, governmental paranoia, and misinterpreted benign ignorance due to culture clash.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Abandonment
Moderate: Eating disorder, Incest, Excrement, Vomit
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm giving this three stars simply because I think it's just a not for me book so it has to fall middle of the road. Not a sci-fi girly and I have basically zero clue what actually happened in this book. I even slowed down my reading speed to try and make sense of what was happening and it didn't help. Can't recommend this book, can't not recommend this book! 🤷
A very interesting read. RIP Ursula Le Guin, you would have loved the singular 'they'.
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
Unique and engaging the whole way, even through the ice odyssey.
Although, I will admit that Genry is hard to read sometimes, even after his significant character development. He's not as passionate as the cast surrounding him, but I felt that this kind of worked to the setting's advantage. His insipidity made a good medium for the portrayal of an alien society.
Although, I will admit that Genry is hard to read sometimes, even after his significant character development. He's not as passionate as the cast surrounding him, but I felt that this kind of worked to the setting's advantage. His insipidity made a good medium for the portrayal of an alien society.