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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I found the first half of this book very slow. There was a lot of backstory and history that had to be told before the meat of the story began. I enjoyed the story once it began. Orrec was an interesting character. I had previously read the 2nd book in this series, Voices, so I knew the ultimate outcome of Orrec and Gry, just not how they got there.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
I found this book drawing me in. I just intended to get a feel for it as my webpages were loading, and I found myself finishing the book. Not that it was hard, it's less than 200 pages. The characters seemed flat, and it seemed a little slow paced. But it still drew me in. Can't say I'm likely to reread it but I look forward to the sequel.
This is nothing that exciting or new in terms of fantasy, but it reminds me so much of the fantasy books I enjoyed as a child. Overall, this was just so sweet and exciting
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Not my fav UKL, but I do think some of that had to do with a pretty flat performance from the narrator. Interesting concept and world, wish she had gone more in the direction of redefining Orrec’s and Gry’s gifts but perhaps that comes in the later novels. Some powerful moments around Orrec’s blindfold, seeing his mother, Coaly, and Gry
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
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:
Yes
There's this thing about Le Guin's books. The first one is always just a little bit boring. I wonder why?
I picked up this trilogy about a year back because I thought it was interesting. When I finally got round to start reading this, I started to doubt my choice in books and why I had even thought it interesting... until I realised that I had thought so based on my browsing of the second book, [b:Voices|13647|Voices (Annals of the Western Shore, #2)|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441499185s/13647.jpg|15784]. Which is odd, because in most trilogies, second books are usually the most boring. Then again, this isn't quite a true trilogy.
But you need to start a story at the beginning, which is what I did with the Annals of the Western Shore, by starting with Gifts. Le Guin starts off the story in the middle of it, with Orrec talking about the thief Emmon, who visited them. And then she goes back to the start to tell you about who Orrec was and why he was blind. Which makes for a pretty confusing read.
There's not much of a climax to this story. It seems to meander round and round the bush, going forward and then sometimes stepping back, and whilst it's interesting, it's not the most exciting of stories. I would suggest, if you want to read the Annals of the Western Shore, to start with [b:Voices|13647|Voices (Annals of the Western Shore, #2)|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441499185s/13647.jpg|15784] and then head back to Gifts. Because once you find out about Orrec and Gry only then will you really want to know their story.
Also, I would have to note that Le Guin, being Le Guin, is a storyteller of the old style - it's beautiful, but it's not a modern YA. Things happen at their own pace, and it's not the fast-paced world of stories that we're used to.
I picked up this trilogy about a year back because I thought it was interesting. When I finally got round to start reading this, I started to doubt my choice in books and why I had even thought it interesting... until I realised that I had thought so based on my browsing of the second book, [b:Voices|13647|Voices (Annals of the Western Shore, #2)|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441499185s/13647.jpg|15784]. Which is odd, because in most trilogies, second books are usually the most boring. Then again, this isn't quite a true trilogy.
But you need to start a story at the beginning, which is what I did with the Annals of the Western Shore, by starting with Gifts. Le Guin starts off the story in the middle of it, with Orrec talking about the thief Emmon, who visited them. And then she goes back to the start to tell you about who Orrec was and why he was blind. Which makes for a pretty confusing read.
There's not much of a climax to this story. It seems to meander round and round the bush, going forward and then sometimes stepping back, and whilst it's interesting, it's not the most exciting of stories. I would suggest, if you want to read the Annals of the Western Shore, to start with [b:Voices|13647|Voices (Annals of the Western Shore, #2)|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441499185s/13647.jpg|15784] and then head back to Gifts. Because once you find out about Orrec and Gry only then will you really want to know their story.
Also, I would have to note that Le Guin, being Le Guin, is a storyteller of the old style - it's beautiful, but it's not a modern YA. Things happen at their own pace, and it's not the fast-paced world of stories that we're used to.
I don't know why Ursula Le Guin is ever classified as a Young Adult author. She writes books that anyone with a fifth-grade vocabulary and an inquiring mind can read and enjoy, but at bottom of each are life and death issues, timeless and deep. Here, she touches on one of her abiding themes, which is also one of mine: when you have power over others, how do you use it without hurting them and crippling yourself?