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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
I loved the comparison between the two societies and all of the lore but the characters don't stick around for very long and the dual structure of the narrative made it pretty difficult to follow.
Okay, it really is a five-star piece of literature. It's just not fun to read.
The author carefully lines out the failures of a communist society, an anarchist society, then a capitalist society. She describes the points at which they fall apart. My takeaway is that most societies fail because of people. There is no solution. We must strive for a true utopia in which ideas and information flow freely. I believe for the most part the western world today allows this.
So, with unparalleled access to information, how did we end up with a society obsessed with Kardashians?
The author carefully lines out the failures of a communist society, an anarchist society, then a capitalist society. She describes the points at which they fall apart. My takeaway is that most societies fail because of people. There is no solution. We must strive for a true utopia in which ideas and information flow freely. I believe for the most part the western world today allows this.
So, with unparalleled access to information, how did we end up with a society obsessed with Kardashians?
current as ever — so many of today's ideas le guin was already talking about — politics, time, gender, revolution thoughtfully discussed in one compelling novel.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As usual, LeGuin delivers a very brilliant and subtle tale. As much as I dislike the juxtaposing narratives of past and present, they came together very well in the end. The masterful way LeGuin set these parallel threads against each other, and then tied them up in the end left me feeling the way I usually do at the conclusions of her stories: breathless, fulfilled and melancholy.
And yet this must also have been one of her most didactic pieces of prose. After awhile the "you cannot buy the Revolution, you must BE the Revolution" line began to really grate, and one begins to hear LeGuin in Shevek a little too insistently, a little too repetitively.
It's a lovely story, and one I'm glad to have finally read after hearing so much about it. But the flavour grows a little bland after awhile, coiling and coiling as it does around themes that don't really develop.
And yet this must also have been one of her most didactic pieces of prose. After awhile the "you cannot buy the Revolution, you must BE the Revolution" line began to really grate, and one begins to hear LeGuin in Shevek a little too insistently, a little too repetitively.
It's a lovely story, and one I'm glad to have finally read after hearing so much about it. But the flavour grows a little bland after awhile, coiling and coiling as it does around themes that don't really develop.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
A beautiful, reflective work that's far ahead of its time and offers such a vision and contemplation on the meaning of freedom and utopia. Will have to reread some time...
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"You shall not go down twice to the same river, nor can you go home again."
pacing and rattling the book around in my teeth....
note: there is a sexual assault scene in this book. i trust the author and her intentions with my life but i would recommend not reading that scene if you know it's something that will trigger you. i read an epub without pages but the scene is in Chapter 7.
pacing and rattling the book around in my teeth....
note: there is a sexual assault scene in this book. i trust the author and her intentions with my life but i would recommend not reading that scene if you know it's something that will trigger you. i read an epub without pages but the scene is in Chapter 7.