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orlily's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
calistria's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
fairybookaholic's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
patelj006's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
tjjerome's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
breanda's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
suzanneruth's review against another edition
emotional
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
2.75
e_reader77's review against another edition
4.0
My book club had a difficult time with this book, mostly I suspect , because it's not a very gripping read until about page 150. It's difficult to keep names straight and once you fall into a pattern of what to expect, the narrator shifts, making it disorienting.
What I very much enjoyed about this book is how LeGuin wove together narrative, myth, religious documents and historical documents- all types of ways civilizations give context to their existence. Since Genly Ai is a human, LeGuin structured much of the story around artifacts that relate most to our own culture.
Usually I dislike books with multiple narrators, but LeGuin's choice to have both Ai and Estraven narrate chapters helped anchor the story with a non-biased "view"- the narrative is about two very different people who must deal with their cultural differences (as individuals and products of their own cultures) in order to survive.
Since the narrative is about a different race, issues like patriotism and sexuality are in focus (again- concepts we understand and relate to). While I agree with some other reviewers about the dated material pertaining to women, the book is cutting edge when dealing with the fluidity of sexual orientation. Ai comments more than once about how disorienting it is to be surrounded by androgynous people who only become "men" or "women" when in kemmer. He also comments on how that androgynous state changes communication, which could open up a discussion in a book club about how gender or sexual orientation dictates how we communicate.
One of my favorite quotes comes near the end when Ai contemplates what patriotism means: "And I wondered, not for the first time, what patriotism is, what love of one's country truly consists of, how that yearning loyalty that had shaken my friend's voice arises, and how so real a love can become, too often, so foolish and a vile bigotry" (279).
Even though it took me quite some time to fall into the story, I enjoyed the book because of that hardship, not in spite of it. Too often sic-fi books are too transparent. This book requires that readers stay engaged, which mimics Ai's own realization and journey to understand this culture.
What I very much enjoyed about this book is how LeGuin wove together narrative, myth, religious documents and historical documents- all types of ways civilizations give context to their existence. Since Genly Ai is a human, LeGuin structured much of the story around artifacts that relate most to our own culture.
Usually I dislike books with multiple narrators, but LeGuin's choice to have both Ai and Estraven narrate chapters helped anchor the story with a non-biased "view"- the narrative is about two very different people who must deal with their cultural differences (as individuals and products of their own cultures) in order to survive.
Since the narrative is about a different race, issues like patriotism and sexuality are in focus (again- concepts we understand and relate to). While I agree with some other reviewers about the dated material pertaining to women, the book is cutting edge when dealing with the fluidity of sexual orientation. Ai comments more than once about how disorienting it is to be surrounded by androgynous people who only become "men" or "women" when in kemmer. He also comments on how that androgynous state changes communication, which could open up a discussion in a book club about how gender or sexual orientation dictates how we communicate.
One of my favorite quotes comes near the end when Ai contemplates what patriotism means: "And I wondered, not for the first time, what patriotism is, what love of one's country truly consists of, how that yearning loyalty that had shaken my friend's voice arises, and how so real a love can become, too often, so foolish and a vile bigotry" (279).
Even though it took me quite some time to fall into the story, I enjoyed the book because of that hardship, not in spite of it. Too often sic-fi books are too transparent. This book requires that readers stay engaged, which mimics Ai's own realization and journey to understand this culture.