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A review by jefffrane
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin
5.0
When The Dispossessed was originally published in 1974, I was taking a writing class from Le Guin. Naturally, I was eager to read her latest novel, especially since she was right there if I had questions or comments. All I remember about the book, however, was that I didn't get it at all. It is, as the subtitle has it, ambiguous. Two different worlds, one lush and feudal the other nearly barren and devoid of hierarchy, yet Le Guin does not hesitate to find the flaws and the marvel in each, all discovered for us by the protagonist.
Forty plus years later, I took the book down off the shelf with timidity. It had so thoroughly baffled me at 25 that I still wouldn't get anything from rereading it. But this is Ursula K Le Guin, after all, and from the very first page I was intrigued and attentive. It's amazing what decades of living in the real world can open one's eyes to.
Forty plus years later, I took the book down off the shelf with timidity. It had so thoroughly baffled me at 25 that I still wouldn't get anything from rereading it. But this is Ursula K Le Guin, after all, and from the very first page I was intrigued and attentive. It's amazing what decades of living in the real world can open one's eyes to.