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A review by machadamia
A Very Long Way From Anywhere Else by Ursula K. Le Guin
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I didn't expect much out of a 96 page novel but of course I should have, it's Ursula Le Guin!
On the surface, of course, this is just a novel told in the perspective of a boy, Owen, who is so annoyed with where he is at in life. And usually I would be very irritated with characters like that because I am in the camp of you need to do something about your misery and he totally does not until he meets Natalie. Mind you, this book was written in like 1976, life then is quite different from life now but so much of it is still relatable today and that's why this book is basically a classic.
His mother, a stay at home mom, has a set expectation of where she thinks Owen will end up, and his dad has an idea of what an American boy is supposed to be and hopes that Owen will be like so. As a teenager, he still doesn't know so much of the world and he still relies a lot on his parents to kind of show him. .And so he tries hard to fit into those limited boxes and is rather unhappy as a result. In comes Natalie who is everything Owen is not. As a girl who signifies everything he wants to be, naturally he falls in love.
I am honestly not a huge fan of first person perspective in YA novels but this one really works. Le Guin really captures the voice of a male teenager so well that I can see him in my minds eye, moping around. The scenarios she set up for the progression of this story is simple and that is exactly what is needed for something like this.
Later on, whenNatalie rejects Owen , it wasn't spelled out in words and I much enjoyed the way their actions are described. He tries his best to avoid her, she tries to look for him but gives up. And then it is hinted that he attempted suicide. All these really shows how each of them truly feel about it without necessarily spelling it out for the audience. A truly great example of show, don't tell. And it's a beautiful way of achieving it in such a short book.
Not to mention all the important themes covered in this book, all super relevant to how a teenager feels then and today: self identity, fitting in, first love, friendship, sex. Probably a lot more that I didn't include.
At the end, we aretreated with the fact that they each do the things that the audience is rooting for them to do. Well, they get together and then he braces himself and reveals his true wants to his parents. It is not a happily ever after but a happily for this period of time only kind of ending which I really like. If I were to read this as a teenager, it would make me so much more brave to pursue the things I wanted to pursue instead of following the opinions of others.
On the surface, of course, this is just a novel told in the perspective of a boy, Owen, who is so annoyed with where he is at in life. And usually I would be very irritated with characters like that because I am in the camp of you need to do something about your misery and he totally does not until he meets Natalie. Mind you, this book was written in like 1976, life then is quite different from life now but so much of it is still relatable today and that's why this book is basically a classic.
His mother, a stay at home mom, has a set expectation of where she thinks Owen will end up, and his dad has an idea of what an American boy is supposed to be and hopes that Owen will be like so. As a teenager, he still doesn't know so much of the world and he still relies a lot on his parents to kind of show him. .
I am honestly not a huge fan of first person perspective in YA novels but this one really works. Le Guin really captures the voice of a male teenager so well that I can see him in my minds eye, moping around. The scenarios she set up for the progression of this story is simple and that is exactly what is needed for something like this.
Later on, when
Not to mention all the important themes covered in this book, all super relevant to how a teenager feels then and today: self identity, fitting in, first love, friendship, sex. Probably a lot more that I didn't include.
At the end, we are