A review by funktious
Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Well of course Le Guin wrote solarpunk, nearly half a century before the term was coined. She was a visionary and this book is a beautiful and thoughtful look at how our children, many many years from now, might have learned to live better than we do.

It's virtually plotless, bar one narrative that's returned to a few times throughout, and is instead more an anthology of poetry, short stories, songs, recipes and filthy jokes that taken together, show us an alternative to capitalism and individualism. It would make Thatcher weep.

And of course, being Le Guin, what could be a dry, academic exercise is elevated by her beautiful, simple prose.