extrey_extrey's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
yggie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This one was interesting! On one hand I agree with the feminist critics from back then - she could have been bolder, found a neutral pronoun instead of making every neutral person a 'he'. The way she wrote it turned it into a very male-centric thing. On the other hand, 60 years is a long time and a LOT changed in that time. I think she would have done it differently if she wrote it now. And the actual thought experiment holds, and is still current.
I didn't hate Genly, like some of the modern critics do. Yes, he's a misogynist prick, but that's an essential part of the story. Even though he thinks stuff I don't like and don't agree with, he tries not to act on it. He's not evil, just dumb. He should know better. He gets closer to wisdom in this book. It was enough for me.
I didn't like the politics, I never do. Most of the characters felt a bit remote and flat, even Therem, who I liked best. Ofc that's also sort of representative of the way Genly sees these people, so at least part of the time it makes sense. Still, I like to be moved by a book, and the thing that moved me most is that it very succinctly explained why we perceive the night sky as dark - and that was a random footnote that was not really relevant to the story.
All in all, an interesting read. Weird, and slow, and distant, and alien, and thought provoking. I'll probably read it again- maybe see if I can find a digital version and update the pronouns first.
I didn't hate Genly, like some of the modern critics do. Yes, he's a misogynist prick, but that's an essential part of the story. Even though he thinks stuff I don't like and don't agree with, he tries not to act on it. He's not evil, just dumb. He should know better. He gets closer to wisdom in this book. It was enough for me.
I didn't like the politics, I never do. Most of the characters felt a bit remote and flat, even Therem, who I liked best. Ofc that's also sort of representative of the way Genly sees these people, so at least part of the time it makes sense. Still, I like to be moved by a book, and the thing that moved me most is that it very succinctly explained why we perceive the night sky as dark - and that was a random footnote that was not really relevant to the story.
All in all, an interesting read. Weird, and slow, and distant, and alien, and thought provoking. I'll probably read it again- maybe see if I can find a digital version and update the pronouns first.
elys3's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
paziinyaa's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thomasindc's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this, though am having a hard time figuring out what I'd like to say about it. I found the exploration of sex and gender pretty extraordinary for late 60s science fiction, prescient even for today (the afterword has some good additional notes on how it was perceived then and how it has aged). I was a little surprised at how many concepts and words I stumbled upon that have become more or less grammar in science fiction (notably, ansible).
There are a few lines that I really like, that stood above the rest for me on this, my first read:
"'We are not a sophisticated people.'" Perhaps this doesn't stand as well outside of its context. This is one of our primary characters comparing a neighboring government (a "full-blown bureaucracy") that has developed Orwellian methods of population control and thought-policing. A few lines before, there is a discussion of the Farms and how the neighboring government would boast about them. This lie in the truth of the thing is a theme throughout the book that I found fascinating.
That line pairs well with a line about 50 pages before, also comparing these governments, with the monarchy the 'more primitive' of the two: "It was odd that in the less primitive society, the more sinister note was struck."
It's hard not to think about [b:1984|61439040|1984|George Orwell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657781256l/61439040._SX50_.jpg|153313] here, and maybe [b:Brave New World|5129|Brave New World|Aldous Huxley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575509280l/5129._SY75_.jpg|3204877] (though this one I've never given a thorough read and always sort of glazed over).
Later in the book, there begins an exploration of nationalism and patriotism. "Very few Orgota know how to cook. Hate Orgoreyn? No, how should I? How does one hate a country, or love one? Tibe talks about it; I lack the trick of it.I know people, I know towns, farms, hills and rivers and rocks, I know how the sun at sunset in autumn falls on the side of a certain plowland in the hills; but what is the sense of giving a boundary to all that, of giving it a name and ceasing to love where the name ceases to apply? What is love of one's country; is it hate of one's uncountry? ..."
(Another dash of Orwell in the "un" language, to my eye.)
And then:
"And I wondered, not for the first time, what patriotism is, what the love of 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 vile a bigotry. Where does it go wrong?"
I'll be reflecting on the book for a while, but these all stand out to me.
There are a few lines that I really like, that stood above the rest for me on this, my first read:
"'We are not a sophisticated people.'" Perhaps this doesn't stand as well outside of its context. This is one of our primary characters comparing a neighboring government (a "full-blown bureaucracy") that has developed Orwellian methods of population control and thought-policing. A few lines before, there is a discussion of the Farms and how the neighboring government would boast about them. This lie in the truth of the thing is a theme throughout the book that I found fascinating.
That line pairs well with a line about 50 pages before, also comparing these governments, with the monarchy the 'more primitive' of the two: "It was odd that in the less primitive society, the more sinister note was struck."
It's hard not to think about [b:1984|61439040|1984|George Orwell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657781256l/61439040._SX50_.jpg|153313] here, and maybe [b:Brave New World|5129|Brave New World|Aldous Huxley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575509280l/5129._SY75_.jpg|3204877] (though this one I've never given a thorough read and always sort of glazed over).
Later in the book, there begins an exploration of nationalism and patriotism. "Very few Orgota know how to cook. Hate Orgoreyn? No, how should I? How does one hate a country, or love one? Tibe talks about it; I lack the trick of it.I know people, I know towns, farms, hills and rivers and rocks, I know how the sun at sunset in autumn falls on the side of a certain plowland in the hills; but what is the sense of giving a boundary to all that, of giving it a name and ceasing to love where the name ceases to apply? What is love of one's country; is it hate of one's uncountry? ..."
(Another dash of Orwell in the "un" language, to my eye.)
And then:
"And I wondered, not for the first time, what patriotism is, what the love of 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 vile a bigotry. Where does it go wrong?"
I'll be reflecting on the book for a while, but these all stand out to me.
lillysmith's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
stefnevells's review against another edition
2.0
The first 200 pages of this were terrible. The writing was a slog. It was 200 pages of world building, but as if building only a detailed description of the government of a foreign nation, in a foreign language. I only got a general idea of anything going on because the language was so difficult to get past. Then at 200 pages the vast majority of the language fell away to allow a story and characters to exist. Interesting questions are raised, and the last 100 pages were really enjoyable. But getting to them through the muck is brutal.
palomapepper's review against another edition
4.0
I love Le Guin's writing for being social/philosophical/political/anthropological thought couched in sci-fi terms. In The Left Hand of Darkness, gender (or lack thereof) takes center stage. Winter is a planet where all humans are neuter, taking a gender only when they go into heat every month to mate. Societies on this planet are far from utopic, but they are rooted in a kind of equality we perma-gendered folks can’t quite wrap our heads around.
I enjoyed the novel’s ethnographic slant, which let me explore untranslatable concepts and idiomatic expressions (shifgrethor, nusuth, …fixed genders). Characters struggle socially through misunderstandings based on fundamentally different expectations and worldviews. The focus on non-gendered people especially interested me, given the increasing number of real-life acquaintances I have who prefer to be referred to with the gender-neutral singular “they” pronoun.
The prose is clever. Wry at times, but rarely outright comedic. I appreciated the light touch she managed when considering gender issues from different perspectives - with a topic like gender, it might have been easy to slip into polemic.
I enjoyed the novel’s ethnographic slant, which let me explore untranslatable concepts and idiomatic expressions (shifgrethor, nusuth, …fixed genders). Characters struggle socially through misunderstandings based on fundamentally different expectations and worldviews. The focus on non-gendered people especially interested me, given the increasing number of real-life acquaintances I have who prefer to be referred to with the gender-neutral singular “they” pronoun.
The prose is clever. Wry at times, but rarely outright comedic. I appreciated the light touch she managed when considering gender issues from different perspectives - with a topic like gender, it might have been easy to slip into polemic.
liormaleficent's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
francis4ever's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75