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greaydean's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this one was a bit better. I have a hard time thinking I am better for having read it, but I did think it was well written and I did lose myself a bit in it. I guess I wasn't convinced it was a story that needed to be told. Well, I am glad I read it.
libcolleen's review against another edition
3.0
Very very very slow paced book. There is a lot to think about in it so it's worth the time, but it is not an easy read if you are at all attached to dialog or action.
swarmofbees's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
kelseystevens's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
justgj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
samwreads's review against another edition
3.0
I read this a few months ago so I'll keep my thoughts short since many details are lost to memory.
Overall this is a hard book to judge. In many ways it's amazing and the best of the trilogy. But in the end it's long and wandering and a bit harder to finish than its predecessors.
All of the books in the trilogy are empathetic and heartfelt, but this one is even more so. There's a central question of "what is a family" or "where do I belong" which is explored even as the main character explores the world. There are simple and more complex cruelties, both personal and structural, which bear upon the fictional world. Often these are perpetrated by or to the families and ties that form (and often break). I might think of the tribulations as a mix between a Margaret Atwood childhood and Arendt-ian force, although that's doing a disservice to the wide panoply of different people, groups and cultures that LeGuin imagines here. Throughout, the empathy and maturity of the narrative voice are far beyond what one might normally expect from a young adult novel. A bit like Tehanu did with the Earthsea series, this book might assume some development of its younger readers since the earlier novels. Or if that's not the case, maybe it encourages them along that path through the story. That is not to say it is normative, but rather that it is emotionally challenging, and how one responds to that challenge may determine how much one appreciates the novel.
So why three stars? It's honestly probably more like 3.5. I liked it more than "Gifts" but a bit less than "Voices." The cruelties and evil can be a bit much, and there's less narrative drive to the story. For a book of its length, this did make it much more challenging to finish than the first two. But for all of that it's a powerful and rewarding read for those willing to put in the effort.
Overall this is a hard book to judge. In many ways it's amazing and the best of the trilogy. But in the end it's long and wandering and a bit harder to finish than its predecessors.
All of the books in the trilogy are empathetic and heartfelt, but this one is even more so. There's a central question of "what is a family" or "where do I belong" which is explored even as the main character explores the world. There are simple and more complex cruelties, both personal and structural, which bear upon the fictional world. Often these are perpetrated by or to the families and ties that form (and often break). I might think of the tribulations as a mix between a Margaret Atwood childhood and Arendt-ian force, although that's doing a disservice to the wide panoply of different people, groups and cultures that LeGuin imagines here. Throughout, the empathy and maturity of the narrative voice are far beyond what one might normally expect from a young adult novel. A bit like Tehanu did with the Earthsea series, this book might assume some development of its younger readers since the earlier novels. Or if that's not the case, maybe it encourages them along that path through the story. That is not to say it is normative, but rather that it is emotionally challenging, and how one responds to that challenge may determine how much one appreciates the novel.
So why three stars? It's honestly probably more like 3.5. I liked it more than "Gifts" but a bit less than "Voices." The cruelties and evil can be a bit much, and there's less narrative drive to the story. For a book of its length, this did make it much more challenging to finish than the first two. But for all of that it's a powerful and rewarding read for those willing to put in the effort.
bluestarfish's review against another edition
4.0
Gavir's coming-of-age story is a hard one. Living a life of a slave he has to reckon with power and loyalty, betrayal and trust. What do any of these mean as a slave? Or what do any of them mean as someone who has runaway and is searching for a way to live? This, again, is not a story of the rich and powerful people (although of course they exert they overreaching influence) but of those living around the edge and in the margins of the powerful. Their hopes and failures, dreams and lives are just as important and worthy of stories says this book and Ursula Le Guin. And stories are the way we make meaning and understand how to live.
Re-reading the trilogy. [2023]
Re-reading the trilogy. [2023]
christinebeswick's review against another edition
4.0
This is the third book and, in my opinion, the best in Ursula K. Le Guin's series, Annals of the Western Shore. The books are loosely linked through the characters of Orrec and Gry but can be read independently of each other.
The third book is the story of Gavir, who, at the start is a slave boy who was captured into slavery as a baby and who believes that the social order of slave/ master is the natural order of things. But gradually he comes to understand the injustice and cruelty, especially in the case of women, both slave and mistress.
It’s a story of growth from slavery to freedom, self-determination, and self-realisation, through tragedy and adventure which Gavir is gifted with the power to “see” before they have happened. It’s not a useful gift to him because he is unable to determine when these events will occur, but, through these visions, we get to anticipate what is coming without it taking over the present.
The world of the Western shores is detailed, well realised, and believable with the various societies including the escaped slave colonies described in detail. A love of reading, scholarship, and books run through all of the three volumes and is particularly important in this one.
The third book is the story of Gavir, who, at the start is a slave boy who was captured into slavery as a baby and who believes that the social order of slave/ master is the natural order of things. But gradually he comes to understand the injustice and cruelty, especially in the case of women, both slave and mistress.
It’s a story of growth from slavery to freedom, self-determination, and self-realisation, through tragedy and adventure which Gavir is gifted with the power to “see” before they have happened. It’s not a useful gift to him because he is unable to determine when these events will occur, but, through these visions, we get to anticipate what is coming without it taking over the present.
The world of the Western shores is detailed, well realised, and believable with the various societies including the escaped slave colonies described in detail. A love of reading, scholarship, and books run through all of the three volumes and is particularly important in this one.
doceon's review against another edition
5.0
Longer than the first two books in the series, and better. Le Guin is gifted at coming up with and inhabiting points of view that other authors would miss, and of making those perspectives living, breathing, real. Excellent stuff.
merlandre's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't read the first 2 books in this series but I certainly enjoyed this one. A fantasy in the sense of a different world, some different powers and so many well developed cultures and personalities. Such excellent writing. I may go back to the previous books. I know there's no book 4 but I would be ready to read it.