twocentsmusic's review
4.0
“A story can say different things to different people.” UKL, 2016.
And I think this is one story that says very different things to different people. It is very different from UKL’s usual stories, and I was uncertain what to think about it at first.
Then I realised that, to me, this is tale of fear, of change, of growth.
Both Hugh and Irena needed the land beyond, in their own ways. Hugh from the prison he let his mother put him in, and Irena from the prison she put herself in for her mother. The gate opened for them when they needed it most. The land beyond was to Hugh, peace and freedom, and to Irena, her desires. For Irena, it was safety, it was love that she desired, Palizot and Sofir the parents she pretended she had. She had their love, I think, genuine love. But like all of us who desire and never had something, we are so afraid of losing it when we have it. Irena wanted to freeze what she had with Palizot and Sofir, but in doing so, it changed things. Maybe not for Palizot and Sofir, maybe it did, but the important thing was, it changed things for Irena herself. She did not realise that in freezing what she thought was the love she craved, she lost it. Relationships are not meant to be frozen, but continually evolving together.
For Hugh, it was a place where he faced his not knowing what he wanted, what he had to do, his not knowing his own not knowing.
Irena was at first upset and jealous at the land letting Hugh in, because then it shoved the reality that what she had frozen was not really frozen right in her face. She did not want to accept it, but there was nothing she could do about it. The land beyond let both Hugh and Irena face their weaknesses, and find each other. It is a tale of the constant changes in being human, in accepting relationships in one’s life.
And I think this is one story that says very different things to different people. It is very different from UKL’s usual stories, and I was uncertain what to think about it at first.
Then I realised that, to me, this is tale of fear, of change, of growth.
Both Hugh and Irena needed the land beyond, in their own ways. Hugh from the prison he let his mother put him in, and Irena from the prison she put herself in for her mother. The gate opened for them when they needed it most. The land beyond was to Hugh, peace and freedom, and to Irena, her desires. For Irena, it was safety, it was love that she desired, Palizot and Sofir the parents she pretended she had. She had their love, I think, genuine love. But like all of us who desire and never had something, we are so afraid of losing it when we have it. Irena wanted to freeze what she had with Palizot and Sofir, but in doing so, it changed things. Maybe not for Palizot and Sofir, maybe it did, but the important thing was, it changed things for Irena herself. She did not realise that in freezing what she thought was the love she craved, she lost it. Relationships are not meant to be frozen, but continually evolving together.
For Hugh, it was a place where he faced his not knowing what he wanted, what he had to do, his not knowing his own not knowing.
Irena was at first upset and jealous at the land letting Hugh in, because then it shoved the reality that what she had frozen was not really frozen right in her face. She did not want to accept it, but there was nothing she could do about it. The land beyond let both Hugh and Irena face their weaknesses, and find each other. It is a tale of the constant changes in being human, in accepting relationships in one’s life.
poikilia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Violence, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Body shaming, and Abandonment
oldmanbookworm's review
Was the author high on meth while they wrote this? This was the most confusing sentence structure I have ever had the misfortune of reading. Paragraphs so massive that I run out of breath as an avid runner while reading them! She has sentences so long that 20 commas separate words until you get to a period! I made it only 20 pages in before I realized I couldn't take it anymore. Maybe id understand better if I was high on mushrooms?
olityr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This is the tenth Ursula K. Le Guin book I've listened to this year, and the only one I didn't like.
Felt like I was listening to a Neil Gaiman, all mystery and no payoff.
I'm all for a sense of wonder, but this was more a sense of confusion that never really got resolved.
Felt like I was listening to a Neil Gaiman, all mystery and no payoff.
I'm all for a sense of wonder, but this was more a sense of confusion that never really got resolved.
ielerol's review
4.0
I've seen that a lot of people who otherwise like Le Guin don't like this book, and that's one reason why I haven't read it before (the other is the awful cover on my library's edition, I know I shouldn't keep letting bad covers put me off books that otherwise appeal to me but when I have such a long TBR list sometimes I resort to very arbitrary reasons for picking one book over another). And now that I've read it, The Beginning Place is certainly not joining my list of favorite Le Guin books.
But I still think it is doing something special. The story is slow, and quiet, and the closest it has to an action sequence is over quickly in confusion and unpleasantness. I like quiet stories, and I am so thirsty for alternatives to over-the-top heart-pounding action in fantasy books. I know I can rely on Le Guin to provide.
This is a small but beautiful story about the need to escape, and the limits of escapism. Both Irene and Hugh find the beginning place separately, because of how badly they need it. But their access to the gateway is tied together because in the end what they truly need is each other. You go into the woods to be changed, and learn about yourself, and that's important and good. But in the end, it's just as important that you learn when it's time to leave the woods and come home.
But I still think it is doing something special. The story is slow, and quiet, and the closest it has to an action sequence is over quickly in confusion and unpleasantness. I like quiet stories, and I am so thirsty for alternatives to over-the-top heart-pounding action in fantasy books. I know I can rely on Le Guin to provide.
This is a small but beautiful story about the need to escape, and the limits of escapism. Both Irene and Hugh find the beginning place separately, because of how badly they need it. But their access to the gateway is tied together because in the end what they truly need is each other. You go into the woods to be changed, and learn about yourself, and that's important and good. But in the end, it's just as important that you learn when it's time to leave the woods and come home.
annacantcook's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
davidreyno's review
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First read this 35 years ago, still enjoyed it again.
jupiterjens666's review
4.0
It has the feel of a minor work - this isn't one of Le Guin's grand statement novels - but it's still beautifully written in that lyrical style only she has. Wow, that's some really bad cover art, it doesn't really portray how this is a slow, contemplative character-driven fantasy. It's good, it's short, read it