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quercus707's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful stories, about identity and free will and learning to see from other's perspectives. Each story had a luminous, beautiful moment that brought tears to my eyes. Ursula, you are missed.
neoteotihuacan's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Extraordinary. Le Guin is a master.
glitterbomb47's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Why did I wait so long to read this book? Recommended to any feminist sci-fi fans.
ehermetics's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? No
betweenchaosandshape's review against another edition
4.0
"But my people, she thought, know only how to deny. Born in the dark shadow of power misused, we set peace outside our world, a guiding and unattainable light. All we know to do is fight. Any peace one of us can make in our life is only a denial that the war is going on, a shadow of the shadow, a doubled unbelief."
"There are truths that are not useful. All knowledge is local, my friend has said. Is it true, where is it true, that that child had to die in that way? Is it true, where is it true, that she did not have to die in that way?"
"Nobody knew anything about any time when things had been different. Nobody knew there was any place where things might be different. We were enslaved by the present time. Erod had talked of change, indeed, but the owners were going to make the change, we were to be freed, just as we had been owned. In history I saw that any freedom has been made, not given."
"What is one man's and one woman's love and desire, against the history of two worlds, the great revolutions of our lifetimes, the hope, the unending cruelty of our species? A little thing. But a key is a little thing, next to the door it opens. If you lose the key, the door may never be unlocked. It is in our bodies that we lose or begin our freedom, in our bodies that we accept or end our slavery."
"There are truths that are not useful. All knowledge is local, my friend has said. Is it true, where is it true, that that child had to die in that way? Is it true, where is it true, that she did not have to die in that way?"
"Nobody knew anything about any time when things had been different. Nobody knew there was any place where things might be different. We were enslaved by the present time. Erod had talked of change, indeed, but the owners were going to make the change, we were to be freed, just as we had been owned. In history I saw that any freedom has been made, not given."
"What is one man's and one woman's love and desire, against the history of two worlds, the great revolutions of our lifetimes, the hope, the unending cruelty of our species? A little thing. But a key is a little thing, next to the door it opens. If you lose the key, the door may never be unlocked. It is in our bodies that we lose or begin our freedom, in our bodies that we accept or end our slavery."
yak_attak's review against another edition
4.0
A complex, in depth look at culture, class, and society in the wake of slavery, civil war, revolution, and the powers that emerge in the outcome. As with most short story collections it's a little uneven, the first and last stories being slightly weaker than the other 3 - but we're still dealing with Le Guin at the height of her powers, and even a weaker Le Guin short story is full of brilliant language, insight, and compassion for those in all walks of life.
dhabia's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
poachedeggs's review against another edition
3.0
Reading is hard for a grown person to learn, tired, at night, after work all day. It is much easier to let the net take one's mind over.