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
anice's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
beesknees's review against another edition
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Full disclosure, I went into this as my third Le Guin read, following The Left Hand of Darkness and A Wizard of Earthsea. I am giving this book 3 stars purely because Le Guin can write well, and the end portion of the book was enjoyable to read. This book is extremely slow-paced, and focuses more on the realism of our daily lives than the fantasy you hope to dive into when picking up this book. I found myself debating to put the book away before finishing multiple times because even by halfway through the book, no adventure had begun. The Beginning Place is an exposition-heavy book, with a sprinkle of adventure at the end. The main character, Hugh, is an average guy whose main draw to thinking him likeable is sourced from feeling bad for the guy. It feels like you get a lot less of the other main character Irene's life, which I felt was more interesting than Hugh's.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content
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