sarracenia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
synoptic_view's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite Le Guin, aside from the phenomenal A Non-Euclidean View of California as a Cold Place to Be. It deserves a longer review, but I will just say that the final section of the book on the ice is some of the best backcountry adventure writing of all time.
"Even now I thought, Surely when we’ve worked so hard— But the Ice did not know how hard we worked. Why should it? Proportion is kept."
== Original "review" from 2018 read ==
Technically, I started reading this in 2010.
"Even now I thought, Surely when we’ve worked so hard— But the Ice did not know how hard we worked. Why should it? Proportion is kept."
== Original "review" from 2018 read ==
Technically, I started reading this in 2010.
chanson7908's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
neutrallara's review against another edition
3.25
This was a bit of a slog to get through especially at the start. I understand that a certain amount of world building is necessary for these kinds of books but it was frustrating to follow at the start. I had trouble telling what perspective each chapter was from in the beginning, it became clearer throughout the novel. Got interesting around half way through. Glad i finished this and can appreciate it for the story it is and its context, but wouldn’t pick it up again.
algaliarept's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
letta's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
mvanhoeck's review against another edition
4.0
So good to read this book of fierce winter beauty during a cold January full of political anxiety.
The Left Hand of Darkness is always introduced by describing the genderless, ambisexual characters but other themes besides gender seemed so much more deeply explored and affecting to me: patriotism/nationalism vs humanity; loneliness and friendship among and between those who are alien to each other. In fact, the thought experiment around androgyny suffered from the dated use of the "generic he" pronoun. It read like a planet of men who occasionally became women for a few days at a time. So little time was spent describing pregnancy and child rearing.
But the landscape! The descriptions of the glacial environment were stunning and the epic prison rescue and escape across the ice were thrilling.
The Left Hand of Darkness is always introduced by describing the genderless, ambisexual characters but other themes besides gender seemed so much more deeply explored and affecting to me: patriotism/nationalism vs humanity; loneliness and friendship among and between those who are alien to each other. In fact, the thought experiment around androgyny suffered from the dated use of the "generic he" pronoun. It read like a planet of men who occasionally became women for a few days at a time. So little time was spent describing pregnancy and child rearing.
But the landscape! The descriptions of the glacial environment were stunning and the epic prison rescue and escape across the ice were thrilling.
lividphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0