mmparker's review against another edition
4.0
This took me a long long time to read, in large part because I started out reading it as a compilation, instead of as a unified work. It *is* a compilation - but it's better read as a novel. You really have to develop and remember a sense of the Kesh to get the most of each component, and the ordering of stories is intentional.
It's a strange, unsettling, wonderful anthropological study of a people that doesn't exist, but drawing heavily on people who have existed. It's unbelievably rich and thoroughly thought-out (there's a CD of songs and poems, for God's sake). It's also maybe kinda self-indulgent.
If you really like LeGuin, you'll enjoy it.
A strange and painful book to read in October 2017, while the Valley burns.
It's a strange, unsettling, wonderful anthropological study of a people that doesn't exist, but drawing heavily on people who have existed. It's unbelievably rich and thoroughly thought-out (there's a CD of songs and poems, for God's sake). It's also maybe kinda self-indulgent.
If you really like LeGuin, you'll enjoy it.
A strange and painful book to read in October 2017, while the Valley burns.
karinacc's review against another edition
2.0
I don't think it's a bad book, it's just that's not for me.
ikahime's review against another edition
2.0
I am admittedly more of a non-fiction reader, but picked this up specifically because it reads more like an ethnology than a novel. Unfortunately, I was totally put off by the woo + Noble Savage +deus ex machina equation that makes up the culture of the Kesh. I understand that ULG's dad was a famous ethnographer, but that still couldn't salvage this one for me.
zoes_human's review against another edition
5.0
A stunning novel presented in an altogether unique format, Always Coming Home is a true work of genius and potentially Ursula K. Le Guin's pièce de résistance. Unique for not only being a post-apocalyptic utopian but also for a presentation unlike anything else in the genre. The world-building is breathtaking in scale, and her dedication to it was such that she created an album of the poetry and songs of the society within its pages with Todd Barton. Utterly magnificent.
rainyreadss's review against another edition
challenging
slow-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? No
4.25
h_scarf's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
beroid's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A masterpiece, Le Guin managed to create a vast world full of character, adventure and community.