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den_lille_larven_aldrimett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
deyanira's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Child abuse and Stalking
Minor: Rape and Xenophobia
Part of the book's theme is dealing with misogyny, so it's sprinkled all over the book, but with the intent to teach against it.reddeddy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
scribblesideup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Just like all of the other Earthsea books, I adored this one. I've always wanted to find a gripping story about heroes dealing with the psychological aftermath AFTER the conflict is over... And Tehanu delivered. It was such a book of healing and still reflection and love in action, which I guess my heart needed because it made me cry. A lot. I've become so attached to these characters and getting to spend time with them simply going about their lives and supporting each other was balm for the soul. Tenar and Ged are two of my favorite characters of all time. Just so strong and wise in the gentlest way. And Tenar's rage in this book was a joy to read, the power of a kind woman's anger burning off the page like dragon fire. And her relationship with Therru cut straight to the heart.
Le Guin's amazing prose seems lifted from Earthsea itself, a scintillating world where words have extraordinary power. Something about the way she writes hits me so hard, and I found myself stopping many times to reread passages and let the profundity sink in.
This is my kind of book, y'all. Whatever that says about me, I'll take it. Some parts pained me, some parts gave me joy, but I savored it all. I know it's a divisive book among Earthsea readers, but the things about it that I've seen criticized are the things I love most about it. The quietness, the slice of life, the long conversations by the fireside about life and power punctuated by mundane chores, the revelations about how condescendingly women are treated by even the most revered citizens of Earthsea, Ged finding his rocky way in his new non-magic identity. And Ged learning what it is to be afraid of humans for the first time in his life except for when he was a boy. It's raw and honest. It holds no punches.
The three main characters are all dealing with loss and trauma in this book. Ged lost his wizarding powers in saving Earthsea from corruption in the last book, and like we all do in life, has to grapple with the grief of losing something irreplaceable to him. Tenar has lost people she's loved, watched them die or leave her recently, sending her reeling into a new life of starting over again. The emotional and physical wounds little Therru has sustained keep her locked in fear and reticence. And the beautiful thing is that though they've all lost so much, they find powers within themselves that have nothing to do with magic, and slowly through time and careful testing steps, start to rediscover what it means to live on their own terms, and find solace through the deep love and trust they have for each other.
The kind and healing parts of the book come into sharp relief with the immense cruelty that is always hovering on the edges of the story. It makes the gentleness of the protagonists feel extra vulnerable and sacred, which is just a gorgeous contrast.
But as brilliant as it is, I have several gripes with this story:
1) the ending.
2) the binary presentation of the genders. I loved the feminist discussions for what they were -- flawed people giving their opinions and letting the reader sift out the meaning through the lens of the speaker's life experiences that shaped their perspective. But it was still presented in a very "men are this way, women are another way" message, and that's something I take issue with since gender is a spectrum and is far more varied and nuanced than that. (Not to mention that Ged and Tenar's story literally proved how similar they were in character and inner strength despite the massively different lives they've led, regardless of gender.) I know this book was written 30 years ago, so a binary viewpoint is to be expected. But it still bothered me. Tenar did push back a little with her sly questions about "are we really THAT different?" But it wasn't strong enough of a pushback IMO.
3) the villain was so unnecessary. Out of place, one-note, boring, not part of the plot in any meaningful way except to provoke the plot twist at the very end. He shouldn't have even been there and the book would have been stronger for it in my opinion. The only good thing about him was that
4) this won't be relatable for everyone, but as someone who falls on the aro/ace spectrum... A little part of me was sad when
Overall, this book absolutely floored me. It changes in tone a bit from the previous Earthsea books, it's still reflective but rather than travelling and having adventures, it's focused on home life. The deeper inner life questions that the previous books focused on are still present here, but ironically the scope of this smaller scale book felt more global, as the main antagonizing force was how prejudice and misogyny are perpetuated most often by everyday people. It took the inner reflection and philosophy Earthsea is known for and turned half of the lenses outwards, to examine society itself and using magic as a sort of metaphor for how power is distributed in society.
This book is going to be on my mind a long, long time, I can already tell. There were many specific parts I loved, but this review is already too long so I'll end it here!
EDIT: one more thing that bugs me about this book!
It's a testament to how much I loved Tehanu that I'm still giving it such a high rating even with all my gripes, haha. It's just THAT good.
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
woweewhoa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, and Murder
Minor: Xenophobia
nerdkitten's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
jmcampbell57's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexism
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Xenophobia, and Blood
Child abuse is discussed semi-explicitly but never shown on-page; its aftermath, however, factors heavily into the characters and their dynamics. There are some instances of victim-blaming relating to this as well. Child rape by a family member is also mentioned. Though both are well into adulthood now, two characters who initially met when one was around 15 and the other's age was not stated enter into a romantic relationship.mandkips's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder