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A review by sinceraly
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I thought the prose of the book was very well written and as a retelling of the Aeneid I suppose it did it's job, but I didn't pick this book up just to be a retelling of the Aeneid.
The book, for at least 50% of it's pages, just retells beat by beat it's specific part of the Aeneid. For a book named Lavinia I hoped it would have focused more on Lavinia herself - her thought patterns, her development, her feelings on things. And sometimes, especially towards the second half, it does. But so much of it revolves around the men in her life - her father, her husband, her son. I would have loved to learn more about Lavinia, what she wanted from herself, her life.
I think, despite the prose being wonderful, this book's shortcoming comes from promising a story it doesn't really tell, and that's a shame.
The book, for at least 50% of it's pages, just retells beat by beat it's specific part of the Aeneid. For a book named Lavinia I hoped it would have focused more on Lavinia herself - her thought patterns, her development, her feelings on things. And sometimes, especially towards the second half, it does. But so much of it revolves around the men in her life - her father, her husband, her son. I would have loved to learn more about Lavinia, what she wanted from herself, her life.
I think, despite the prose being wonderful, this book's shortcoming comes from promising a story it doesn't really tell, and that's a shame.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy