A review by enbyglitch
Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin
5.0
Another solid Earthsea book, which greatly subverted my expectations of both the series and feminism.
Two books I've read are somewhat reminiscient - Hobb's "Ship of Destiny" and Larkwood's "The Unspoken Name". In either of those stories, Tenar or Therru would have eventually taken up the power to deal with the problems facing them. Here though, their heroism comes in surviving abuse until an opportune moment. It is a very different take than I'd seen previously, and probably puts to rest my hopes of seeing Tenar become a cool wizard in this series haha.
Le Guin has a lot to say here about the victimization and dehumanization of women in the acts and words of men - and the truth there cannot be denied. It's fascinating to me that she emphasizes and explores a real binary between the genders, then in the Afterword talks about needing to transcend systems that have proven chronically traumatic. Maybe its just my genderqueer bias, but I think she was almost there.
Overall a good story, if certainly worthy of all kinds of content warnings regarding sexism and abuse. Le Guin's take on feminism is both wildly different and interesting in its own right.
Two books I've read are somewhat reminiscient - Hobb's "Ship of Destiny" and Larkwood's "The Unspoken Name". In either of those stories, Tenar or Therru would have eventually taken up the power to deal with the problems facing them. Here though, their heroism comes in surviving abuse until an opportune moment. It is a very different take than I'd seen previously, and probably puts to rest my hopes of seeing Tenar become a cool wizard in this series haha.
Le Guin has a lot to say here about the victimization and dehumanization of women in the acts and words of men - and the truth there cannot be denied. It's fascinating to me that she emphasizes and explores a real binary between the genders, then in the Afterword talks about needing to transcend systems that have proven chronically traumatic. Maybe its just my genderqueer bias, but I think she was almost there.
Overall a good story, if certainly worthy of all kinds of content warnings regarding sexism and abuse. Le Guin's take on feminism is both wildly different and interesting in its own right.