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A review by yggie
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This one was interesting! On one hand I agree with the feminist critics from back then - she could have been bolder, found a neutral pronoun instead of making every neutral person a 'he'. The way she wrote it turned it into a very male-centric thing. On the other hand, 60 years is a long time and a LOT changed in that time. I think she would have done it differently if she wrote it now. And the actual thought experiment holds, and is still current.
I didn't hate Genly, like some of the modern critics do. Yes, he's a misogynist prick, but that's an essential part of the story. Even though he thinks stuff I don't like and don't agree with, he tries not to act on it. He's not evil, just dumb. He should know better. He gets closer to wisdom in this book. It was enough for me.
I didn't like the politics, I never do. Most of the characters felt a bit remote and flat, even Therem, who I liked best. Ofc that's also sort of representative of the way Genly sees these people, so at least part of the time it makes sense. Still, I like to be moved by a book, and the thing that moved me most is that it very succinctly explained why we perceive the night sky as dark - and that was a random footnote that was not really relevant to the story.
All in all, an interesting read. Weird, and slow, and distant, and alien, and thought provoking. I'll probably read it again- maybe see if I can find a digital version and update the pronouns first.
I didn't hate Genly, like some of the modern critics do. Yes, he's a misogynist prick, but that's an essential part of the story. Even though he thinks stuff I don't like and don't agree with, he tries not to act on it. He's not evil, just dumb. He should know better. He gets closer to wisdom in this book. It was enough for me.
I didn't like the politics, I never do. Most of the characters felt a bit remote and flat, even Therem, who I liked best. Ofc that's also sort of representative of the way Genly sees these people, so at least part of the time it makes sense. Still, I like to be moved by a book, and the thing that moved me most is that it very succinctly explained why we perceive the night sky as dark - and that was a random footnote that was not really relevant to the story.
All in all, an interesting read. Weird, and slow, and distant, and alien, and thought provoking. I'll probably read it again- maybe see if I can find a digital version and update the pronouns first.