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A review by jonathanlynch
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Sometimes you read the right book at the right time.
This has been on my TBR for over a decade, way before I made a GR/SG account and I'm glad I waited until now, in 2021, to read this book. If I didn't, I'm not sure I would have fully understood its potential and meaning.
I won't bore anyone with a synopsis of this novel or descriptions of the intrinsic worlds you'll travel between, but I will say this book critically examines multiple structures of power. One that echos very near to our current reality (power imbalance, inequality, and susceptibility to authoritarianism). But is there a utopia waiting for us in this book? Yes! It's a socialist's wet dream. It's as alien as the world it's built on, but it's honorable while also being immensely complicated. Where is perfection?
Ursula K. Le Guin weaves between these political philosophies with grace and expertise. So much so that I can't help but wonder if she had a portal to different worlds somewhere in her basement. Before I read this, I thought Le Guin was a literary genius. Now, I know that she was, simply, a genius. She had one eye on our future and another eye on our present, with a powerful, critical, gaze.
This has been on my TBR for over a decade, way before I made a GR/SG account and I'm glad I waited until now, in 2021, to read this book. If I didn't, I'm not sure I would have fully understood its potential and meaning.
I won't bore anyone with a synopsis of this novel or descriptions of the intrinsic worlds you'll travel between, but I will say this book critically examines multiple structures of power. One that echos very near to our current reality (power imbalance, inequality, and susceptibility to authoritarianism). But is there a utopia waiting for us in this book? Yes! It's a socialist's wet dream. It's as alien as the world it's built on, but it's honorable while also being immensely complicated. Where is perfection?
Ursula K. Le Guin weaves between these political philosophies with grace and expertise. So much so that I can't help but wonder if she had a portal to different worlds somewhere in her basement. Before I read this, I thought Le Guin was a literary genius. Now, I know that she was, simply, a genius. She had one eye on our future and another eye on our present, with a powerful, critical, gaze.