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A review by alingtori
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
4.75
"How does one hate a country, or love one? I know people, I know towns, farms, hills, and rocks, I know how the sun at sunset in autumn falls on the side of a certain plowland in the hills,; but what is the sense of giving a boundary to all that, of giving it a name and ceasing to love where the name ceases to apply? What is love of one's country; is it hate of one's uncountry? Then it's not a good thing. Is it simply self-love? That's a good thing, but one mustn't make a virtue of it, or a profession..."
This was the quote that convinced me to read Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. I've never read any sci-fi books and I was pretty intimidated by it--mainly because this book is said to be Le Guin's masterpiece.
The first few chapters were a bit confusing to me and it did take a while to get my bearing but I eventually did, thanks to the simple and evocative writing. The world seemed so real, each societies with their own characteristics and beliefs that I forgot I was reading sci-fi. If you are a fan of well written world building, then this is definitely your book. The idea of an androgynous/gender fluid society definitely makes us think about how we give arbitrary values/characteristics to sex and gender. Which is what Genly Ai grapples with.
This is not a happy story--which made all moments of kindness in the book even more poignant. At the end of the day, no matter what are differences are, there will always be people who will help us, those who will focus on what binds us more than what separates us.
This was the quote that convinced me to read Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. I've never read any sci-fi books and I was pretty intimidated by it--mainly because this book is said to be Le Guin's masterpiece.
The first few chapters were a bit confusing to me and it did take a while to get my bearing but I eventually did, thanks to the simple and evocative writing. The world seemed so real, each societies with their own characteristics and beliefs that I forgot I was reading sci-fi. If you are a fan of well written world building, then this is definitely your book. The idea of an androgynous/gender fluid society definitely makes us think about how we give arbitrary values/characteristics to sex and gender. Which is what Genly Ai grapples with.
This is not a happy story--which made all moments of kindness in the book even more poignant. At the end of the day, no matter what are differences are, there will always be people who will help us, those who will focus on what binds us more than what separates us.