A review by mlkao94697
Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. It was very different from the first three Earthsea books, something I was expecting, but at times it almost felt like a fundamentally different world. I think this might be what Le Guin was going for - Earthsea through a woman's viewpoint, and a changing Earthsea at that.
I still really liked Tenar; she's strong-willed and compassionate.
But I feel like the message of woman's plight was sometimes thrown in my face and disrupted the flow of the story. The visceral violence against women was also jarring and felt removed from the world of Earthsea. I didn't hate it, but it filled me with despair. I also didn't super enjoy the ending; it felt very abrupt and kind of unsatisfying.
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