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lemon_drop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
light_turtle's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kylegach's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
friendlyflamingo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
necessaryfictions's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
the first thing we saw tenar do was run.
i enjoyed reading this book a lot. as always, le guin is a master at describing place and the way place and people reflect and shape each other. tenar is such a good character and not a bit of the writing dedicated to expanding her felt wasteful, delicious character building and testing and reshaping. i think i have complicated feelings on the ending... i love when the castle crumbles ! this happened in utena etc! i'm so glad she can go out in to the world and claim her personhood and be more than darkness and death, festering and lonely in the tombs... but something about how ged went about some of the rhetoric for the final push rubbed me... not the wrong way. but like my fur was being stroked in the wrong direction. (cynically) this happened in utena etc? well he is a recovering misogynist lol. i have yet to unpick my feelings about it. i'll need to reread sometime for sure... from the timbre of the afterword le guin (really insightful one that i loved reading) received a whole range of reactions to this one and i'm very interested to see how the rest of earthsea handles ged and tenar.
also: i did continue my highlighting key and one highlight was added, blue for names :)
here's a good retrospective ending highlight - red for central themes, though an argument can certainly made for blue
"Yes, that. But I thought also of another thing between us. Call it trust. . . . That is one of its names. It is a very great thing. Though each of us alone is weak, having that we are strong, stronger than the Powers of the Dark.” His eyes were clear and bright in his scarred face. “Listen, Tenar!” he said. “I came here a thief, an enemy, armed against you; and you showed me mercy, and trusted me. And I have trusted you from the first time I saw your face, for one moment in the cave beneath the Tombs, beautiful in darkness. You have proved your trust in me. I have made no return. I will give you what I have to give. My true name is Ged. And this is yours to keep.” He had risen, and he held out to her a semicircle of pierced and carven silver. “Let the ring be rejoined,” he said.
She took it from his hand. She slipped from her neck the silver chain on which the other half was strung, and took it off the chain. She laid the two pieces in her palm so that the broken edges met, and it looked whole.
She did not raise her face.
“I will come with you,” she said.
i enjoyed reading this book a lot. as always, le guin is a master at describing place and the way place and people reflect and shape each other. tenar is such a good character and not a bit of the writing dedicated to expanding her felt wasteful, delicious character building and testing and reshaping. i think i have complicated feelings on the ending... i love when the castle crumbles ! this happened in utena etc! i'm so glad she can go out in to the world and claim her personhood and be more than darkness and death, festering and lonely in the tombs... but something about how ged went about some of the rhetoric for the final push rubbed me... not the wrong way. but like my fur was being stroked in the wrong direction. (cynically) this happened in utena etc? well he is a recovering misogynist lol. i have yet to unpick my feelings about it. i'll need to reread sometime for sure... from the timbre of the afterword le guin (really insightful one that i loved reading) received a whole range of reactions to this one and i'm very interested to see how the rest of earthsea handles ged and tenar.
also: i did continue my highlighting key and one highlight was added, blue for names :)
here's a good retrospective ending highlight - red for central themes, though an argument can certainly made for blue
"Yes, that. But I thought also of another thing between us. Call it trust. . . . That is one of its names. It is a very great thing. Though each of us alone is weak, having that we are strong, stronger than the Powers of the Dark.” His eyes were clear and bright in his scarred face. “Listen, Tenar!” he said. “I came here a thief, an enemy, armed against you; and you showed me mercy, and trusted me. And I have trusted you from the first time I saw your face, for one moment in the cave beneath the Tombs, beautiful in darkness. You have proved your trust in me. I have made no return. I will give you what I have to give. My true name is Ged. And this is yours to keep.” He had risen, and he held out to her a semicircle of pierced and carven silver. “Let the ring be rejoined,” he said.
She took it from his hand. She slipped from her neck the silver chain on which the other half was strung, and took it off the chain. She laid the two pieces in her palm so that the broken edges met, and it looked whole.
She did not raise her face.
“I will come with you,” she said.
posatahchips's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
erinmary's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
arnsmitty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
herbertthagreat's review against another edition
5.0
Le Guin clearly improved her art of story telling for this one. At first I was confused by being thrown in a completely new setting with unfamiliar characters, but the vivid descriptions of Atuan and its surrounding lands went far and beyond those in the first book, and the character writing felt more personal than before. This book both introduced a new character worth loving, Tenar, and continued to develop Ged’s character (once he finally showed up that is). There were times where I felt I was in the dark, dank depths of the Tombs with Tenar/Arha because Le Guin spent just the right amount of time fleshing out the feelings that went along with entering the home of the Nameless Ones. This was a joy to read and once again I’m looking forward to what comes next in Earthsea.
katiesphone's review against another edition
5.0
the setting is so vivid and interesting. i love tenar's characterisation, i think characters that have had an inflated ego like a balloon and then to have it popped suddenly super interesting. seeing sparrowhawk as a young man was interesting too.