Brilliantly captures woman living in her own skin

Ursula Le Guin sings the song of my quite long life... Softly: living with men who feel they have lost everything when they lose their power. How they need women then, more than before and differently. It is lucky for these men that some can love through thick and thin. That is love sourced through the red dragon energy. Our sons and also, perhaps, daughters, in their full power, having not been initiated, are willing to do anything to get what is "theirs". Yes, until shadows are owned they seek to control a being.

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3 people found this helpful

an unexpected pleasure!

As a lot of people have no doubt remarked, this installment does not fit the 'hero's journey' structure of the first three books. The journey is more subtle, and gentle.
I loved the stories of Tenar, Tehanu and Ged. These are the ones that aren't explosions and magic battles but the power of a woman, the love of a mother, the trust of a partner and the determination...
Beautiful story, and well read.

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Brilliance from Le Guin

This isn't about powerful wizards and their quests. This is the woman's story, the mundane story after the heroic. A book about gender and power (and dragons), it completes the Earthsea series brilliantly. Truly powerful and sad.

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2 people found this helpful

Best so far.

great book that touches on the many gender based issues within fantasy. Best of the series so far and the afterword included by Ursula K Le Guin is a great insight into her thoughts as she wrote.

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Best Earthsea yet!

Loved the pace and focus of this book. Le Guin at her most thoughtful and kind. Learning about how to be human.

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1 person found this helpful

Not what I expected

In a fantastical world of Dragons and magic this story spends much of its time washing dishes and tending onions and making clothes. Which is not what I expected. Yet the themes it deals with are nuanced and raw. I appreciate the underdog story.

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One of the classics

I first read Tehanu when I was a teenager, and it was one of the first books I bought with my own money. Back then, I found it such a change from the heroic adventure of the earlier novels - now as an adult with children, the misogyny of the protagonists hits a lot harder. This is one if the classics, the healing of Tehanu is the necessary work for the healing of Earthsea. I think we should all hold that close when we're caring for the sick or injured.

The narrator has a perfect voice for this story - practical and kindly.

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The power of ordinary people.

I very much enjoyed these later chapters in the lives of fascinating people. Interesting to see the saga unfolding. It was lovely to hear the story so beautifully told too.

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1 person found this helpful

Great book 📖 it’s amazing.

Le Guin has a truely stunning style of writing. Even the worst of stories can turn out good when Le Guin writes it. But this has great story it is excellent.

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One of my favourites from the Earthsea series

Thai book is amazing it took me a while to listen through as it was so deeply visual

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