While not quite at the level of The Tombs of Atuan for me, this is very very close. It's amazing how much my opinion of the Earthsea books is dependent on the protagonist, and Tenar is my favourite of the Earthsea characters so it's no surprise this one earns full marks from me. Le Guin has built such a fascinating world with these books, and she does it so sparsely - every word chosen for maximum effect and not the slightest touch of padding or waffle. And Tehanu, for all this scarcity, is painfully and accurately told - not so much in the misogynistic actions of the bad men, such as Aspen and Handy, but in the actions of the men who consider themselves - and who by most standards are - objectively good. The blind condescension of Beech, for example, is ruthlessly drawn, no matter how kind he is to women in other ways. To me this change in perspective has always made the Ged stories and concerns of Earthsea seem faintly navel-gazing. A little distant from life, and all too pretentious. Tenar's version of life is, in comparison, far more immediately compelling.