lenorayoder's reviews
132 reviews

This was my first time reading Ursula K. Le Guin. No wonder she's so well regarded, if this is representative of her work. Such a cool novella. The initial concept is interesting on its own, and then on top of that LG created such an interesting, atypical main character with supporting characters that are almost as good.

I love the aura of mystery that pervades the story and how much goes unsaid - my favorite example of this is George's eyes. Other characters always take the time to describe his eyes, and their feelings/impressions about George make this subtle shift after they've looked at his eyes long enough to describe them. It's so eerie and implies that there's more to whatever sets George apart than his dreams, but nothing is explained or explicitly said.

I also really liked the Heather/George dynamic, and how they reacted to each other. It's hard to put into my own words why I like their interactions so much - maybe that they're so different and yet LG has created such undeniable chemistry between them anyway that they immediately begin to gravitate towards one another anyway.

Something about the book didn't quite manage to grip me until close to the end. It's hard to pin down, but I think part of it is that sometimes things were over-described in a way that didn't mesh with how the rest of the book expects the reader to roll with new realities the way the characters do. So much of this book is so good, but it feels like something's missing, or coming up a little short because of how good most of it is. Still, George, his philosophy, the implications of the very existence of the

aliens

... I'll be thinking about it this one for a while. I'm excited to read move of Le Guin's work. A couple of my favorite quotes:

"What will the creature made all of seadrift do on the dry sand of daylight; what will the mind do, each morning, waking?" I liked this when I first read it, but it's so much better after finishing the book. I went back just to read the opening paragraphs of the book once I finished it, and it's amazing how LG

managed to foreshadow George's core character and the events of the book

in a way that primes you for the philosophy of the story but doesn't really come together until you're mostly through the book. This line is especially good at the above while also just being beautiful.

"An irrelevant and poignant sensation of pleasure rose in him, like a tree that grew up and flowered all in one moment with its roots in his loins and its flowers in his mind."

George having a terrible time and then this being his immediate reaction to hearing Heather's voice on the phone... I was giddy.

Liked some of the art and the general plot. However, details of the plot were over simplified, rushed, and/or unsatisfying, and I hated the way most of the faces were drawn. 

I liked this, but a lot of aspects felt a little underdeveloped. I think the narrative framing of the story does it a disservice. I wanted to see more of Jessica’s five classmates and feel more tension about where the revenge plot was going. The pacing also felt a little off, especially during the last third of the book. Overall a good plot, and I find Jessica, Charlie, and Jay to all be interesting characters, but I wanted more from it. 

Very interesting, definitely worth the read. Tokarczuk develops a fascinating main character who makes for a narrator that keeps you guessing. Even though we don't know much about them, other characters also feel real and leave you wanting more. I am still so curious about Oddball and his dynamic with the main character. 

I really liked this, but it just felt like it was missing something that I can't pinpoint. Maybe something got lost in translation.

Loved this! I can see why people who come here from the movie have a problem - while the plot is similar, the characters, themes, and feeling of the book are pretty removed from the adaptation. I like both for what they are. 

The magical realism, somewhat non-linear storytelling, and flawed characters with distinct personalities are real strengths of this book. The style of writing is so charming and then at times startling, it drew me in immediately and enhances the story and characters. 

By the end of the book I was still irritated by Gillian, but that’s not a fault of the book - like most of the characters she’s excellently written. The characters all feel real, and if I met some of them in real life I wouldn’t like them, but that’s what makes them interesting and propels the story! 

The ending of this book doesn’t wrap everything up neatly in a bow, but that’s kind of the point. Life is messy. We grow and learn and try our best, but we are imperfect. We do what we can with what we have. 

cute story, absolutely delightful illustrations. officially modeling my study after brambly hedge. 

I like the message of the book and I’m glad it was published. It’s upsetting how much of this book is still relevant today. There are some really poignant and nicely written bits. Unfortunately, the majority of the book is a slog. There are a few parts with nice momentum where I wasn’t forcing myself to finish the chapter, but those were a small minority. This is journalism and a call to action disguised as fiction, and the layer of fiction being so thin makes it a chore to read. Glad I read it and I would recommend excerpts, but I would prefer an abridged version or a modern retelling that goes into the current horrors of the meat industry, monopolies, and exploitation. 

Way too big for what it is and some of the writing is confusing, but I like the overall message and I’m interested in trying out the ideas presented. The idea of learning to adapt and cook without recipes is worthy, and the tips provided were helpful. However, I wish there were even more tips or exercises for figuring out your palate and how to fix flavor and other problems, or a recommendation for further reading about how to adapt in the kitchen. This whole book seems like it would be better suited to a cooking show or web series. 

Still think it’s ridiculous that a book like this is the size of a textbook. Well done index though. 

I really liked this at first and it was a quick read, but it really unraveled for me

once she got pregnant.

It’s a shame, because I think it could have been really interesting for the author to explore how someone with brain damage changes once

pregnancy

starts to affect their brain, but instead we got a weirdly boring

devolution

that didn’t seem to have much thought behind it. Just a cliche way to get to where the author wants to be for the sequel. 

Also I’ll admit I’m sad about

the way she killed AJ. I kind of wanted to see if Rhiannon could push him into being complicit and instead he just gets murdered right away.

Boo. 

A classic for a reason! It’s a little juvenile but it’s supposed to be. Lots of heart. I’m gonna go read fan fiction about Dally and Johnny and wonder if the icon herself wrote it.