Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

7 reviews

lizzieer's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective tense slow-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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careinthelibrary's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The moral, political, and narrative complexity here. It was difficult to read, but a gift to me.

The Dispossessed is one that shines because of its message more than the plot or characterization. There are lots of long, philosophical conversations about ownership, capitalism, the inequality of gendered experience, and anarchism. The protagonist Shevek is a vessel for Le Guin's mind. 

Ursula K. Le Guin was one of the best of our time and her intellect being captured in her numerous works is the only solace for our loss. 

"You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere."
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imperatorprincess's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Le Guin remains decades ahead of her contemporaries and modern writers alike in the thought she puts into the societies of her fictional worlds.  The dynamics of Urras and Anarres are fascinating, and the book turns an appropriately critical eye on both.  Unfortunately, all this is weighed down by a true clunker of a story.  Shevek is a boring and emotionally unconvincing main character; I didn't care about whether anything he did succeeded until the ending, which is far too late.  (Also, he's a rapist.  Fucking hooray.)  Huge chunks are him farting around in past or present while the book vaguely gestures at really intriguing conflicts it could explore and then doesn't.  The last 10% gets interesting just in time for the book to be over.  The side characters are complete blank slates, so it's nigh-impossible to get attached to them either.  I can see why some people love this book, because it does a few things exceptionally well.  It's a very cool story to talk about in abstract--but actually reading it is a monotonous slog peppered with occasionally compelling scenes and disturbing misogyny that the book never calls out.  Come for the ideas it posits and nothing else.
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genevievelavery's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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gilnean's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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awrathall's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

Le Guin’s work never ceases to amaze me. This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read, deeply fantastical and deeply human in equal parts. Highly highly recommend.
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overwaterer's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A fascinating thought experiment about freedom, speciality, mutual aid, and human nature. 
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