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Ivan's Reviews > Always Coming Home
Always Coming Home
by
by
Ivan's review
bookshelves: sci-fi, dystopia-and-postapocalyptic
Jul 20, 2016
bookshelves: sci-fi, dystopia-and-postapocalyptic
Read 2 times. Last read October 9, 2017 to October 12, 2017.
This is only book from Ursula Le Guin I didn't enjoy. Second read and my opinion remains unchanged so my original reviews will remain unchanged as well.
This is ethnology book, the fact that it's ethnology of made up civilization in post-apocalyptic world doesn't make it less so.
Because of that I find it hard to rate this book. On one hand there is evident effort to create culture of one entire civilization with it's unique culture poetry, folktales, myths, plays and songs and all that in world that used to be technologically advance before catastrophe. It's something that is extremely hard to do in high quality and thematically consistent but luckily Ursula Le Guin is great writer and manages to pull off something that only few authors could.
After all that praise why am I leaving it unrated? Simply, while I can see that why this book is great it definitely isn't my cup of tea. I don't care much about poetry, I didn't find most of folktales or plays interesting . I can appreciate this superbly written book for what it is but that doesn't mean I had much fun with it.
This is ethnology book, the fact that it's ethnology of made up civilization in post-apocalyptic world doesn't make it less so.
Because of that I find it hard to rate this book. On one hand there is evident effort to create culture of one entire civilization with it's unique culture poetry, folktales, myths, plays and songs and all that in world that used to be technologically advance before catastrophe. It's something that is extremely hard to do in high quality and thematically consistent but luckily Ursula Le Guin is great writer and manages to pull off something that only few authors could.
After all that praise why am I leaving it unrated? Simply, while I can see that why this book is great it definitely isn't my cup of tea. I don't care much about poetry, I didn't find most of folktales or plays interesting . I can appreciate this superbly written book for what it is but that doesn't mean I had much fun with it.
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Reading Progress
July 20, 2016
– Shelved
July 20, 2016
– Shelved as:
to-read
July 20, 2016
– Shelved as:
sci-fi
July 21, 2016
–
Started Reading
July 23, 2016
–
9.52%
"At this point I read more than a few Le Guin's books and this book is unlike any of them. I am not yet sure if it's different in good or bad way."
page
50
July 28, 2016
–
Finished Reading
October 9, 2017
–
Started Reading
October 10, 2017
–
38.1%
"Like the first time around I have trouble getting into this. It's superbly well written book but that doesn't necessarily translate into fun. I still plan to push through the end."
page
200
October 12, 2017
– Shelved as:
dystopia-and-postapocalyptic
October 12, 2017
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-4 of 4 (4 new)
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edge of bubble wrote: "I can appreciate this superbly written book for what it is but that doesn't mean I had much fun with it.this sentence is perfect to describe my experience of most of her books. you've put it so w..."
Thanks. I love her books but she is one of my favorite authors but I can definitely see how some of her books (especially Hainish cycle) can be dull.
Agree. I am struggling to get through this excruciating book out of respect for my favorite author.
Ana wrote: "Agree. I am struggling to get through this excruciating book out of respect for my favorite author."I tried to get into it twice thinking maybe I just wasn't in a mood for it the first time, but I suppose with as many books as Ursula Le Guin has, I had to run into one I didn't like eventually.
this sentence is perfect to describe my experience of most of her books. you've put it so well. great review!