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[personal profile] lunabee34
[livejournal.com profile] thelastgoodname and I are once again reading kid lit--this time Ursula K. LeGuin's Wizard of Earthsea series.

SPOILERS FOR A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA

On the whole I did not enjoy this book. It was too interior of the mind, too devoid of human relationships, too bereft of dialogue. I have realized that when too many pages go by without dialogue, I start to get BORED! Also, the lack of chicks in this books is super annoying.

I liked the emphasis on and significance of names. I liked pretty much every part when Ged was speaking to and interacting with other people (or even creatures) but those were too few and too far between. I think the last three pages of the book were my absolute favorite because he and Vetch were, you know, DOING STUFF and TALKING TO EACH OTHER.

I honestly have nothing to say about this book other than, "I read it."


I've finished the next book, The Tombs of Atuan, and I have much to say about it, so the series does get better, thank goodness.

Date: 2008-07-27 05:12 pm (UTC)
ext_2351: (Default)
From: [identity profile] lunabee34.livejournal.com
Did you realize Ged is black?

I admit I didn't read this book all that carefully so I may have missed a discussion of this but I didn't realize until the second book when his darkness is commented on that he is black.

I don't know if the idea of women and power is going to be addressed to your satisfaction, but it's certainly addressed interestingly in the second book.

Date: 2008-07-27 05:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thelastgoodname.livejournal.com
I got the feeling he wasn't black so much as very dark -- dark south indian, maybe -- because there are people who are described as darker and people who are lighter in the first book (as I recall). So yeah, I noticed, but I don't know if that's because I actually noticed, or because I remember the huge wank when SciFi did that miniseries a few years ago and had an all-white cast because no one had ever read the books, I guess.

And I checked wikipedia, and the fourth book is evidently about the stuff I'm interested in, so we'll see. So far, The Tombs of Atuan is at least acknowledging that gender and gendered power relations exist, which makes a nice change.

Date: 2008-07-27 10:57 pm (UTC)
ext_2351: (Default)
From: [identity profile] lunabee34.livejournal.com
*nods*

Whatever the characterization in the first, in Tombs he is described as very dark skinned and I totally missed that in the first one. Oh well.

I am really interested to see what you have to say about Tombs. While there were still long stretches with no dialogue that kinda bugged me, I liked that one so much more than the first and at least in the parts with no dialogue, Tenar was actually thinking about interesting things, unlike Ged.

Date: 2008-07-28 12:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thelastgoodname.livejournal.com
I'll probably post tomorrow, then.

And if we can find them, I'd love to add Green Knowe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Knowe) to our list, because they sound really interesting. I'm not sure what age their intended for, though.

Date: 2008-07-29 01:31 am (UTC)
ext_2351: (Default)
From: [identity profile] lunabee34.livejournal.com
I am down with that. I've never heard, but that can be a good thing.

And one day in the future, I want us to do Robin McKinley's The Hero and The Crown and The Blue Sword.

Date: 2008-08-03 07:07 pm (UTC)
jadelennox: Lilly Of the Purple Plastic Purse: "I'm Lilly! I am the queen! I like EVERYTHING!" (chlit: lilly)
From: [personal profile] jadelennox
Green Knowe I'd call maybe for 10 year olds. Don't hold out hope for radical gender or race politics in those, Treasure of Green Knowe notwithstanding. They're the ultimate English country house fantasies.

I love them, but then, well... *points to icon*

Date: 2008-08-03 07:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thelastgoodname.livejournal.com
Then maybe I'll just read them on my own; they sound interesting, as long as I know not to have many expectations.

Date: 2008-08-04 06:42 pm (UTC)
ext_2351: (heart by jjjean65)
From: [identity profile] lunabee34.livejournal.com
*icon love*

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