About this title: The focus of this novel, unlike that of Le Guin's three previous Earthsea books, is not psychological, but social. Investigating themes of gender roles and child abuse, social justice and aging, Le Guin introduces Spark, an oppressive, macho man, and Apple, a kind and sympathetic woman. Meanwhile, the characters Tenar and Ged from the earlier books return, though both are growing older--Tenar is the mother of Spark and Apple, and Ged--now a goatherd--has lost his magic. Winner of the 1990 Nebula Award and the 1991 Locus Poll Award.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Good. Spine is well creased. Covers show wear at the edges and corners. Good Grade C average reading copy. Binding is Mass Market Paperback. Pages tanning. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Spectra Books
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780553288735ISBN:0553288733
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. CLEAN AND TIGHT BOOK, TAPE ON BACK COVER. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 288 p. Earthsea Cycle. Audience: General/trade. CLEAN AND TIGHT BOOK, TAPE ON BACK COVER. "THE LAST BOOK OF EARTHSEA". Le Guin, Ursula K., paperback, 1997, Spectra Books. Classroom Adoption; Epic; Fantastic fiction; Fantasy; Fiction; Juvenile Fiction; Magic; Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic; Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance; Social Issues; Wizards. mails quickly read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Spectra
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780553288735ISBN:0553288733
Description: Acceptable. Overall below average used book. May have highlighting, underlining, notes, price sticker on cover, or be an ex-library book. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Spectra Books
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780553288735ISBN:0553288733
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 288 p. Earthsea Cycle. Audience: General/trade. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Please note: This is a typical used paperback with general wear. Cover will have some dings and scratches and corner bumps. Spine will show wear. Good: Copy has been read, but remains in good condition. Normal shelf wear on edges and corners. Binding is tight. Very usable. read more
Description: Fair. Purchasing this DVD supports the North Central Regional Library. Thriftbooks and NCRL have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Library ID found on DVD and case. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
"Good, but not as enjoyable as the original Earthsea books. Some things- Ged and Tenar finally realizing that they are in love, Kalessin's return- I liked, while others I didn't. I'm glad that LeGuin decided to address the issue of women's roles, but as the book wore on I felt that she dwelt on it too much. The plot seemed promising at first, but seemed to stagnate until the very last pages, which passed in a blur. And I found the plot twists at the end upsetting. I still plan on reading The Other Wind and Tales From Earthsea, but I doubt that they'll be able to compare to The Tombs of Atuan."
"I've been carrying around this copy of Tehanu for years-through at least two house moves. I didn't want to be disappointed, so I kept putting off reading it, even almost recycled it a couple of times. Then one day, it was time. I wasn't disappointed. What I wanted to happen happened. The writing was spare, the emotions handled in a grown up way, the plot mostly revolving around characters finding a new way to live their life after the old ways no longer worked, or trying to find a life after terrible trauma. It didn't get really plottish until quite near the end, but I enjoyed it a great deal, and I was completely charmed by the middle-aged love story, the requiting of unrequited love begun early in life. Middle-aged persons don't get nearly enough lurve in fantasy.
If you haven't read the first three books in The Earthsea Trilogy this book might not mean as much to you. As it was, reading it over a decade after I read the first three, I was remembering as I went, but Ms. Le Guin's skill was such that I never felt left in the dark."
"After feeling disappointed by the third book in the Earthsea trilogy, *The Farthest Shore*, I was so happy to read *Tehanu*. This book picks up right where *TFS* leaves off, but it finds and follows Tenar, the protagonist from *The Tombs of Atuan*, who is now a farmer's widow raising a hideously scarred orphan girl. Yes, Sparrowhawk is there too, and a much more compelling character now that he's lost his magic.
I don't know that I want to say much more about the book for fear of spoiling it, except that if Marilynne Robinson decided to write a YA fantasy novel, it would be like this. (There's even a chapter titled "Home.") Read *Wizard of Earthsea* and *TFS* if you must, but know that *Tombs* and *Tehanu* are the real winners of this series."
"This book is probably my least favourite of the series. It's so much less about adventure and so much more about domesticity, which is strange coming from Tenar and Ged. Such ordinary thoughts and fears, after all the high and mighty adventure! Even the confrontation at the end of the book feels like a placeholder, more because those things will not leave Ged alone than because it's actually still a part of his life.
There are parts of this book I like a lot. Ged and Tenar's love scenes are worth reading, because they do fit together and I did have to wonder whether no wizards ever had sex and how there could be mages born without wizards having kids. The little glimpse of Arren was nice, and the discussion of the role of women in this world was interesting. Women had so little place in the first book, and not much in the third...
Perhaps that is something I like this book less for, though. From high adventure to keeping house, yes, but also from a philosophical but still mostly adventurous story to one about the role of women. It's an interesting topic, and almost necessary after what little part the women have in other books, but this doesn't exactly fit into what I originally expected from the world. Unexpectedness isn't a bad thing, of course.
The other thing is that this book just doesn't taste as nice. There aren't so many beautiful images. With the everyday lives come everyday images."
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