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Tehanu

The Earthsea Cycle, Book Four

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Tehanu

By: Ursula K. Le Guin
Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
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Years before, they had escaped together from the sinister Tombs of Atuan - she an isolated young priestess, he a powerful wizard. Now she is a farmer's widow, having chosen for herself the simple pleasures of an ordinary life. And he is a broken old man, mourning the powers lost to him not by choice.

A lifetime ago they helped each other at a time of darkness and danger. Now they must join forces again to help another - the physically and emotionally scarred child whose own destiny remains to be revealed.

©1990 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)2016 Recorded Books Classics Fairy Tales Fantasy Legends, Myths & Fairy Tales Literature & Fiction Myths & Legends Science Fiction & Fantasy
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I had watched the studio Ghibli anime film “Tales of Earthsea”, while it felt uneven, I still felt a little of Miyazaki’s magic and was mostly intrigued by the tropes of nature’s healing, the wisdom of a simple life and the power of women who, as carers, are not given the male luxury of self-indulgence or even self-pity.

But this book goes far beyond mere tropes, the questions of gender and identity run deeper and remain unanswered precisely because they are too nuanced for clear definitions. The answer matters less than the question. The same way a destination is of no consequence without the journey to it.

I might not have read this book had it not been on offer freely and what a shame! Ursula K. Le Guin is so prolific I expected her books might more equivalent to A Song of Ice and Fire than the Lord of the Rings but in was wrong !

Had I started with her supposed masterpiece (ultimately judged so by men…) « A wizard of Earthsea », I might not have connected so profoundly with her work, her world and her philosophy. But « Tehanu » is my first and as a so-called middle-aged woman myself, pondering over my position in society, this book could not strike a truer chord. I can’t wait to read the following stories and I recommend this book not just to women or men but to anyone who wishes to muse over the concepts of identity, purpose and the nature of life.

What a discovery ! Do not fear starting from book 4

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