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| Powers (Annals of the Western Shore) | 
 enlarge | Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
Buy New: $7.54
You Save: $9.46 (56%)
New (4) Used (6) from $5.79
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 886939
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.5
ASIN: B00181SOU8
Publication Date: September 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-9 of 9 | | « PREV | | |
 The Flip Side of Tradition is Novelty October 2, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Le Guin is the Grand Dame of American literature and this is evident in her latest book "Powers". Her moral compass never fails, and she is a trusted guide into the quite horrific events that happen to Gavir, the main character, and the people around him. On the surface what this book is about is Gavir's escape from slavery and maturation into freedom - a difficult process for anyone. However beneath the surface, the book is about books, about memory and visions. Gavir is in crucial passages of the novel a kind of book. Gavir has the power of a near perfect memory of what he has read, the flip side of his "gift" is to "remember things that has not happened yet". Gavir tells the stories and poems he remembers and leaves it up to his audiences to digest what they've heard. But if Gavir is the perfect repository of traditional learning the flip side of his gift seems to suggest that tradition always already points towards the new. So too is Gavir on his way to meet the new in the guise of Orrec Caspro, who in a particular sense keeps being a main character (even if at times completely absent) throughout the now three novels of the "Annals of the Western Shore". Perhaps Caspro - whose "gift" is being an author - is a meta-character the implications of which are gently suggested at the end of the novel to the effect that there is more to tell about the Western Shore and the various people who come into contact with Caspro. This reader is waiting with great expectation for the next installment of this wonderful and wonderfully complex series.
One of LeGuin's best December 22, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I read this book in one sitting and finished it at 3:34AM. It is an extraordinary book, one of LeGuin's best, IMO, and I've read many (if not all) of her books. Her strengths of vision, language, compassion, and thought-provoking storytelling shine in this book.
The different societies LeGuin portrays are fascinating, and I was glad to see her return to the anthropological emphasis of some of her earlier books. I was also aware of LeGuin's maturity as a writer compared to some of her earlier works: the characters are sharply drawn and compelling, the main character grows plausibly with his experiences, and the story moves well to an exciting conclusion. I loved most of the characters that LeGuin has brought to life, and I was troubled by the others. In particular I liked the portrait of a family and society based on the injustice of slavery. After reading this book, I didn't hate these people (I didn't admire them either), but I felt I understood better how they saw and lived in their world. Now that's something to get out of a book.
My only qualm is: is this really a book for children or most teenagers? It is so far removed from most other children's and YA literature. It is not a simple book, and it is not entertaining like movies or television. I can't imagine a typical child being interested in this book. But a teenager who loves to read, who shows curiosity about the world, and who likes a challenge might enjoy this book.
The best in the series so far October 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Powers is the third and, in my opinion, the best of the Annals of the Western Shore novels. In this book, we meet Gavir, a slave in the City State of Etra. Gavir was born in the marshes but was stolen, along with his sister, by slavers and brought to Etra. He has the power to clearly remember things he has seen before and even some events that have not yet happened to him. This power is not uncommon in the marshes, but the people of Etra fear powers, so his sister tells him not to speak of it. His memory, however, is prized by the household who owns him and he is being trained to be the teacher of the households' children. He is well treated (except by another slave who holds a grudge against him), well educated, and happy.
But things go awry and Gavir ends up on a journey in which he encounters different people, ideas, and cultures. And this is what Ursula Le Guin does so well. She makes us believe in these cultures, perhaps even admire them, and then, without explicitly telling us so, she show us that there are always negative sides to an apparently perfect society. And, without telling us to do it, she makes us think about such constructs as freedom, slavery, justice, leadership, work, loyalty, and education. We find ourselves asking some tough questions: What is the value of a slave's life? Is it better to be an educated, happy, and comfortable slave, or to be cold, hungry, ignorant, and free? Is true democracy possible? Or even desirable? What is the value of an education in a society or job that doesn't require it? Is ignorance bliss?
Le Guin's Western Shore novels are books for those who want to think about our own world while they read. They're not escapist literature -- there aren't sword fights and dragons and quests for magic talismans. Instead, there are issues to think about and questions to ask .... but not necessarily answers. And this is all done, of course, in Le Guin's perfect polished prose.
Each of the Western Shore novels stands alone, but the reader who reads them in order will appreciate them more because references are made to previously seen characters and societies. In some cases, we see characters and societies we experienced in one novel from a different perspective in another, and this adds to the complexity and depth of this world.
I listened to this on audiobook and was impressed with the production. I recommend this format for the Western Shore novels.
A great series January 17, 2008
The 3 books of the Annals of the Western Shore (Gifts/Voices/Powers are terrific. I read, enjoyed and then shared them at Christmas with a sister, 2 nieces and a nephew and a step daughter and a grandson. we like them, and we range in age; 16, 17, 19, 21, 38, 55, 61. ULG is a fantastic story teller, with a body of work that is compelling. I had lost track of her, as these books are in the teen section, and I thought she just wasn't writing. Boy was I wrong: she is always for all ages.
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