Rating:  -
Ursula Le Guin added this fourth book, "Tehanu," to the initial Earthsea Trilogy, almost twenty years after the publication of "The Farthest Shore." She returns to Earthsea, and to Gont, to chronicle Ged's life after he ceases to be Archmage, and to reunite him with Tenar. A new power and another champion of Balance, Tehanu/Therru, is also introduced here. Tenar's reflections on her life, the nature of a woman's power and her own place in the world are major themes in the novel. Although "Tehanu" stands on its own, as do the other books in the Earthsea series, the story will be more enjoyable if the previous books are read first.
Tehanu/Therru, a little girl who had been tortured, burned and left to die by her savage parents, is taken in and adopted by Tenar, now called Goha. She is a widowed mother of two, and a grandmother, living at Oak Farm on Gont, the home she shared with her deceased husband, Flint. The child is terribly disfigured, scarred both inside and out, and her new mother is doing all she can to earn her trust. Ogion, the mage of Re Albi, is dying and sends for Tenar, his beloved last pupil. He took her on as a student when Ged brought her to Gont many years before. The way of magic was not hers, however, and she left to become a wife and mother. Before Ogion dies, he sees an unusual strength, a special quality, in Therru and tells Tehanu to "Teach her all - not Roke." Shortly after the mage's death, Ged returns on the back of the dragon Kalessin. Unconscious, near death after his fateful voyage into the Dry Lands, Ged has lost his power. Tenar takes the crippled man, her former companion, under her wing to nurse back to health.
Ged's loss of magical power and his opportunity to explore new paths in life seem more of an advantage than not. "Tehanu" emphasizes Ged's rebirth, after his return from the dead, rather than his loss. As an Archmage, he sacrificed many of life's simpler, but rewarding, pleasures for power. At one point in a "A Wizard of Earthsea" he realizes he always wished to return to Gont - to forego "all wizardry and venture, forgetting all power and horror, to live in peace like any man on the known, dear ground of his home land."
However, just as all are healing, and as Arren is about to be crowned high king of Earthsea, danger stalks the former Archmage and his Priestess friend of old, along with the little girl they care for.
Obviously, in the 17 years between "The Farthest Shore" and "Tehanu" Ms Le Guin continued to grow and develop with the times. During this period the feminist movement, was reborn and had a tremendous impact on the author. I read the following comments by Ursula Le Guin in an interview, "One of the things I learned was how to write as a woman, not as an honorary or imitation man. From a woman's point of view, Earthsea looked quite different than it did from a man's point of view. All I had to do was describe it from the vantage point of the powerless - women, children, a wizard who has spent his gift..." "Some people hate the book for that. They scold me for punishing Ged. I think I was rewarding him."
Her prose, as always, is exquisite, as are this novel and the entire series. Bravo Ursula Le Guin!!
JANA
Rating: -
Perhaps the reason why so many fans were disappointed by this book is that it addresses the struggles of middle age, while the three previous books are coming-of-age stories. As a fan who loved the first three Earthsea books as a teenager, I was overjoyed to find, in middle age, that LeGuin had produced another in the series. And for my money this is the best of the lot. Much of the drama here lies in subtle, nuanced interpersonal relationships and insights into the nature of magic itself; there is little of the sword and sorcery that characterized the eariler novels. Yet this also makes it less formulaic, more insightful and deeper than the books LeGuin wrote in her youth, about the struggles of the young. This book is about the tasks of middle age: coming to terms with one's life choices, missed oportunities, and the fact that the world is a dark place and magic seems a thing of the past. The message here is that we must make our own magic, and that is often in life's most ordinary things: planting a seed, healing a hurt child, doing what must be done. In the end that's allany of us can do.
Rating:  -
I'm not sure why this book was written. LeGuin must have had something in mind to extend her Earthsea epic to a tetralogy.
There's some nineties, EarthChild brand feminism. LeGuin complains of "lazy boys".
Gone are the desperate battles and legendary characters of the first three books. Maybe that's what Ged thinks about while he lays on the radiator like a neutered Tom, silently nodding at idiotic new characters. I'll be honest, I didn't finish the book. In my mind, I gave him a Viking funeral.
Rating: -
Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy was a classic of fantasy literature, until "Tehanu" was written (making it a quadrology). Now with the series rounded out to six books, "Tehanu" has proved itself to be the black sheep of the family -- it's well written, but preachy and lacking in Le Guin's magical touch.
Tenar was once a powerful priestess in a darkened kingdom, until the wizard Ged rescued her and brought her away with him. Now Tenar is a widow, after marrying into an ordinary village and living an ordinary life. She's lonely, but takes care of the burned Therru, a silent young girl who was abused by her parents. Suddenly a dragon arrives, with a wounded Ged on its back -- he's lost his powers in saving Earthsea.
Tenar helps nurse her old friend back to health, and Ged struggles to come to terms with the loss of his magic, which is something he's always had. Their relationship begins to grow deeper and tenderer. But a new threat rears its head, and it may not be Ged or Tenar -- but Therru -- who is called on to stop it.
The biggest problem with "Tehanu" is that it really has no story. Each of the previous books had a clearly defined storyline, but in this book, it's basically just Tenar pottering around, Ged moping, and Therru not doing much at all. At the end, the narrative develops some vitality and mystery. Up until then, there is no epic power, no awe-inspiring quality.
Certainly there's nothing wrong with a smaller, more intimate story. Nor is there a problem with the feministic slant of the book. However, without the spellbinding quality of the first three books, there really isn't much to hold your attention. Le Guin's writing is still beautiful and poetic, yet it somehow feels empty -- she let the message about women take over the narrative, rather than weaving it in.
While it's somehow disappointing to find that Tenar simply became a housewife, it's interesting to see her internal conflicts, her regrets, and her growing love for Ged. Ged is less engaging, since he has lost his powers and mainly thinks about that. And most of the supporting characters -- except the dragon -- are dull and two-dimensional. Please, enough with the 2-D misogynists. We get the point.
"Tehanu" is a necessary link between the two halves of the Earthsea series, but Le Guin's lack of story and soapbox mentality make it more a penance than a pleasure.
Rating: -
I found this the most moving of all the Earthsea books, and found myself tearing up on nearly every page. The story of Therru, Ged, and Tenar is so sad, meaningful, and wise. I really appreciated the feminist message, and Le Guin's insights on men and women. It's a rich reimagining of the Earthsea story, full of beautiful moments and ideas.
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