Ursula K. LeGuin discussion

I've only just joined this group and am a bit disappointed to see that it isn't really active. Is there any interest in getting it going again, perhaps by starting some group reads to give us focus?

Jenny wrote: "I've only just joined this group and am a bit disappointed to see that it isn't really active. Is there any interest in getting it going again, perhaps by starting some group reads to give us focus?"

I'd be really happy to do a group read and revisit a book by LeGuin!

That's two of us, then! :-)

Me too! Any book at all.

One of the few Le Guin books I haven't read is "Four Ways to Forgiveness". I find the subject matter a bit challenging. I wonder if you would like to do a group read of that?

Oh, that's great, we could do it with three of us! But it doesn't look as though the moderator is still around (last active 2011 according to GR). I wonder if we need one to start a thread under 'Group reads'? I'll have a little poke around to see...
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No, it looks as though we've only got the one folder and you have to be a moderator to create a new one. But we can have a discussion in this folder.
How are you with Four Ways to Forgiveness, Judy? I've got a copy, but have only read it once and would be happy to read it again in company.

Hey everyone! Count me in for whatever Le Guin book you choose 🤓

Bahar wrote: "Hey everyone! Count me in for whatever Le Guin book you choose 🤓"

Hurrah!

I've dropped a line to GR Support to ask what we can do

I almost suggested Four Ways to Forgiveness myself, but thought it better to let others choose! I read it years ago and was thinking about rereading it soon. I remember thinking it was excellent and thoughtful and actually loaned it to a friend I'm trying to convert.

Let's go with 4 Ways... then!

When can we start? Who needs to get hold of a copy?

Hi, I'm in as well.
I need to get my copy, but unless something goes terribly wrong, it should take a couple of days at most.

Five of us! :-))

I have a copy, but I'm not sure how this usually works! Do we chose a date to start a discussion, or make comments as we read?

I'm in two other groups that do group reads and they work slightly differently, but they both choose a start date, to give everybody a chance of getting hold of a copy.

Then one of them has two threads, at the moment one for the first half of the book and one for the whole book, but we might tweak that; each discussion lasts a calendar month. The other has a leader for the discussion, who decides how far along we're talking about at any one time and suggests when it's time to move on; and discussions carry on until we feel we've finished. I prefer that approach myself, though it does depend on the leader staying alert!

What does anyone else think?

This may be an unpopular idea, but I would prefer to finish reading the book before starting the discussion.

What could be the advantage of discussing a book we haven't finished reading?

Surely no author envisioned half their book, or a few chapters in, would be enough to convey the ideas they wanted to present to the reader, so I fail to comprehend how discussing the book midway could be beneficial. Particularly, as it may skew and/or limit our experience of it.

I think we could have a get-in-touch thread to know how everyone is going along with the read, but even if the discussion eventually focuses on different sections of the book, I think it's better to discus them in the context of the book as a whole.

Again, just my potentially unpopular opinion.

Four Ways to Forgiveness is not a novel, but a collection of four stories set in the same world, but, if I remember right, not necessarily at the same time. Perhaps we could discuss each story separately, without having read all four?

And, while we are waiting for people to have the time to get the book and read at least the first story, we could introduce ourselves? How we discovered Le Guin? Our favorite book? How she has influenced us? If others agree, I'll be happy to start.

I nearly always read a book all in one go, so it makes no difference to me. But it does make sense, in this case, to discuss each separate story separately and then perhaps to look at the sequence as a whole.
I have found, though, that where it's just a case of 'discussing the whole book' that a lack of focus tends to cause the discussion to fizzle out. How can that be overcome?

I think there's an awful lot to discuss even in each story, so I don't really expect the discussion to fizzle out. When and how did you discover UKLG? What was the first book that you read?

GR support says they're contacting Lindsay - officially this group's moderator - and they'll get back to me.

Judy wrote: "And, while we are waiting for people to have the time to get the book and read at least the first story, we could introduce ourselves? How we discovered Le Guin? Our favorite book? How she has influenced us? If others agree, I'll be happy to start..."

I'm something of an introvert, so that isn't something that comes naturally to me, but I'm willing if others are!

I'm 71 and live in the south of England; I spent most of my career as a school librarian, which is probably where I came across the Earthsea trilogy (as it was then), which, with the sequels is still my favourite part of ULG's work. I think I only realised she'd written other things when I moved to the library I spent most of my career in, which had a copy of The Dispossessed.
I've never really got on with her 'Central Europe' stories though; I don't really understand them.

I'm 78 and have taught English to French speakers most of my life. I live in Southwest France and was living in Cameroon when I went home to the States for a vacation in 1972 and saw my former English teacher who recommended A Wizard of Earthsea. I was enchanted and since then have read, and loved, everything I could get my hands on. I started work on a French doctorate and chose "The Many Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin" as my topic.

Judy wrote: "I'm 78 and have taught English to French speakers most of my life. I live in Southwest France ..."

Really?! I did that for a year as part of my degree course and I spent it in Bigorre - where are you?

Judy wrote: "Four Ways to Forgiveness is not a novel, but a collection of four stories set in the same world, but, if I remember right, not necessarily at the same time. Perhaps we could discuss each story separately..."
That's a great alternative. I'm for it if that's what others prefer.
All at once also works for me.

It's nice to get to know you a little more!

I am 34, I live in Dublin with my wife (a librarian) and our three cats. I first encountered Le Guin when I read the Earthsea books as a child, and I returned to them in my early 20s during a period of depression. I found a lot of solace in the worldview Le Guin expresses in Earthsea, and I sought more of her work. I've found a lot to enjoy in almost all the books of the Hainish cycle, particularly "The Dispossessed" and "The Telling". I love the quiet moments in her books where she writes about family, agriculture or household matters: it is so unusual to see these subjects explored in a sci-fi context and gives her work so much depth and texture.

I'm in southwest France, near Agen, halfway between Toulouse and Bordeaux.

Rosamund wrote: I love the quiet moments in her books where she writes about family, agriculture or household matters: it is so unusual to see these subjects explored in a sci-fi context and gives her work so much depth and texture.

There's a lot of that in Betrayals, the first story in Four Ways to Forgiveness. I also love the way animals have their own personalities and are important characters in the story.

Judy wrote: "I'm in southwest France, near Agen, halfway between Toulouse and Bordeaux."

Where the prunes come from!

Bahar, have you got a copy of 4 Ways ...? Do you need us to wait for you to get one?

Hi again :) I do have a digital copy, thank you.
And I am 35. I have taught English for over a decade in Turkey and now I am relocating to the Netherlands. I started reading Le Guin with the Earthsea series and couldn’t stop there. It had been some time since I last read a Le Guin, so I am pretty happy for this whole group reading thing.

So it looks as though we've all got a copy or can get one any time now.

How long do we need to have read enough to start talking? I'm no judge of these things, because I read all in one go, but shall I open the bidding at next Friday? Who needs longer or wants to start sooner?

I am not sure I will have read it that quickly: maybe Friday 15th?

Friday 15th looks good to me, but... are we doing whole book at once or each story separated?

Francisca wrote: "Friday 15th looks good to me, but... are we doing whole book at once or each story separated?"

15th is fine by me!

I think for this one, each story separately at first and then the whole book - is that OK?

Jenny wrote: "Francisca wrote: "Friday 15th looks good to me, but... are we doing whole book at once or each story separated?"

15th is fine by me!

I think for this one, each story separately at first and then ..."

I like that, what about everyone else?

Friday 15 works for me, too.

Francisca wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Francisca wrote: "Friday 15th looks good to me, but... are we doing whole book at once or each story separated?"

15th is fine by me!

I think for this one, each story separately at f..."
The stories can be read separately, since they take place in different places at different times and with different characters.

That sounds good!

OK, I've set it up for the 15th on the group home page; I'm not sure where the discussion will take place, since I can't see that there is a Group Reads folder - it may have to be on here. But GR Support may have contacted Lindsay by then and got back to me. I don't think it really matters.

Jenny wrote: "OK, I've set it up for the 15th on the group home page; I'm not sure where the discussion will take place, since I can't see that there is a Group Reads folder - it may have to be on here. But GR S..."

Is there a specific time?

Judy wrote: "Is there a specific time?"

There only seems to be the facility for setting the date, without specifying time or even time zone. I'll try to set up a thread in advance, but otherwise whoever's ready first can.

Those who have time to read all the book before the 15th might want to go back and reread the first story. I'm beginning to wonder if UKLG didn't mean the book to be read that way.

Judy wrote: "Those who have time to read all the book before the 15th might want to go back and reread the first story. I'm beginning to wonder if UKLG didn't mean the book to be read that way."

I have the Library of America edition, which collects "Four Ways to Forgiveness" with some other novels. In that edition, it's actually called "FIVE Ways to Forgiveness" and includes the story "Old Music and the Slave Women". So it seems like UKLG was considering the stories, and did end up presenting them slightly differently.

I’m thrilled to see this discussion group form, and will be reading the comments. I have read nearly everything Le Guin ever published at least once. I adore her. I have read Four/Five ways to Forgiveness twice, but the last time was several years ago so it’s not fresh in my memory. I hoped to reread it with you all, but I am currently too disabled to read print materials and none of my libraries have an audiobook copy. Still, I am so happy you will read and discuss this book, and I look forward to reading the discussions.

I am about to turn 42, currently live in Tucson, Arizona in the southwest U.S., and my favorite LeGuin books are her Ekumen series. Like many, I fell in love with the Earthsea trilogy as a child. If you haven’t read the books she added later to Earthsea, I highly recommend them. I’m a History PhD who barely began teaching college before being incapacitated by myalgic encephalomyelitis which I’ve now had for ten years. I love that we have so many librarians in the group. I am a reading addict and libraries are my enabler :-D Best wishes to all.

Amy wrote: "I’m thrilled to see this discussion group form, and will be reading the comments. I have read nearly everything Le Guin ever published at least once. I adore her. I have read Four/Five ways to Forg..."

Pleased to see you, Amy!
I know all too well the limitations ME imposes - I'm 10 years into a second bout myself, having enjoyed a 14-year remission, but I'm not doing too badly at the moment, though I still get sandbagged sometimes. I'm very sorry to hear how seriously you're affected, and that you're not able to read. That must be miserable for you, and I hope things look up soon.
I hope the discussions here will trigger memories for you and that you'll be able to take part when you're up to it.

GR Support has now made me a co-moderator, so I can create folders and edit them. I'll create threads for group reads in the Group Reads folder, which I assume will become visible when there's something in it!

Meanwhile, if anybody else would also like to be a co-moderator, I'm sure that could be arranged, and indeed I'd be very happy - I've only been given the job because it was I who asked GR Support about it! And I've only got a couple of months' experience as moderator of another group, so anybody who knows more about moderating than I do would be very welcome.

I've never before participated in this type of Group Read. I'm delighted to have an opportunity to discuss my favorite author with others who admire UKLG. Could you please explain what we should expect? How you'd like us to prepare?

Judy wrote: "I've never before participated in this type of Group Read. I'm delighted to have an opportunity to discuss my favorite author with others who admire UKLG. Could you please explain what we should ex..."

Well, the advantage of an online discussion is that it can go in several directions at once, so nobody need feel they have to wait their turn to say something. It's really just a question of reading the book (or story in this case) and posting to say what you think, or to ask any questions you have or answer anybody else's question.
Anybody's view is as valid as anybody else's, though if you're studying ULG for a doctorate perhaps we should consider you the horse's mouth!

If you want to see what a discussion looks like, why not pop into the other group I've just become moderator of and read some of those? It's an open group, so you don't have to be a member. This is the current discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... : what we're talking about at the moment is whether the book is primarily romance or farce, and who is to be considered the heroine of it.

I'm NOT doing a doctorate on UKLG. I did the first step on that path, but realized it was far more work than I, working mother with four kids, a big house and a husband on another continent, was willing to undertake. And that was twenty some years ago. As you say, anybody's view is as valid as anybody else's.

I beg your pardon, I misunderstood!