The Eye of the Heron [Mass Market Paperback]

Ursula K. Le Guin (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

In Victoria on a former prison colony, two exiled groups--the farmers of Shantih and the City dwellers--live in apparent harmony. All is not as it seems, however. While the peace-loving farmers labor endlessly to provide food for the City, the City Bosses rule the Shantih with an iron fist. When a group of farmers decide to from a new settlement further away, the Bosses retaliate by threatening to crush the "rebellion."

Luz understands what it means to have no choices. Her father is a Boss and he has ruled over her life with the same iron fist. Luz wonders what it might be like to make her own choices. To be free to choose her own destiny.

When the crisis over the new settlement reaches a flash point, Luz will have her chance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This small gem of a novel encapsulates the qualities that make Le Guin a key figure in today's science fiction." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Ursula K. Le Guin is the author of many award-winning novels for adults and young readers, including the Earthsea series.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Starscape; 1 edition (September 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765346125
• ISBN-13: 978-0765346124
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,135,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good novel, but not Le Guin's best, August 30, 2004

By 

Greta Rudolph (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eye of the Heron (Mass Market Paperback)

The Eye of the Heron chronicles the inhabitants of the planet Victoria, originally a prison colony of Earth. However, 'The People of Peace,' who led a non-violent movement against the great wars of Earth, were also sent to the planet be the government of a great nation. When the novel begins, the people of the prison colony enjoy great comforts in town, disdaining the People of Peace, who do their farming.

Those who live outside the city grow tired of this poor exchange, and want to go found a new city, with no oppression. The novel explores the struggle to do this, as the non-violent people question their own ideals.

This book has beautiful moments, and the characters are well-conceived. However, it lacks the depth of some of Le Guin's other novels like The Dispossesd and The Left Hand of Darkness. It is an enjoyable read, but in the end it is lighthearted rather than than deep and pondering.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-written novel... and a thoughtful look at nonviolence, December 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Eye of the Heron (Paperback)

While this novel may not rise to the level of her very best work, prose-wise, it nonetheless is well-written--and its explorations of nonviolence, its challenges and the ways in which it can both succeed and fail, were highly influential on me, and have had a long term effect on how I view conflict. This one is well worth reading, and is as worthy of Le Guin's name as any of her better-known works.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Minor LeGuin, July 31, 2010

By 

R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eye of the Heron (Hardcover)

Written, I suspect, for a juvenile audience, The Eye of the Heron deals with many of LeGuin's favorite themes. Violence versus pacifism, hierarchy versus democracy, partriarchy versus feminism, and exile all figure in this novel. This book does not, however, have the depth or quality of writing of her best books. The plot is a bit mechanical and predictable, the characterization is a bit thin, and the quality of writing is good as opposed to outstanding. This book isn't at the level of The Lathe of Heaven or The Word for World is Forest, let alone The Dispossessed or The Left Hand of Darkness. As a juvenile book, this isn't at the level of the best Earthsea books.