Gifts is a truly remarkable and quiet story, one that Ursula Le Guin masterfully crafts.

It is filled with those precious moments of silence, introspection, and deep contemplation that she is so adept at creating.

Although it may not be my absolute favorite among her books, I have a profound appreciation for the themes she explores within its pages.

The longing of parents to witness their children's success, the complex web of love within families, the experience of grieving and loss, and the difficult task of choosing the lesser evil are all delicately examined.

Orrec's voluntary blindness and its far-reaching impact on the world around him, as well as his fears and desires, are beautifully portrayed.

Canoc, too, is a wonderful and complex character, a difficult man to love yet impossible to hate.

For me, the essence of the entire book is truly captured by Gry.

Her quiet loyalty and unwavering determination, along with her selfless and rock-solid love for Orrec, make her a truly endearing character.

Their friendship and the love that blossoms between them is simply perfect.

I am eagerly looking forward to rereading the rest of this trilogy.

As I remember, the other two books offer more suspense and tension, in contrast to the solid quietness of this one.

However, all of them possess their own unique loveliness.

After all, it's Ursula Le Guin, and her writing is always a delight.

Originally posted here.

The inhabitants of the High Lands live in a constant state of tension with one another, and the only thing that restrains them from war are the Gifts. Each family has a Gift. Some are able to call animals, others can cause blindness or deafness, and still others can directly kill you with a glance.

In this setting, any other author would have made a story full of action, powers, and family wars. But Le Guin chooses another path that has left me astonished.

Orrec and Gry are the heirs of two powerful families who refuse to use their powers, and the entire book is the narration by Orrec of different moments in his life that lead him to make the decision not to use his Gift.

The book holds up thanks to the author's mastery, how well she writes, and how she dissects deep themes such as growing up with preconceived ideas, rebelling against your destiny, the relationship between parents and children, and the expectations that parents have that their descendants will follow in their footsteps...

It is a profound book that poses questions in a way that only Le Guin knows how to do. But if you come looking for a young adult fantasy as the synopsis might suggest, perhaps you will be disappointed.

If I had started the series with this book, I would definitely have wanted to continue and perhaps I would have been sad because the continuation of the series is not as wonderful as this book!

Even if I never liked fantastic readings, this series made me very happy.

You can have a meeting series with our author.

It must be read!

This article seems to be a review of a book in a series. The author expresses their initial hesitation about starting the series with this particular book but admits that it turned out to be a great read. They mention that despite not usually being a fan of fantastic literature, this series brought them joy. The article also promotes a meeting series with the author and emphasizes that the book is a must-read. It would be interesting to know more about the specific aspects of the book that made it so enjoyable for the author. Additionally, details about the meeting series with the author could be provided to吸引更多读者的兴趣. Overall, the article provides a positive endorsement of the book and encourages others to give it a try.

This was a serviceable start for a series.

Maybe it wasn't quite up to Le Guin's standards, at least initially.

The story had its flaws, but there was something about it that kept me reading.

As I got deeper into the first book, I began to see the potential.

The characters started to develop, and the plot thickened.

By the end of the first book, I was hooked.

I couldn't wait to pick up the second book and continue the adventure.

Now, I'm already halfway through the second book, and I'm loving every minute of it.

The story has taken some unexpected turns, and I'm eager to see where it goes next.

This series may not be perfect, but it has definitely captured my imagination.