The Dispossessed

A Novel

By: Ursula K. Le Guin

Narrated by: Don Leslie

Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life. Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the utopian mother planet, Anarres, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change.

©1974 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1975
• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1974

Magnificent, universal; exquisitely beautiful.

This book is so wonderfully complex, the characters so finely drawn that I’ve never tired of reading it again and again. Listening to it for the first time was as engrossing as reading the printed text. It is performed brilliantly, and lovingly; voiced as I’ve always heard it in my heart. I’ve read countless books in my lifetime, and this novel is, to me, unparalleled. It is among my favorite of all time, along with Le Gunn’s The Left Hand of Darkness (and as lovingly rendered in voice.). What can I say about this stunning work that hasn’t been said much better by others? Read it. Now.

Philosophical

What made the experience of listening to The Dispossessed the most enjoyable?

The 1st chapter may be hard to get through, but if you enjoy idea books this one is thoroughly enjoyable. The demonetization of capitalism reminds me of Brave New World, but the Marxist society is interesting in it's complexities. It is well written using a non-linear time scheme

Intellectual sci-fi

I jumped into The Dispossessed without any previous knowledge. I download audiobook based on Goodreads recommendation and just dived in. And it was a ride.
The book can be characterised more like an intellectual science-fiction. It uses sci-fi elements only to discuss the philosophical questions, in this case, it is a meeting of the different cultures.
I don’t think any words from me can comment on the book better than the book itself, which I highly recommend. The only reason why I don’t give full five stars is a little bit weaker narration in Audible audiobook version.

a sci-fi great by one of sci-fi's greatest

This is the kind of sci-fi story I always hope to read when I start a new book. if we view the genre as a lens through which to view our own lives, a good sci-fi story should speak volumes about how humans or societies function or might function given a different set of circumstances. This is exactly what Ursula Le Guin does with the Dispossessed. Some of the topics this book brings up are not necessarily new, like the idea of a utopian society, but her approach is so unique and thought-provoking. Is even a utopian society perfect? Of course not because people and their struggles are so unique that no one structure of society can fulfill everyone. Do yourself a favor and read this story, it transcends its genre, has amazing characters, fleshed out and plausible scenarios, and will have you thinking about human nature in a different light.

Great for insomniacs

This my be a great book. I’ll never know. The reader made my high school history teacher look like a great orator. I slept through all his classes also. I expected to hear Buler’s name called at any moment.

Le Guin is simply one of the greatest!

Great reading of a great book. The reader does great justice to the text, and clearly imparts the depth of the story.

Weird. Read it April 2021. Slow til near end

I struggled to stay with this book, which seems to come from a deep conviction about some political approach (libertarianism?). Main character is physicist working on "simultaneity," After a long struggle he finally believes that he can enable everyone to communicate, between all seven worlds. In the end, the book just sort of ends. He's not left hanging, tho nothing is resolved, either. This is a series, but the follow-on books are each pretty short, and it's not worth the credits to continue, because the book didn't leave me either curious or caring.

intelligent novel

The story was intelligent and novel. It contained ideas I had never encountered before. The story jumped around, so at times I was unsure of when and where events were taking place.

excellent novel and reading

A slow burn that gets more and more intense and involving as it goes along and offers one of the wisest critiques of political norms I've encountered.

Great

Excellent story. Well written and read. I can not wait to enjoy next Ursula title.