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The Dispossessed

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The Dispossessed

By: Ursula K. Le Guin
Narrated by: Roddy Doyle, Tim Treloar
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About this listen

 One of the very best must-read novels of all time - with a new introduction by Roddy Doyle

'There was a wall. It did not look important - even a child could climb it. But the idea was real. Like all walls it was ambiguous, two-faced. What was inside it and what was outside it depended upon which side of it you were on...'

Shevek is brilliant scientist who is attempting to find a new theory of time - but there are those who are jealous of his work, and will do anything to block him. So he leaves his homeland, hoping to find a place of more liberty and tolerance. Initially feted, Shevek soon finds himself being used as a pawn in a deadly political game.

With powerful themes of freedom, society and the natural world's influence on competition and co-operation, THE DISPOSSESSED is a true classic of the 20th century.

Featuring a new introduction written and read by Roddy Doyle

(p) The Orion Publishing Group Ltd 2019 Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Metaphysical & Visionary Political Science Fiction

Critic Reviews

The book I wish I had written ... It's so far away from my own imagination, I'd love to sit at my desk one day and discover that I could think and write like Ursula Le Guin (Roddy Doyle)
An extraordinary work ... [Le Guin] created a working society in exquisite detail ... a fully realised hypothetical culture [as well as] living breathing characters who are inevitable products of that culture (Baird Searles)
A well told tale signifying a good deal; one to be read again and again
A deeply imagined work of art
Le Guin's book ... is so persuasive that it ought to put a stop to the writing of prescriptive Utopias for at least 10 years
[Le Guin had] the heart of a poet who knew all too well the difference between miracle and eureka, revelation and revolution
Le Guin's storytelling is sharp, magisterial, funny, thought-provoking and exciting, exhibiting all that science fiction can be
Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power
All stars
Most relevant
Suggested by my book club and what a book.
A great mirror of the world which everybody should read

A master work that should be on your list

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Terrifyingly, imaginative, intelligent, and filled with insights that will make your head spin. This novel paints a vivid world so expertly conceived and intelligently conveyed that you could almost believe you could visit it. Part social critique, philosophical disposition and a desperate plea for change, the dispossessed has captured me as know other novel has if I was to include every word that I had considered or written, whilst engaging in this book, this with you would be quite literally unreadable. It is that finest work of pure creation that doesn’t just dazzle with its execution but challenges you to do and be better. Please read this.

A vision of utopia as you’ve never seen it

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Beautifully written and thought provoking. A author and book that deserves to be considered one of the greats

Classic

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Le Guin's ideas are fantastic, it's ending paired with copyright declarations provide the perfect juxtaposition

Never owners, never owned

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I wasn't sure what to make of this one. The ideas and the world were really interesting and painted vividly, but I struggled with the story structure. After reflecting I've given it 4 stars because it does keep you thinking, and the themes are still relevant today.

A novel of interesting ideas

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