[Glelas]

Anyone read this?

I am intrigued and it may be a nice change of pace.

[Big Bubba]

Not yet, but I'm definitely planning to read it. The (few) reviews I've seen have been very positive but, being a huge Le Guin fan, I would have picked it up anyway. It's a marvel that she's still coming out with at least one book every year at her age.

[Larry]

Yes, I read it when it was released a few weeks ago and I loved it. Most of the story occurs outside and after the events of Books 7-12 of The Aeneid, but it is told in a way that complements and makes that epic even more enjoyable for the modern reader. I highly recommend this book to most readers here.

[Big Bubba]

Finally finished this one today. I haven't read The Aeneid so it may be I'm missing out on some of what's going on. That said, I found the book very well written and interesting in many ways, though a bit uneven in quality. There were passages of true genius, but occasionally the main character got preachy in a way that didn't sound quite authentic. Still, it was a very good read.

[Miriamele]

I just found this book at my library--I wasn't even aware that Le Guin had come out with another book in the last couple of years. (I guess I'm out of the loop, having had a baby last summer.) I usually love her books, so I'm going to be reading this one very soon--although I did not at all like her other newer book--The Telling, I think it was called? I am hoping Lavinia will be a more compelling story and less preachy. But, we will see.

[Kazz Wylde]

I've been thinking about reading this myself, lots of great reviews etc. Although, I haven't read The Aeneid myself.

[Big Bubba]

Miriamele, if you didn't like The Telling, you may want to try her new fantasy series The Annals of the Western Shore instead - Gifts, Voices, and Powers. They have all been published in the last couple of years, so if you've been out of the loop you may have missed them.

[Raule]

I read Lavinia recently and enjoyed it, but slogged through the mid-section of the book that covers the war with Turnus, so it wasn't without some frustration on my part. I felt rather ambivalent about the metafictive nature of the story, but must admit that it is a thoughtful, haunting novel... worth the time and effort to read, and perhaps one that requires some stewing on afterwards.

[beniowa]

I read Lavinia when it came out last year and I loved it. I thought it was one of the best speculative fiction books of 2008.

[Miriamele]

Miriamele, if you didn't like The Telling, you may want to try her new fantasy series The Annals of the Western Shore instead - Gifts, Voices, and Powers. They have all been published in the last couple of years, so if you've been out of the loop you may have missed them.

Thanks for the tip!