The Beginning Place

Rating:
Summary: fantastic read
Review: I loved this book. We all have demons we need to slay before we can move on with our lives, this book tells the tale in beautiful symbolism. On the surface it's a simple tale of adventure and escapism, but upon reflection it's about much more than just that. A great work of literature.

Rating:
Summary: An Eerie, "Twilight Zone" style story hides "Literature"
Review: I read this book as a teenager. At the time, I did not realize the protagonist was 20 years old. (I thought he was a young teen). I am a huge fan of books of the "character from our world goes to a magical other world" format. This books starts out like that model, but has an eerie quality, like "Tales from the Crypt" but more subtle. In the end, it becomes a bitter-sweet story about growing up that was very powerful (and which I would not have read if I had not been lured in by the fantasy elements).

Rating:
Summary: Tembreabrezi people as Native Americans?
Review: I received this book as a gift in 1991, when I was in middle school. Now that I am a sophomore in college, I am returning to this book to do a 10-page paper for my American Literature class. I was curious ... did anyone else see Irene and the people of Tembreabrezi as Native American-type characters? They are often mentioned to have "dark faces" (p. 61, the Master's face was "dark as the embers of the fire") and "dark eyes", with "swarthy" skin (p. 51). Did anyone else see this? Hugh's white skin is repeatedly mentioned, and he IS an intruder on the private stream. Any feedback would help me with my paper. All in all, I love the book and will continue to reread it!

Rating:
Summary: Tembreabrezi people as Native Americans?
Review: I received this book as a gift in 1991, when I was in middle school. Now that I am a sophomore in college, I am returning to this book to do a 10-page paper for my American Literature class. I was curious ... did anyone else see Irene and the people of Tembreabrezi as Native American-type characters? They are often mentioned to have "dark faces" (p. 61, the Master's face was "dark as the embers of the fire") and "dark eyes", with "swarthy" skin (p. 51). Did anyone else see this? Hugh's white skin is repeatedly mentioned, and he IS an intruder on the private stream. Any feedback would help me with my paper. All in all, I love the book and will continue to reread it!

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy Book opens my eyes!
Review: In this book, Hugh is the main character. He is a 20 year old man who lives with his mom. His mom verbally abuses him. One day he gets mad and runs out and tumbles going through a gate. It transports him into another dimension. In the dimension, he learns what love is all about. He also finds a girl who is just like him. The girls world is in darkness and they need to kill a beast to help them. Will he survive or die trying? Read and find out.
I did like this book because it relates to other realms. I love fantasy and this book contains a lot. It's a very good book although I would only recommend this book to 9th graders and up, because it does contain some sexual contents.

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy Book opens my eyes!
Review: In this book, Hugh is the main character. He is a 20 year old man who lives with his mom. His mom verbally abuses him. One day he gets mad and runs out and tumbles going through a gate. It transports him into another dimension. In the dimension, he learns what love is all about. He also finds a girl who is just like him. The girls world is in darkness and they need to kill a beast to help them. Will he survive or die trying? Read and find out.
I did like this book because it relates to other realms. I love fantasy and this book contains a lot. It's a very good book although I would only recommend this book to 9th graders and up, because it does contain some sexual contents.

Rating:
Summary: Rich in imagery and compact in layered meanings
Review: The Beginning Place appeals to those of us who have ever felt desperately the need to get away from the mundanities and fears in our lives. Le Guin is extraordinarily skillful in showing Hugh and Irene's search to break free of restraints and fears; and she does it with a very complicated yet compact metaphor for their maturation. The book is beautifully written, lyrical... it is literature for those science fiction/fantasy fanatics who have forgotten what good writing is really about. It begins with a modern world and rapidly takes you into the alternate reality world, about which you really learn only enough to wish there were more detail. It is a short book, but so full of meaning it's best read several times. One of my all-time favorites.

Rating:
Summary: A very confusing book
Review: The book the begining place is very confusing and in my opinion not very well written. it changes points of view and has new characters with out any thing indicating it. the characters besides hugh, are not even beliveable characters. the book is not entertaining to read and doesnt even have a plot until about 1\3 of the way through.

Rating:
Summary: Read it when you need to
Review: When I read this as an adolescent, I felt like someone else knew how I felt. Adolescents hardly ever feel this way. This is a great book for anyone who just wants to get away from his life. The end surprises you by showing you the only way to really escape.