How do I describe this one? I’ve never read anything quite like it before. The story was told by Lavinia as someone would tell a story. She kept switching from a flashback to the present and then she would skip ahead to the end. At first I found it confusing and a little disorienting, but I eventually got used to it.
This novel is based on a few lines from the epic poem (that I knew nothing about until I read this novel) The Aeneid. Aeneas, the hero of the poem, eventually marries Lavinia. Le Guin takes the few lines written about Lavinia and weaves a story around it. The story is written kind of like a poem. There are no chapters, they resemble stanzas more than chapters, but it remains fluid. It was a pleasant read, thoroughly enjoyable. I think I’ll have to try another one of her books.
I’m not sure where to put this book. It’s based on a classic, but it’s not one, it’s kind of like historical fiction except that you would need to really emphasize the fiction, so I’m not sure that fits. I happened upon this book when I had a hankering to read some sci fi. I remembered the part in the movie Jane Austen Book Club where they talked about some good sci fi authors. I did some digging and found that in the actual book by Karen Joy Fowler, she mentions Ursula K. Le Guin. But this is not sci fi. For now, it will go on the Contemporary shelf.
