Gifts (novel)

Gifts (2004) is the first book in the trilogy Annals of the Western Shore, sometimes called Chronicles of the Western Shore,^[1][2] a young adult series by Ursula K. Le Guin. It is followed in the series by Voices. Gifts won the PEN Center USA 2005 Children's literature award.^[3]

Plot

Gifts centers on two young people, Gry and Orrec, who struggle to come to terms with inherent psychic abilities. They live in a poor, mountainous, and culturally backward region, famous for its "witches" and wonder-workers. Gry is a girl who can communicate with animals; she refuses to use her gift to aid hunters, which sets her apart from many in her culture, including her own mother. Orrec is a boy whose supposed gift of "unmaking" is apparently so dangerous that he voluntarily goes through life blindfolded, to avoid causing destruction. The story reveals how Orrec and Gry cope with their gifts, and eventually leave their mountainous home for the wider world.^[4]

Reviews

• Kirkus Reviews, v.74 no.5 (March 1, 2006)
• The Horn Book, v.80 no.5 (Sept/Oct 2004)
• Booklist, v.101 no.9/10 (Jan 1–15 2005)
• Publishers Weekly, v.251 no.29 (July 19, 2004)
• The Times Literary Supplement, no.5306 (Dec 10, 2004)
• Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, April 2005 v.48 p.618

References