I didn’t have time to finish a book of my own before Jill handed me another one. This is an intriguing feminist work from the early part of this century, while a little dated, is still very enjoyable. The first part is a bit slow–five men are shipwrecked on a tropical island, and they play talking heads about their situation and their view of women. Finally the plot starts taking shape when they discover that they are being watched by some very unusual creatures. They debate what to do, and make their move about halfway through the book in what has to be one of the more shocking events that I’ve read in a book in quite a while. From there, the plot gets even more pointed, and it ends on quite a redeeming note. I’m sorry I I can’t go into more detail, but you really should read it yourself. Beware the edition that Jill gave me, however; there’s an introduction by Ursula LeGuin that gives away some plot bits. I was reading it before the book, but got an intimation that she was talking much more about the plot than I cared to know before reading the book.

[Finished 1 February 1994]