or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
15 used & new from £1.51
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Gifts (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards))
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Gifts (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards)) (Hardcover)

by Ursula K. Le Guin (Author) "He was lost when he came to us, and I fear the silver spoons he stole from us didn't save him when he ran away..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Price: £10.32 + £0.06 sourcing fee & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock but may require up to 2 additional days to deliver.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon.

14 used from £1.51
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (First British Edition) 33 used & new from £0.24
Paperback £5.99 £4.49 35 used & new from £0.64
Library Binding (Reprint) £10.29 £10.34 7 used & new from £10.34

Frequently Bought Together

Gifts (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards)) + Voices (Annals of the Western Shore) + Powers (Annals of the Western Shore)
Price For All Three: £19.79

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

  • This item: Gifts (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards)) by Ursula K. Le Guin

    In stock but may require up to 2 additional days to deliver.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Voices (Annals of the Western Shore) by Ursula Le Guin

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Powers (Annals of the Western Shore) by Ursula Le Guin

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Voices (Annals of the Western Shore)

Voices (Annals of the Western Shore)

by Ursula Le Guin
5.0 out of 5 stars (4)  £4.68
Powers (Annals of the Western Shore)

Powers (Annals of the Western Shore)

by Ursula Le Guin
4.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £4.73
The Other Wind: An Earthsea Novel

The Other Wind: An Earthsea Novel

by Ursula Le Guin
4.3 out of 5 stars (12)  £4.74
Tales From Earthsea: Short Stories

Tales From Earthsea: Short Stories

by Ursula Le Guin
4.1 out of 5 stars (9)  £4.74
Catwings Set

Catwings Set

by Ursula K. Le Guin
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £7.54
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 274 pages
  • Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (Sep 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0152051236
  • ISBN-13: 978-0152051235
  • Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14.5 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,168,870 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Emika Currie, TEEN TITLES

'I just had to read this book fast; I got so attached to it. I had to keep reading on and on.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

Orrec is the son of the Brantor of Caspromant; Gry the daughter of the Brantors of Barre and Rodd. They have grown up together in neighbouring domains, running half-wild across the Uplands. The people of the domains are like their land: harsh and fierce and prideful; ever at war with each other, raiding cattle, capturing serfs, enlarging their holdings. It is only the gifts that keep a fragile peace. The gifts are powers, running from father to son and from mother to daughter. The Barre gift is calling animals. The women of Cordemant have the power of blinding, or making deaf, or taking away speech. The Rodds can send a spellknife into a man's heart, or cut his throat, or maim as they please, if he's in sight. The Callems can move heavy things by word and gesture - even buildings, even hills. And Brantor Ogge of Drummant has the gift of slow wasting. The Caspro gift is the worst and best of all: it is the gift of undoing: an insect, an animal, a place . . . Orrec and Gry are the heirs to Caspro and Barre. Gry's gift runs true, but unlike her mother, she will not use it to call animals for the hunt. Orrec too is a problem, for his gift of undoing is wild: he cannot control it - and that is the most dangerous gift of all . . . GIFTS is Ursula Le Guin at her best: an exciting, moving story beautifully told. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
He was lost when he came to us, and I fear the silver spoons he stole from us didn't save him when he ran away and went up into the high domains. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
ursula k le guin
social issues
fantasy

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Gifts (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards))
75% buy the item featured on this page:
Gifts (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards)) 4.2 out of 5 stars (5)
£10.38
The Other Wind: An Earthsea Novel
8% buy
The Other Wind: An Earthsea Novel 4.3 out of 5 stars (12)
£4.74
The Earthsea Quartet: "A Wizard Of Earthsea"; "The Tombs of Atuan"; "The Farthest Shore"; "Tehanu" (Puffin Books)
7% buy
The Earthsea Quartet: "A Wizard Of Earthsea"; "The Tombs of Atuan"; "The Farthest Shore"; "Tehanu" (Puffin Books) 4.7 out of 5 stars (36)
£7.12
The Left Hand of Darkness
5% buy
The Left Hand of Darkness 4.3 out of 5 stars (42)
£5.48
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Sparse & Masterful, 1 Jan 2006
By A. Weston "Adrian Weston" (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Gifts (Paperback)
I was surprised when I saw a recent profile of Le Guin in The Guardian which mentioned that she had begun a new series of books - the first of which is GIFTS. I admire Le Guin so much that I was wary approaching it - not wanting an idol to fall at this stage. There are very few writers of her age who would embark on such a thing and even fewer who could capture and sustain an audience for a fresh series of books. However, my trepidation was unfounded: Le Guin is (as always) an exception - GIFTS is a majestic, troubling and powerful book. It treads completely fresh ground - although there are thematic trheads that tie it particularly to the latter books in the Earthsea sequence: Tehanu and The Other Wind. It is resolutely an adult novel that only comes into the fantasy genre by default. As with all her fiction she sketches in a new world deftly and subtly so that you scarcely notice what it is she has done. She never uses pyrotechnics or familiar genre tricks. She just writes with piercing honesty and simplicity. Over the years I've read the odd review of Le Guin books criticising either her prose style or her politics: flat, dull preaching. To such critics I say "numbskulls" - Le Guin's prose is sparse, yes, but it is stylish. Her politics are visible but they are thought through and measured. She is provocative, but never on a soap box. I hope she is hale and hearty and long-long lived and that GIFTS marks the beginning of a sequence of books as remarkable as Earthsea was - but written by a wise old woman who, I suspects, knows everything implortant that there is to be known about the human condition.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, 4 Nov 2006
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Gifts (Annals of the Western Shore) (Paperback)
In Ursula K. Le Guin's GIFTS, the gifts in question bring more trouble than happiness to the novel's main character, sixteen-year-old Orrec. Orrec lives in the Uplands, a rough landscape where small clans squabble amongst themselves to maintain their land holdings and cattle herds. The leader of each clan has a specific gift: a mystical power that allows them to call animals or twist human bodies with the force of their mind. Orrec is the next in line to lead his clan, and his family's gift is
one of the most terrible: the undoing. His father can kill a man with a word and a gesture, and it is expected that Orrec will come into the same power. However, when Orrec's power arrives, it is wild and uncontrollable, and he must stay blind-folded to avoid harming those he loves.

The best thing about this outstanding novel is its premise. Everyone has wished at one time or another for a secret power. GIFTS forces the question: what if your having such a gift caused harm to the people around you? It gives no easy answers, exploring the issue with depth and feeling. The society and culture of the Uplanders is detailed and realistic, making the conflicts that much more powerful. Readers will quickly feel as though they've lived in this wonderful and terrifying world themselves.

As narrator, Orrec is thoughtful and questioning, with a rhythmic voice that recalls traditional story-tellers. He handles the tragedies and disappointments in his life with honesty and good humor. Despite being from a somewhat alien world, his view is very human and teens will find it easy to see through his eyes. When he is finally able to face the most disappointing truth of all, readers will cheer even as they share his pain.

GIFTS is an excellent read for teens of all interests. Fans of fantasy will be particularly drawn to it, but the world is grounded enough in earthly reality that it should appeal even to those who usually avoid the fantastical. Thought-provoking and suspenseful, with a dollop of action and romance, a novel like this is a gift to its readers.

[...]
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Le Guin just keeps on producing wonderful work, 5 Mar 2006
This review is from: Gifts (Paperback)
While not quite in the class of the Earthsea sequence (especially The Other Wind, the latest and greatest, but there again neither is anything else) this is still a wonderful book - economically written, moral, compelling and involving. I read it a single sitting then had to re-read it immediately. Looking forward to the next book in this new series!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful - but missing something
As a book, 'Gifts' fills all the neccessary requirements. An engaging plot, wonderfully written characters, those key scenes which stick in your head long after putting the book... Read more
Published on 11 Jul 2005 by rowana66

3.0 out of 5 stars An average, disappointing read
Generally, i find Ursula Le Guin's books very good, but i was a little disappointed by this one. As a class project, i was told to read a book over the weekend, and so i read... Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2005 by devilishfirework

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject










i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.