What an unexpected delight! I shouldn't have put it off -- it had been on my to-read pile for a year, unread because I'm not a writer. It suffices, though, to be a reader, and this reader was captivated by Le Guin's writing, by her musings on rhythm and cadence, on communication, dancing, Twain, Tolkien, morality, justice, beauty. And imagination. Beautiful, moving, inspiring.