Always Coming Home

A Novel

By: Ursula K. Le Guin

Narrated by: Yareli Arizmendi, Isabella Star LeBlanc

“One of [Le Guin's] most radical novels. . . . Astudy in what a complete and utter rejection of capitalism and patriarchy might look like—for society and for the art of storytelling.""—The Millions

Ursula K. Le Guin’s magnificent work of imagination, a visionary, genre-crossing story about a future utopian community on the Northern California coast, hailed as “masterly” (Newsweek), “hypnotic” (People) and “[her] most consistently lyric and luminous book” (New York Times). This new edition features an introduction by Shruti Swamy, author of A House is a Body, as well as extra materialthat includes interviews and liner notes to the book's musical soundtrack.

Midway through her career, Le Guin embarked on one of her most detailed, impressive literary projects, a novel that took more than five years to complete. Blending story and fable, poetry, artwork, and song, Always Coming Home is this legendary writer’s fictional ethnography of the Kesh, a people of the far future living in a post-apocalyptic Napa Valley.

Having survived ecological catastrophe brought on by relentless industrialization, the Kesh are a peaceful people who reject governance and the constriction of genders, limit population growth to prevent overcrowding and preserve resources, and maintain a healthy community in which everyone works to contribute to its well-being. This richly imagined story unfolds through a series of narrated “translations” that illuminate individual lives, including a woman named Stone Telling, who travels beyond the Valley and comes to reside with another tribe, the patriarchal Condor people. With sharp poignancy, Le Guin explores the complexities of the Kesh’s unified society and presents to us—in exquisite detail—their lives, histories, adventures, customs, language, and art.

In addition to poems and folk tales, Le Guin created verse dramas, records of oral performances, recipes, and even an alphabet and glossary of the Kesh language. The novel is illustrated throughout with drawings by artist Margaret Chodos and includes a musical component—original recordings of Kesh songs that Le Guin collaborated on with composer Todd Barton—bringing this utterly original and compelling world to life.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Incredible

Ursula LeGuin is a masterful author. I enjoyed this title so much!! Highly recommended for many reasons.

Loved it!!!

If you feel depressed about the future, here is a source of optimism!! This book shows us the kind of people we could become, if we want to!

Unlike anything else, life changing

Expertly performed, a triumph of world building. Be sure to listen to the accompanying original folk music, maybe before you start the 'novel'

Only for the Scholar at Heart

I started this book because I loved loved The Dispossessed and I thought this would be another utopia novel. It's not a novel. It's a collection of ethnographic gatherings about an invented culture with only one narrative of any length mixed in with folklore, scientific info, poems, etc. The forward tells you this but foolish me I didn't believe it. I finally finished the book after a long struggle but it really wasn't for me.

A favorite Ursula K. Le Guin

Le Guin is usually unusual and this is unusual.
WARNING: This book is not for everyone – it has little to no action or plot.
If you don’t get it, you will be bored out of your mind.

It is kind of speculative archaeology. It is largely about language, place, and people.
These are myths, songs, and stories told by the distant decedents of Californian survivors of some apocalyptic global catastrophe.
Le Guin is almost always good, and often great.
I consider this one of her greatest works.

The narration is excellent.