I really, really enjoyed this book. Definitely one of the best sci-fi books I’ve read (though I’m not an avid sci-fi reader). It really spoke to me. And it feels quite of the moment as well, with the limits of this neo-liberal capitalist thing becoming much more apparent as our journey along that cultural path progresses.
Fraternity is something which I think my country (the UK, or England more specifically) severly lacks. Greed is kind of common; kind of woven into our normal behaviour. It's cultural. I don't blame any normal man or woman for it, it's just what you need to do to stay afloat. You've got to hoard what you can - else you feel like you're disadvantaging your children, or putting yours or your family's wellfare at risk later down the line.
To read a book which convincingly illustrates how a society could exist where there is no money and very limited private possessions is like a breath of fresh air. Le Guin also does a fantastic job of taking quite a realist approach to this utopia as well. There're specific conditions for it working and she gradually reveals how corruption and prejudices do find ways into this system. But ultimately it shows how one can really connect with other humans - and our social instinct - without the push and pull of individual financial pressures.
I think it's a grand work of the imagination; and I think these realist blemishes only help to give the idea more power. This could be real. These are imaginable challenges therefore this becomes a really imaginable existance. No money or possessions. Only people and a world to build. It would take a feat of human courage and intelligence, but.