Mumble Herder

I read this book when it first came out. I'm a regular fan of Le Guin's, and I remember this book but not as vividly as some of her others. I remember the basic plot you describe, but it didn't leave me with the same deeply scored impression of place and character as Left Hand or Dispossessed did. I think maybe your observation that the beginning, with Sutty locked out of culture, making her difficult to like for a while, is part of it. But what I do remember liking was the way she participates in the telling, the teaching, the sharing of a hidden culture the corporation state wants to erase. It really is very connected to our present. And yep, not many people can get away with writing the sort of books she does. And she does make them work. I'm always in awe of her. Even when she's written something that isn't as strong as some other work of hers, it's still really strong.