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The Wife's Story
first published in The Compass Rose, 1982
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1982
4 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Ursula K. Le Guin
1,050 books31k followersUrsula K. Le Guin published twenty-two novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. She lived in Portland, Oregon.
She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.
She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
June 15, 2022
A fun little story, a different spin on an old trope, nice twist that I didn't see coming.
June 10, 2022
I thought this story was just too obvious, until suddenly it wasn't. Well done, Le Guin. I love to see things from another perspective.
A very quick read for those interested:
https://frielingretc.files.wordpress....
A very quick read for those interested:
https://frielingretc.files.wordpress....
November 27, 2021
This short story is too much fun. Loved the twist.
June 14, 2022
Quick short story with a great surprise at the end.
May 28, 2019
A werewolf story with a difference - told from the perspective of a female wolf who is horrified when her mate undergoes a nocturnal change to become a human. Excellent and original twist on a classic theme.
November 26, 2023
I used to start the school year, every year, teaching this short story. I would read it aloud, and then ask my classes of Juniors to summarize the story in 20 words. It's very hard to do that, summarize in a few words. I would acknowledge the challenge and ask for volunteers. Two or three students would each give it a try. Inevitably, someone else in class would begin to look puzzled. They absolutely had not caught the incredible twist at the end. And then we would explain and realization dawned.
And then we would consider why Ursula said it was a story about betrayal.
And then we would consider why Ursula said it was a story about betrayal.
November 30, 2021
What did I just read. Damn.. 🔥👌
January 12, 2023
THE TWIST AHHH this was awesome
August 19, 2021
do i get extra credit for putting this on my goodreads?
April 1, 2022
What the HELL, this was awesome!
February 23, 2023
Was not expecting that twist at the end!
November 15, 2023
What in the world? The twist had me cackling and it reads like such a horror story. I'll admit half of what made this so disarming is going from reading the West section in The Compass Rose which is filled with grief and human sadness to, well, this 😂
October 20, 2024
What a twist! Was not expecting it AT ALL.
Read
December 9, 2024God og sjov og overraskende, synes jeg - man kan nå meget på syv sider!?
February 16, 2025
What makes The Wife's Story thrilling is the fact that it's told from the perspective of a wolf. The plot twist is amazing.
October 12, 2023
ext eng always wilding
January 25, 2023
Read at https://frielingretc.files.wordpress....
Le Guin is a master
Le Guin is a master
October 7, 2023
I didn’t expect the this!
I loved it so much I listened to the audiobook twice!
Such a genius idea to twist the expectations.
I loved it so much I listened to the audiobook twice!
Such a genius idea to twist the expectations.
April 29, 2021
https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/th...
This short story is about a wife who is concerned about the strange behavior of her husband. The reader learns about the unusual symptoms of the wife's husband through her perspective.
This story is an eighth grade reading level. The story teaches students to not make snap judgements about the identity of someone else without knowing all of the information. This story takes a trope that students are familiar with and turns it on its head, which would keep students interested in the content. This story deals with the paranormal, which is a genre that middle schoolers are often very interested in, because as their lives are changing drastically, it is easier to believe that even larger, more supernatural, changes might also be possible.
An exercise that would work very well with this short story is having students create a probably passage. With this exercise, students are given key words or phrases from the passage before they read it and are asked to sort them into different categories such as exposition, climax, resolution, important imagery, protagonist, antagonist, etc. Afterwards, students discuss their categories and then try to come up with a "probable passage" which allows students to infer what may happen using only the details from the text that were given to them. This exercise works well with this passage because there is a surprising ending that students may not have seen coming. After reading the passage students can look back on their predictions and see how close they were and reflect on the ways writers can subvert our expectations.
This short story is about a wife who is concerned about the strange behavior of her husband. The reader learns about the unusual symptoms of the wife's husband through her perspective.
This story is an eighth grade reading level. The story teaches students to not make snap judgements about the identity of someone else without knowing all of the information. This story takes a trope that students are familiar with and turns it on its head, which would keep students interested in the content. This story deals with the paranormal, which is a genre that middle schoolers are often very interested in, because as their lives are changing drastically, it is easier to believe that even larger, more supernatural, changes might also be possible.
An exercise that would work very well with this short story is having students create a probably passage. With this exercise, students are given key words or phrases from the passage before they read it and are asked to sort them into different categories such as exposition, climax, resolution, important imagery, protagonist, antagonist, etc. Afterwards, students discuss their categories and then try to come up with a "probable passage" which allows students to infer what may happen using only the details from the text that were given to them. This exercise works well with this passage because there is a surprising ending that students may not have seen coming. After reading the passage students can look back on their predictions and see how close they were and reflect on the ways writers can subvert our expectations.
July 24, 2022
Este relato es cortito pero me voló la cabeza! Es más, tuve que leerlo y reerlo porque sentía que algo se me estaba escapando de la historia y recién en la tercera lectura pude entender todo y darme cuenta de tremendo plot twist increíble que pone de cabeza todo el relato!!!
Personalmente, siempre recomiendo los libros y cuentos de Úrsula, pero este en especial todos deberían leerlo como un ejercicio para abrir la mente y darnos cuenta de que no siempre todo es como lo vemos inicialmente!
Personalmente, siempre recomiendo los libros y cuentos de Úrsula, pero este en especial todos deberían leerlo como un ejercicio para abrir la mente y darnos cuenta de que no siempre todo es como lo vemos inicialmente!
October 16, 2023
Всего две страницы, но такой неожиданный сюжетный поворот, что я сижу в шоке уже несколько минут.... это тот самый момент, когда доходишь кульминации и думаешь, что всё понял, а потом доходишь до развязки и понимаешь, что на деле не понял ничего
December 19, 2022
plot twist slay
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2022
I recently reread this 1982 short story by Ursula K. Le Guin in a book club and we had a blast talking about it... great twist at the end! Interesting POV from the wife. Of course, when I first read it in the 1990s, it was far more original and fascinating. Never forgot it. Book clubs have a way of bringing new layers of interest and it lead me to reading more of her work.
A Wife's Story was originally published in the anthology The Compass Rose (1982). Bummed it's not in my library or an ebook that I can find... but I would like to read it sometime anyway. You can find A Wife's Story all over the net and it can be read in minutes, really. Pretty short.
A Wife's Story was originally published in the anthology The Compass Rose (1982). Bummed it's not in my library or an ebook that I can find... but I would like to read it sometime anyway. You can find A Wife's Story all over the net and it can be read in minutes, really. Pretty short.
November 6, 2025
ursula k le guin has long been one of my favorite writers so when i learned that she had hammered out a concise little story about werewolves, families, and the horror of never truly quite knowing the ones you love i stopped what i was doing and immediately gave it a read.
it’s fantastic and it’s le guin to the very bone. go in as blind as possible.
it’s fantastic and it’s le guin to the very bone. go in as blind as possible.
June 10, 2022
Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . . oh, wait. Dang! The things we take for granted. Not what I had been thinking at all.
Great little shortie by Le Guin. She has a way of making you think. Thanks to Sara for her review and the link. Give it a whirl, you can read it in a trice!
Great little shortie by Le Guin. She has a way of making you think. Thanks to Sara for her review and the link. Give it a whirl, you can read it in a trice!
June 29, 2023
I am embarrassed to say: I didn't get it. I enjoyed it, but I didn't get the twist. It was very much a What the hell did I just read? I got the werewolf bit, but the twist just didn't translate for me. I don't know why.
July 17, 2025
Another short story by Ursula K. Le Guin, this time no sci-fi.
In the beginning she seems to talk about a human couple, about friendship, love and family values. The end reveals that the story is a different one.
In the beginning she seems to talk about a human couple, about friendship, love and family values. The end reveals that the story is a different one.
November 20, 2025
I remember reading this story in middle school. The creativity of turning a werewolf transformation on its head really made its impact and has stuck with me throughout the years. Really worth a read if you're looking for a decent twist and witnessing the legwork it takes to pull it off.
January 11, 2026
First Ursula Le Guin read. Read it because it was referenced in Kari Weil's Essay 'Perceptual Metamorphoses: Becoming With'
Need to re-read Angela Carter's 'The Werewolf' - Le Guin is less human-centric from what I remember
Need to re-read Angela Carter's 'The Werewolf' - Le Guin is less human-centric from what I remember
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews