Someone recommended that I skip straight to Tehanu, the last Earthsea book, and that was let me get Earthsea. I didn't actually follow that advice, I read all of the books in order, but knowing that I had Tehanu coming made it easier to get through the others.
It's not perfect, but I think where the other books are interesting but simple stories for children, Tehanu feels like it was written for those children as they've grown up - it's basically (without spoiling too much) the retirement and twilight years of characters from the rest of the series. And as a result, it feels like a more applicable or relevant story.
You may already know this, but just in case, Tehanu is no longer the last Earthsea book. It is followed by the collection Tales From Earthsea and then The Other Wind.
For anyone reading this thread, I strongly recommend The Other Wind. It's a wonderfully emotional book about loss and about the importance of everyone in the endeavor to fix the world.
I know about Tales From Earthsea but decided I didn't need to read additional sort stories set in the same world. I didn't know about The Other Wind, thanks for letting me know!
I discarded my copy of Tales From Earthsea, but thought The Other Wind was very good indeed. On the other hand, I didn't like Tehanu, so that might help you decide whether my advice is for you or not.
The stories in Tales From Earthsea are a lot closer to Tehanu than they are to the earlier books, for what that's worth. I get it if they're just not your thing, though; life is short and there's only so much time to read.
It's not perfect, but I think where the other books are interesting but simple stories for children, Tehanu feels like it was written for those children as they've grown up - it's basically (without spoiling too much) the retirement and twilight years of characters from the rest of the series. And as a result, it feels like a more applicable or relevant story.