The Giver Review
Jonas, a young boy who just turned twelve, lives in a community of sameness. There are no choices, no color, and no real, deep feelings. However, giving these things up allowed for contentment in that there are no war, disputes, or negative things that come with things like choice. It's a seemingly ideal world when you don't know what you are sacrificing. At the ceremony where the twelve-year-olds are given their life assignment. Jonas is assigned to be the Receiver of Memory, but with this job comes the reality of the dark secrets this supposed perfect community is keeping.
Keep in mind that everyone has their own opinion. This review is only my opinion, and you may have your own, different one. I would take into consideration what I say, but do not make a decision about the book solely based off of this review. Let's begin:
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I thought it had an interesting concept, but I tend not to like classics as much- new or old. I find that I like the concepts behind a lot of classics, but that I do not care as much for their execution. This was not the case with this novel.
The book is not in any means the fast-paced, gripping your seat while reading type. However, it still somehow managed to capture my attention the entire time. Perhaps it was the gripping characters. The Giver was the most fascinating character to me and I am fairly certain that I am not alone in saying this. His history and teachings were unraveled and depicted very well. The other characters were also written well.
Again, the idea behind this book is extremely cool to me. I loved seeing how a world without things that we would consider so basic in real life would be like. I found that I would definitely not want to live there, but I really liked reading about it. The dark secrets hidden by the supposed paradise is not something I haven't seen before, but it felt different this time. Maybe that is because of the extremes to which it is taken in this novel.
I greatly enjoyed the writing style of Lois Lowry. It is different than my normal read, but it was refreshing and a good different. Lowry definitely knows how to write in a way that will enrapture you in the most subtle way. I did not realize how much I was enjoying myself while reading until it was time to pause and eat dinner and I was hit with an unexpected pang of not really wanting to stop.
The only reason I did not give it five stars was because of the ending. It was not bad, but I feel like it could have been a little stronger. Still, like I said, it was not bad, so I only took away half a star.
Overall, this read is a quick one that will captivate you without you realizing. The idea is fascinating and the writing style is great. I would certainly recommend this book and feel like it will still be popular for many years to come. Shout out to one of my past teachers for recommending it to me and allowing me to borrow her copy! Thank you!
Author: Lois Lowry
Publisher: Ember
# of Pages: 179
Genre: YA, Classic, Dystopia, Science Fiction
Series: The Giver Quartet (Book 1)
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