Review Detail

4.8 75

The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1)

Middle Grade Fiction 940

AMAZING!

February 26, 2009

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

N/A

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

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Reader reviewed by thea

Another
amazing Science Fiction book. It was a very intricate world that was
more aimed at young adults and up. Some of the concepts went over my
head when I read it in 8th grade.
Written
by Lois Lowry, Jonas lives in a utopia. There is no pain, fear,
anything negative...or knowledge. That is the role of the giver (He
holds all the memories of the world).
Yet there is also no love. People do not know what it is.
Each
child is given a job. Some are birth mothers(there is no reproduction
within families), nurturers, etc. Families are chosen by how compatible
they are.
Innocence is
bliss, and when Jonas is chosen as the new giver, he is given the
memories-bad and good. Jonas wishes that he wasn't chosen because many
of the memories are painful (war). Now that he has all this knowledge,
he doesn't know how to talk to his friends or family.
The story was wonderful and I really loved it. It was reminiscent of Anthem, the
way both main characters feel something is missing, though life is
supposedly perfect. Also it had some of the same morals as the movie
Pleasantville. Is it better to have a society without emotions
essentially, or to have one with emotions that cause turmoil. It'd be
great if there was only good emotions in the world-no embarrassment,
fear, etc. Except you'd never learn anything. It's like pain. If you
don't have it, you're more in danger, because you don't know if you've
been (perhaps fataly) injured. Life would be boring. We can't pick and
choose, instead just have to take it all or nothing. It could mean the
end of our species, but it's better than an oblivious, dependent
world....or is it?
There
is so many things that are balanced on a fine line. They are easily
unbalanced, but it's impossible to be perfect. If you think you are,
you're lying to yourself. It's just a farce.
This is a deep book that I reccomend highly. Filled with many surprises.

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