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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Oh, my heart.
This is my favorite of the quartet, maybe because it brings it all together, or maybe because of the range of emotions, or maybe the utter satisfaction of the entire story when I finished it.
Considering this is still a 'kids' book, it's not the deepest or most intricate story, but the basic ideals are there and I think that's why I love the quartet itself so much. It points out so many of the bad things in this world, yet shows how simple it could be to make it better.
This is my favorite of the quartet, maybe because it brings it all together, or maybe because of the range of emotions, or maybe the utter satisfaction of the entire story when I finished it.
Considering this is still a 'kids' book, it's not the deepest or most intricate story, but the basic ideals are there and I think that's why I love the quartet itself so much. It points out so many of the bad things in this world, yet shows how simple it could be to make it better.
Son is a good story of a mother's love for her son, weaving in bits of the Giver series, but standing on its own. However, many small stories are still left unanswered for the other characters' lives and has an overly simplistic ending.
Interesting series, all the books are from the same realm, each one focuses on a different set of people. In this book all the previous characters converged. I was not bored by the book, I found it imaginative. The first book captured me, it was unusual and thought provoking, same with the second book. This book seemed more mundane.
Did the other communities know about this one? Did the other communities know about each other? Where do all these people with special abilities come from? How many other people with special abilities exist? Are these special abilities connected in someway? Are the abilities meant to be used for a greater cause? In each book a proverbial door is opened, yet the room behind the door is not fully explored. Then the series ends by taking down one villain introduced in the last book and the villain had only exerted their evil power on a small set of people. I thought the series ending was uneventful.
Did the other communities know about this one? Did the other communities know about each other? Where do all these people with special abilities come from? How many other people with special abilities exist? Are these special abilities connected in someway? Are the abilities meant to be used for a greater cause? In each book a proverbial door is opened, yet the room behind the door is not fully explored. Then the series ends by taking down one villain introduced in the last book and the villain had only exerted their evil power on a small set of people. I thought the series ending was uneventful.
I am huge fan of Lois Lowry and The Giver series and was so anxious for this book! With that said, I understand why some readers would be disappointed in this conclusion.
The book is split into three sections--each consecutively mirroring the first three novels. I thought this was a really nice touch. Lowry brings us to the same worlds, either physically or emotionally, through a character who develops much more than any of the previous.
The first section was my favorite. This might be because The Giver, in my opinion, is the strongest in the series. I love how Claire was entwined with Jonas' story and was immediately struck by the maturity of the themes. Claire struggles with a simple emotion never before felt in her world--longing. Similar to Jonas, she is a child facing emotions the adults around her are without; though, unlike Jonas, she has no outlet with whom to discuss this.
Next is a story of self-discovery that mirrors Kira's in Gathering Blue. I do not have much to write about this section as it was my least favorite, but I think it really highlighted how personal and emotional this book is, especially as compared to the previous three. The final section takes us to the land Messenger, where Claire, at this point no longer a child, is forced to live with her sacrifices. There is a touch of magic that might seem a bit odd in the context of the series, but Lowry makes it hit home.
Ultimately, this is the story of the bond between mother and son. Whereas the rest of the series is told by children (albeit exceedingly mature children, especially as compared to their peers), Claire is an adult for a majority of the novel. Son is extremely powerful. I felt Messenger would have been a satisfying conclusion to the series, but I applaud Lowry for going further and pushing a concept that we didn't realize was missing all along.
The book is split into three sections--each consecutively mirroring the first three novels. I thought this was a really nice touch. Lowry brings us to the same worlds, either physically or emotionally, through a character who develops much more than any of the previous.
The first section was my favorite. This might be because The Giver, in my opinion, is the strongest in the series. I love how Claire was entwined with Jonas' story and was immediately struck by the maturity of the themes. Claire struggles with a simple emotion never before felt in her world--longing. Similar to Jonas, she is a child facing emotions the adults around her are without; though, unlike Jonas, she has no outlet with whom to discuss this.
Next is a story of self-discovery that mirrors Kira's in Gathering Blue. I do not have much to write about this section as it was my least favorite, but I think it really highlighted how personal and emotional this book is, especially as compared to the previous three. The final section takes us to the land Messenger, where Claire, at this point no longer a child, is forced to live with her sacrifices. There is a touch of magic that might seem a bit odd in the context of the series, but Lowry makes it hit home.
Ultimately, this is the story of the bond between mother and son. Whereas the rest of the series is told by children (albeit exceedingly mature children, especially as compared to their peers), Claire is an adult for a majority of the novel. Son is extremely powerful. I felt Messenger would have been a satisfying conclusion to the series, but I applaud Lowry for going further and pushing a concept that we didn't realize was missing all along.
This book felt kind of easy to me. The depth of the characters was not as developed, and the conflict ended abruptly. As some other reviewers have mentioned, I felt it was too perfectly connected to the other books and answered too many questions. However, it was a thought-provoking read in true Lowry form.
ma soul ma heart.I realized I skipped two books and went directly to this one
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It wrapped everything up, but it seemed very long.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a wonderful conclusion to the series. While this series was written for children, I feel that adults would also love these books. The stories are timeless and a beautiful message of the love of family and the convictions and pure hearts of children.
So sad to have this series end but so happy I jumped back into it. Lois Lowry created one of the most interesting worlds and was able to tie together so many different places with different backgrounds effortlessly. This was an absolute joy to read and I would recommend the whole series to anyone!