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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I knew once the end was so near that something horrible was going to happen at the end. And it did, in the way of little resolution of a story I've loved since I was 13. I had hoped for so much, for a happy ending for these characters and I guess I got it... without really getting it.
I just... ugh... there are no words for how I feel with such an incomplete end to this series.
I just... ugh... there are no words for how I feel with such an incomplete end to this series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Mid.
My feelings on this specific book and the entire series are pretty similar. In both I found the characters and story being told interesting and humanizing. The search for fulfillment, purpose, and family are well tackled in this book and the series and the parts of the book focusing on those aspects are the most enjoyable in my opinion. This particular book is broken into 3 acts, or books. The first 2, focusing on Claire's desperate need to connect with her child despite the unemotional community she lives in (it takes place at the same time and community as the first book which is cool) and Claire training to climb a cliff to escape a village she has become a part of to find her son were fun and interesting in how they characterize both communities they are set in and Claire's unwavering devotion to her son. The 3rd act however... falls flat.
My first issue with the 'book' is how Gabe is characterized. Gabe is grown and is desperate to discover his family and history before Jonas took him to Village, but he dismisses the idea of Claire being his mother almost immediately. Obviously an elderly woman being your mother is weird and unbelievable to most, but considering he has known and trusted Jonas all his life I don't see why he would not trust him on this. And then only a chapter later he fully believes everything about Claire being his mother and the trade master (which is a whole other issue) so I don't see the point in making him apprehensive of it in the first place.
AND THE FUCKING TRADEMASTER SHIT AND THE WHOLE MAGIC SYSTEM. I still don't know exactly how the gifts in this book works and I'm convinced that Lois Lowry doesn't either. They also added in the trademaster in the last book and he ended up coming back as like the main villain in this and it wasn't worked up at all and it felt unimportant, confusing, and didn't really lead anywhere cause Gabe immediately killed him.
I really like the themes of this series overall, like I said before. I think if there was MORE focus on the different communities and the main villain/focus being like government control (book 1) or the idea that people NEED to be conventionally "useful" (book 2) or finding your place in your community/family (books 3 and 4) the series would feel a lot more cohesive and conclusive, but the amount of differing themes + the weird magic system and nonsense villain really took this book and the whole series down a bit.
This book and the whole series are both a solid 3/5. I had higher hopes though.
My feelings on this specific book and the entire series are pretty similar. In both I found the characters and story being told interesting and humanizing. The search for fulfillment, purpose, and family are well tackled in this book and the series and the parts of the book focusing on those aspects are the most enjoyable in my opinion. This particular book is broken into 3 acts, or books. The first 2, focusing on Claire's desperate need to connect with her child despite the unemotional community she lives in (it takes place at the same time and community as the first book which is cool) and Claire training to climb a cliff to escape a village she has become a part of to find her son were fun and interesting in how they characterize both communities they are set in and Claire's unwavering devotion to her son. The 3rd act however... falls flat.
My first issue with the 'book' is how Gabe is characterized. Gabe is grown and is desperate to discover his family and history before Jonas took him to Village, but he dismisses the idea of Claire being his mother almost immediately. Obviously an elderly woman being your mother is weird and unbelievable to most, but considering he has known and trusted Jonas all his life I don't see why he would not trust him on this. And then only a chapter later he fully believes everything about Claire being his mother and the trade master (which is a whole other issue) so I don't see the point in making him apprehensive of it in the first place.
AND THE FUCKING TRADEMASTER SHIT AND THE WHOLE MAGIC SYSTEM. I still don't know exactly how the gifts in this book works and I'm convinced that Lois Lowry doesn't either. They also added in the trademaster in the last book and he ended up coming back as like the main villain in this and it wasn't worked up at all and it felt unimportant, confusing, and didn't really lead anywhere cause Gabe immediately killed him.
I really like the themes of this series overall, like I said before. I think if there was MORE focus on the different communities and the main villain/focus being like government control (book 1) or the idea that people NEED to be conventionally "useful" (book 2) or finding your place in your community/family (books 3 and 4) the series would feel a lot more cohesive and conclusive, but the amount of differing themes + the weird magic system and nonsense villain really took this book and the whole series down a bit.
This book and the whole series are both a solid 3/5. I had higher hopes though.
As a kid, I LOVED [b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234]. I have read the two other companion books, but neither stuck with me the way The Giver always has. Son is another look at The Community from The Giver, this time from the point of view of Claire, a young woman chosen to be a birthmother at her choosing ceremony at age 12. When things go wrong at her first birth (of a planned 3), she is sent back out into the community at large, but can't shake the feeling of something missing - her son, number 36, who we know as Gabe from The Giver. When she hears of Jonah and Gabe's escape, she knows that she must leave the community as well and search for her son. I most enjoyed this section of the book, called "Beginning". One question that remained in my mind. While we learn later that the lightly colored eyes of several characters is an indication that they may have some sort of gift, I was left wondering if Jonas and Claire might be siblings. He would be 2 - 3 years younger than her, and birthmothers usually gave birth 3 times. This would make Jonas Gabe's uncle, which makes their bond seen in the Giver that much more special.
The middle section of the book "Between" deals with Water Claire. Claire has washed up on the shores of a small community. She has no memory of her past, but while helping with another woman's birth, she remembers her own experience. As more memories come back to her, she realizes that her son is still out there somewhere and that she again must leave to continue her search for her son. With the help of the only other to have ever been able to climb out of the community, she trains for years to escape, finally climbing the cliffs and meeting the Trademaster, who offers her the trade of her youth for finding Gabe.
In the final section, "Beyond", Claire is an old woman, nearing death, who watches over Gabe. Gabe, in the meantime, wants to escape the utopia of the village in order to find his birthmother. I enjoyed this section the least. It felt like things wrapped up strangely and didn't fit stylistically with the rest of the book. I did, however, really enjoy the descriptions of Gabe's veering - where he uses his powers to experience the world as someone else does.
The middle section of the book "Between" deals with Water Claire. Claire has washed up on the shores of a small community. She has no memory of her past, but while helping with another woman's birth, she remembers her own experience. As more memories come back to her, she realizes that her son is still out there somewhere and that she again must leave to continue her search for her son. With the help of the only other to have ever been able to climb out of the community, she trains for years to escape, finally climbing the cliffs and meeting the Trademaster, who offers her the trade of her youth for finding Gabe.
In the final section, "Beyond", Claire is an old woman, nearing death, who watches over Gabe. Gabe, in the meantime, wants to escape the utopia of the village in order to find his birthmother. I enjoyed this section the least. It felt like things wrapped up strangely and didn't fit stylistically with the rest of the book. I did, however, really enjoy the descriptions of Gabe's veering - where he uses his powers to experience the world as someone else does.
adventurous
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book. It gave me the ending I needed and wrap up the whole series nicely. While i was sucked into the story quite a bit and would love to know more, I think the author is really talented in letting the readers have closure, but know it’s time to stop the series. This series has secured a spot as one of my favorites!
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2023: sometimes the plot drives the book. This is not that series. The plot happens just enough for the message to come barreling through. And it is perfect.
2014: Sometimes a book or series of books changes you, and while you sit pondering the depth and meaning behind the change, life continues to swirl around you. So, that just happened. Such a good series, I'm in love; I am changed.
2014: Sometimes a book or series of books changes you, and while you sit pondering the depth and meaning behind the change, life continues to swirl around you. So, that just happened. Such a good series, I'm in love; I am changed.
