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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Lose ends are tied. Lessons are imparted beautifully. Life is described as a struggle, full of wonder and wandering. If you have a pre-teen that us looking for books similar to The Hunger Games (dystopic futures) add this one to their list. It was very inspiring to read stories that creatively exposed the reader to the idea of vanquishing evil or strife with lots of love, wisdom and hard work. Best to read all four or just The Giver.
When I started with The Giver, I didn't realize it was a series. I felt book 1 was pretty average, but I liked books 2 and 3 a bit more. Book 4 got awfully cheesy at the end. Overall I enjoyed the series and I think any of the books would be great for a novel study with older students.
I had read The Giver previously, so I started with Gathering Blue. A note, although a collection, these stories are not sequals of The Giver per se, but rather connected stories.
Gathering Blue
This story starts when Kira, a young girl born with a twisted leg, is grieving the loss of her mother. Kira lives in a community similiar, if more primative than the one in The Giver. This community usually would have killed Kira shortly after birth due to her handicap, but Kira's mother was able to save her due to her father's status in the the community. Kira's believes her father had died before her birth, taken while hunting by "beasts" in the woods. Kira returns to her humble home after the required mourning period, only to find that the other women in the village had designs on her home and want her to be killed. Kira and her accuser take their grievance to the community's council, where much to Kira's surprise, is she not only granted a repreive, but is elevated to a special position in the community due to her skill with embroidery. She is given lodging and food and in return is required to repair the robe of the Singer. The robe has a pictoral history of life as it is known but is in poor condition and must be repaired. Kira soons finds that she is not alone in her new home, but that she shares it with Thomas, who carves wood beautifuly and toddler Jo who sings beautifully. Kira soon learns why and how each of them have come together and even after a surprise reunion, decides to stay in her community so that she can shape a new future.
Messenger
Matty, a young friend and confidant of Kira is the center of this story. Matty returns to another community with Kria's father, while Kira stays behind to try to bring about changes to her community. Matty finds love, education and community in his new home, which is now lead by a familar face. Life gets shaken up however, with the appearance of the trademaster who grants wishes based on what people are willing to trade away. The ties that bind begin to disinegrate due to these trades, and they collectively decide to close their borders. Before this happens Matty journeys back to Kira to bring her back to her father. He succeeds and in the process receives his true name, healer.
Son
After a difficult stint as a Birthmother in the community from The Giver, Claire tracks down her son and is able to forge a bond with him...however the community has other ideas. Claire flees the community and finds herself washed up in a new world, full of color, feelings and caring people. As her memory returns she vows to find her son. After a grueling journey, she is confronted with the Trademaster who exacts a heavy price for the chance to reunite with her son. Claire ultimately prevails and the series ends with her story.
Gathering Blue
This story starts when Kira, a young girl born with a twisted leg, is grieving the loss of her mother. Kira lives in a community similiar, if more primative than the one in The Giver. This community usually would have killed Kira shortly after birth due to her handicap, but Kira's mother was able to save her due to her father's status in the the community. Kira's believes her father had died before her birth, taken while hunting by "beasts" in the woods. Kira returns to her humble home after the required mourning period, only to find that the other women in the village had designs on her home and want her to be killed. Kira and her accuser take their grievance to the community's council, where much to Kira's surprise, is she not only granted a repreive, but is elevated to a special position in the community due to her skill with embroidery. She is given lodging and food and in return is required to repair the robe of the Singer. The robe has a pictoral history of life as it is known but is in poor condition and must be repaired. Kira soons finds that she is not alone in her new home, but that she shares it with Thomas, who carves wood beautifuly and toddler Jo who sings beautifully. Kira soon learns why and how each of them have come together and even after a surprise reunion, decides to stay in her community so that she can shape a new future.
Messenger
Matty, a young friend and confidant of Kira is the center of this story. Matty returns to another community with Kria's father, while Kira stays behind to try to bring about changes to her community. Matty finds love, education and community in his new home, which is now lead by a familar face. Life gets shaken up however, with the appearance of the trademaster who grants wishes based on what people are willing to trade away. The ties that bind begin to disinegrate due to these trades, and they collectively decide to close their borders. Before this happens Matty journeys back to Kira to bring her back to her father. He succeeds and in the process receives his true name, healer.
Son
After a difficult stint as a Birthmother in the community from The Giver, Claire tracks down her son and is able to forge a bond with him...however the community has other ideas. Claire flees the community and finds herself washed up in a new world, full of color, feelings and caring people. As her memory returns she vows to find her son. After a grueling journey, she is confronted with the Trademaster who exacts a heavy price for the chance to reunite with her son. Claire ultimately prevails and the series ends with her story.
Only took me five months and lots of life changes! I really enjoyed this series...a simple good vs evil tale.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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:
No
Overall - 3.5 stars
The Giver - 3 stars
> I thought this was okay. Nothing amazing.
The Gathering Blue - 3.5 stars
> I wasn't 100% sure what to expect with this (or the rest of the series), but I enjoy this more than the first book.
The Messenger - 3.5 stars
> I really liked seeing how the books were more connected with each other than I had initially thought. The different "worlds/villages/environments" (not really sure what to call them) were very interesting and seeing just how different they are from each other is wild.
Son - 3.5 stars
Wow. I think this was my favourite book in this series. I enjoyed seeing Claire's journey and her point of view on things.
The Giver - 3 stars
> I thought this was okay. Nothing amazing.
The Gathering Blue - 3.5 stars
> I wasn't 100% sure what to expect with this (or the rest of the series), but I enjoy this more than the first book.
The Messenger - 3.5 stars
> I really liked seeing how the books were more connected with each other than I had initially thought. The different "worlds/villages/environments" (not really sure what to call them) were very interesting and seeing just how different they are from each other is wild.
Son - 3.5 stars
Wow. I think this was my favourite book in this series. I enjoyed seeing Claire's journey and her point of view on things.
DYSTOPIAN
I chose to read this quartet for my Dystopian challenge. I found these books to be engaging and engrossing. Lowery uses just the right amount of detail, and while I would still like to know more about this world, I am greatly enjoyed what she chose to share.
I chose to read this quartet for my Dystopian challenge. I found these books to be engaging and engrossing. Lowery uses just the right amount of detail, and while I would still like to know more about this world, I am greatly enjoyed what she chose to share.
The Giver was intriguing.
Gathering Blue did not seem to really connect with The Giver but reading it as a stand alone was very good. Now on to the Messenger.....
Gathering Blue did not seem to really connect with The Giver but reading it as a stand alone was very good. Now on to the Messenger.....
The Giver is an all-time favorite and one I will continue to recommend and return to. I was apprehensive about reading the rest; I don't know anyone else who has, and I didn't want to take away from the impact The Giver has had on me. But, after buying the full quartet from a discount store years ago, and not wanting to move such a large volume again, I finally decided it was time to experience the rest of the story so I could donate the book.
Before I get to the individual books, it is important to note that this is not a traditional "series." The subsequent books are listed as companions to The Giver. You will not get direct sequels, or traditional continuations of stories. The books are related, and there are recurring characters, but there is not a clean, linear story, and the main character changes with each book.
I hadn't remembered that I have read Gathering Blue before. It is an interesting story, similar to The Giver but with a different ending. I liked the twists and reveals, and Kira is a great character.
Messenger works to combine the stories of The Giver and Gathering Blue, bringing together stories and character arcs into a satisfying shared universe. The mythology of the world is expanded upon, but not fully explained or explored. If you are someone who needs every details revealed, this may be the most frustrating entry. I don't mind ambiguity, but considering how important "gifts" are to this story, it was disappointing how little is explained.
Son was the largest entry, broken into three sections. The first is a retelling of The Giver, told from the point of view of a birthmother. After the freedom and natural environments of the other sequels, it was a bit jarring to return to the world of The Giver, but Lowry does a great job of pointing out the shortcomings of that community while not shaming it just because it is different from the rest. Part two explores her time after fleeing the community and spending time with another community, learning how repressed her home was/is. Part three brings it all together for a satisfying conclusion to a wonderful, underappreciated series.
I am glad I read them all and know the full story of Jonas and Gabe. While I'm not sure I'll re-read the whole series again, The Giver will always have a place on my bookshelf.
Before I get to the individual books, it is important to note that this is not a traditional "series." The subsequent books are listed as companions to The Giver. You will not get direct sequels, or traditional continuations of stories. The books are related, and there are recurring characters, but there is not a clean, linear story, and the main character changes with each book.
I hadn't remembered that I have read Gathering Blue before. It is an interesting story, similar to The Giver but with a different ending. I liked the twists and reveals, and Kira is a great character.
Messenger works to combine the stories of The Giver and Gathering Blue, bringing together stories and character arcs into a satisfying shared universe. The mythology of the world is expanded upon, but not fully explained or explored. If you are someone who needs every details revealed, this may be the most frustrating entry. I don't mind ambiguity, but considering how important "gifts" are to this story, it was disappointing how little is explained.
Son was the largest entry, broken into three sections. The first is a retelling of The Giver, told from the point of view of a birthmother. After the freedom and natural environments of the other sequels, it was a bit jarring to return to the world of The Giver, but Lowry does a great job of pointing out the shortcomings of that community while not shaming it just because it is different from the rest. Part two explores her time after fleeing the community and spending time with another community, learning how repressed her home was/is. Part three brings it all together for a satisfying conclusion to a wonderful, underappreciated series.
I am glad I read them all and know the full story of Jonas and Gabe. While I'm not sure I'll re-read the whole series again, The Giver will always have a place on my bookshelf.
The series was written for a much younger audience than I recalled. A good story overall though, I do love how all of the individual books connect in the end.