Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by kchiappone
Son by Lois Lowry
4.0
I'm not sure I dislike this book as much as others might, but I do have some criticisms that I'd like to discuss.
I generally like the idea of having these different communities all in the same world and the idea of different protagonists, but I'm not sure it totally works. There's a whole plot here regarding the separation of these communities and the economic/ecological differences that these communities face. I don't entirely believe that a river separates the community in The Giver from the village in Gathering Blue, or that a mountain separates the farming community in Son from the village that first appeared in Gathering Blue.
One of my biggest struggles with The Giver was imagining its world--is it futuristic or archaic? When the movie came out, I thought the world looked so different from how it did in my head, but then again, they had to have had immense technologies--how else could they monitor everyone so closely? If they do have such great technology, why aren't they a target to other, less fortunate communities?
I also struggle with the implications of the supply ship first mentioned in The Giver and last mentioned in Son. Where does it come from? Why do they provide supplies to the community? What could the community offer that would make not just the supplies but the labor involved as well? The community doesn't appear to have any currency, nor do they appear to produce anything in enough quantity to share.
I wonder about how this world came to be, with humans who possess magic as well as evil incarnate. I'm also a little confused about Jonas. In The Giver they mentioned his ability to see beyond, but here, and in Messenger, it's an ability separate to that of being able to transfer memories. I understand that it's fantasy, but it feels too close to have gone so far.
Despite my criticisms, I still enjoyed the series for the big questions it asks and the ideas it talks about. The characters are sympathetic, particularly Matty. I don't entirely buy the marriage between Jonas and Kira. Jonas as an adult is also kind of hard to manage.
I generally like the idea of having these different communities all in the same world and the idea of different protagonists, but I'm not sure it totally works. There's a whole plot here regarding the separation of these communities and the economic/ecological differences that these communities face. I don't entirely believe that a river separates the community in The Giver from the village in Gathering Blue, or that a mountain separates the farming community in Son from the village that first appeared in Gathering Blue.
One of my biggest struggles with The Giver was imagining its world--is it futuristic or archaic? When the movie came out, I thought the world looked so different from how it did in my head, but then again, they had to have had immense technologies--how else could they monitor everyone so closely? If they do have such great technology, why aren't they a target to other, less fortunate communities?
I also struggle with the implications of the supply ship first mentioned in The Giver and last mentioned in Son. Where does it come from? Why do they provide supplies to the community? What could the community offer that would make not just the supplies but the labor involved as well? The community doesn't appear to have any currency, nor do they appear to produce anything in enough quantity to share.
I wonder about how this world came to be, with humans who possess magic as well as evil incarnate. I'm also a little confused about Jonas. In The Giver they mentioned his ability to see beyond, but here, and in Messenger, it's an ability separate to that of being able to transfer memories. I understand that it's fantasy, but it feels too close to have gone so far.
Despite my criticisms, I still enjoyed the series for the big questions it asks and the ideas it talks about. The characters are sympathetic, particularly Matty. I don't entirely buy the marriage between Jonas and Kira. Jonas as an adult is also kind of hard to manage.