nullitas@smartreads.ca reviewed The Giver by Lois Lowry
Thoughtful book
Although the book is meant for children it's worth reading for adults.
179 pages
English language
Published April 3, 2002 by Laurel Leaf Books.
Jonas lives in a seemingly utopian society. He is about to experience the Ceremony of Twelve to determine his role in life. He will be the receiver of secret memories shared by only one other in his community, and discover the terrible truth about the dystopian society in which he lives.
Although the book is meant for children it's worth reading for adults.
I first read this book in high school, but I'm glad I picked it up again to read.
At the beginning, the author throws you straight in, which can make the reader feel like an outsider and not sure about anything.
The copy I had (e-book) had a number of missing spaces between words, and weird line spacing (where the line would finish, then the next word would be on the next line). Both of these happen multiple times which sometimes may for some frustrating reading.
There are a number of things that happen in the book that happen in real life,
"But the committee would never bother The Receiver with a question about bicycles; they would simply fret and argue about it themselves for years, until the citizens forgot that it had ever gone to them for study."
There are a couple of times where the author moves forward …
I first read this book in high school, but I'm glad I picked it up again to read.
At the beginning, the author throws you straight in, which can make the reader feel like an outsider and not sure about anything.
The copy I had (e-book) had a number of missing spaces between words, and weird line spacing (where the line would finish, then the next word would be on the next line). Both of these happen multiple times which sometimes may for some frustrating reading.
There are a number of things that happen in the book that happen in real life,
"But the committee would never bother The Receiver with a question about bicycles; they would simply fret and argue about it themselves for years, until the citizens forgot that it had ever gone to them for study."
There are a couple of times where the author moves forward (or back) a length of time without indicating it to the reader, which comes across as confusing.
When I finished the book (which I did in one day) I'm not sure if it ended on a positive or negative note. I was almost in a haze for the rest of the day.
"Jonas frowned. "I wish we had those things, still. Just now and then.""
"It's the choosing that's important, isn't it?"
"The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without color, pain, or past."