The Giver by Lois Lowry Book Review (Re-Read)
My ultimate favorite book of all time is The Giver by Lois Lowry. I first read it in middle school when I was around 12 years old. It was my first time reading anything with actual depth that I truly enjoyed. Recently I've been thinking about the book a lot and decided to re-read it almost 14 years later and review it!
The Giver is a YA novel about a young boy, Jonas, who lives in a Utopian society, or so it seems. When the children turn 12 (the age I first read this book) they are assigned to different job assignments. Jonas is not assigned. Instead he is selected to be The Receiver. In order to be The Receiver he must be trained by The Giver. The Giver is the one who knows the truth about emotion, pain, and pleasure, and he must pass those memories to Jonas. Over the course of one year Jonas experiences feelings that he never knew existed and the truth about the society he lives in is revealed.
First, I must comment on one major difference between reading the book now and over a decade ago: I borrowed the e-book from my library and read this on my Kindle. I have the paperback book from the first time I read it and opening that book made me feel nostalgic, but having the book sit next to my Kindle made realize how much time had actually passed. When I first read The Giver I think we were all still using AOL...
The actual story is quite jarring considering that this is something children usually read around the age of 12. I will say that you may not find any great revelations in Lowry's story. I've read a lot of reviews that really hype the book up, but reading it again as an adult I can see how someone might not find this an excellent read. I think that when I first read this book I liked it so much because it was different from anything I had read before. It forced me to think about things from a world-view and to consider things outside of my emotions. Also, after re-reading this book I can totally see why dark and twisted novels are my favorite. Thanks, Lois.
If you get a chance to read The Giver I highly suggest it. Even if you don't find it as amazing as I did, I think it's a great piece of work and it's a quick read so there are really no excuses!
Read on,
Saudia
The Giver is a YA novel about a young boy, Jonas, who lives in a Utopian society, or so it seems. When the children turn 12 (the age I first read this book) they are assigned to different job assignments. Jonas is not assigned. Instead he is selected to be The Receiver. In order to be The Receiver he must be trained by The Giver. The Giver is the one who knows the truth about emotion, pain, and pleasure, and he must pass those memories to Jonas. Over the course of one year Jonas experiences feelings that he never knew existed and the truth about the society he lives in is revealed.
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| The Giver Kindle Book Cover |
First, I must comment on one major difference between reading the book now and over a decade ago: I borrowed the e-book from my library and read this on my Kindle. I have the paperback book from the first time I read it and opening that book made me feel nostalgic, but having the book sit next to my Kindle made realize how much time had actually passed. When I first read The Giver I think we were all still using AOL...
 |
| The Giver Book Cover |
The actual story is quite jarring considering that this is something children usually read around the age of 12. I will say that you may not find any great revelations in Lowry's story. I've read a lot of reviews that really hype the book up, but reading it again as an adult I can see how someone might not find this an excellent read. I think that when I first read this book I liked it so much because it was different from anything I had read before. It forced me to think about things from a world-view and to consider things outside of my emotions. Also, after re-reading this book I can totally see why dark and twisted novels are my favorite. Thanks, Lois.
If you get a chance to read The Giver I highly suggest it. Even if you don't find it as amazing as I did, I think it's a great piece of work and it's a quick read so there are really no excuses!
Read on,
Saudia
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