Thread: The Giver

My friends just recommended a book to me called The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I scoffed at first, thinking that no book found in the Juvenile section of a library could be any good at all. I was wrong. Though it was a fairly short and easy read, it was excellent, and provided many deep insights. If you're looking for a simple form of postmodernist literature, I would highly recommend The Giver. Has anyone else read it, or have any insights on it?

Read it in English class last year. It was pretty decent-good...though it should've had a better ending.

Certainly worth a read.

I've read better, but it packs a punch for its short length. I wouldn't buy it (though I did), but I would definitely take it on a long bus ride after checking it out of the library.

Originally Posted by Verago

It was pretty decent-good...though it should've had a better ending.

Agreed about the ending. It was slightly unsatisfying. I'm hoping that one of the two sequels says something more on the storyline, but I'm doubting they will.

I loved this book. It was really quick and easy to read, but the message I got from it was really powerful.

I wasn't too happy about the ending when I read it, but at the same time I'm not sure there was another way she could have ended it without changing the meaning. And I like how it's left up to the reader to decide what happens, because the story could go a couple of different ways from there.

I've read Gathering Blue, the first sequel, and there's a very teeny tiny reference at the end to The Giver, but I almost missed it and it's so insignificant that you can't even tell if it's actually a reference to it or just a coincidence.

That's a book that was required for lower English classes for me last year. It looked like an interesting one. My friend had to read it, but he didn't read much. I've been trying to find a copy at a bookstore, but keep coming up empty handed. Nice review.

I just finished the third (Messenger) so I have now completed all three. I found the other two very helpful, insightful, and able to clear some things up. I highly recommend reading the other two, Gathering Blue and Messenger, especially if you have already read The Giver.

The giver is such a great book, and the next two in the series fit together perfectly with it, with out carrying any redundancy in the stories. The connections between the novels are presented really nicely. Lois Lowry does a great job writing a quick read, that contains so much meaning. I always look forward to reading her novels!

Is 'The Giver' old enough to be a classic? If not, I know it will be. I finished it fo rthe second time earler this year, and loved it more than ever. I loved Asher, and enjoy books dealing (in this case only a little bit) with friendships and growth. The ending is interesting.

To reply to some of the earlier posts about the poor ending in The Giver, the ending is anything but poor when brought into perspective with the rest of the series. Each book goes in depth into a new represntation of a civilization or society. Each villiage in the books were different from the others. You had to get acustomed to them before you could really do any thought-study of them. For example, in the beginning of The Giver, you couldn't really start to think of anything before you found out everyone's world was in black and white. If you had thoughts developed, then they all changed once you found out that fact. These three books are the type that you read all the way through and then read a second time, stopping every now and then to discuss it. They require nothing less than two reads. Definitely great books for study groups and such.

When I was in fourth grade and part of an advanced literary group, we were required to read and discuss the Giver. I think it was a great book, with numerous insightful qualities and a punch that is, as you've stated, great for such a short book.

The next year we read Gathering Blue. I never finished it, though I came close. I'll have to go back and read it again. From what I remember of it, though, it was good.

I wasn't even aware there was a third!! That struck me off balance when I read that, and I thought, "....what?" Well, I suppose I have something to look forward to.

Wow. I never thought so many people liked that book. We read it for our language arts class this year and I didn't really enjoy. It was too simple but at the same time dragged out and I found it quite boring. It was also a bit disturbing and I would have much preferred the ending if they had died.

I agree that it was too dragged out but it wasn't disturbing at all, just very juvinile.

I read The Giver and Gathering Blue and found both of them to be depressing and disturbing. The concept of "release" in The Giver was what really got to me. After I finished that chapter, I felt like crying and almost did. I was "out of it" for the rest of the day. The concept of giving memories was interesting and only one person carrying all the memories was odd. The ending was too fast though, and slightly confusing. The book caused me to think a lot and I realized that I don't like modernist/post-modernist literature simply because it makes me think too hard and long in ways that I do not want to think. (And yet I still keep reading it...)

Gathering Blue was not as disturbing and was more interesting. There was certainly a nice element of political intrigue. I wouldn't have minded hearing more about the Ruin Song and why the Singer and the Carver etc., were kept as virtual slaves.

I didn't know about the Messenger so I'll have to pick it up and read it some time.

A great book all around, definately one of my favorites. I thought the ending was perfect myself. I've read Gathering Blue as well and enjoyed that too. Great books, great author.