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The Giver by Lois Lowry MAG
After reading The Giver, I was left confused and disappointed. It seemed as if it would be interesting, but you can't judge a book by its cover. The contents were dull and predictable. Quite honestly, I wouldn't recommend it to any reader seeking a fine piece of literature. It just doesn't suffice.
The Giver is about a young boy named Jonas. He resides in a futuristic society in which each citizen is assigned a job, a spouse, and children. The children are born to mothers who will never get to see them. Trying not to give anymore away, I will only say that Jonas is assigned an important job and is challenged with the release of an innocent child. Jonas is left with the option of leaving his home, job, and family to save the child, or facing the harsh reality of his community and job, and enduring the release of the child.
This book was dreadful. I became more and more dissatisfied with each page. It was a waste of time and hardly made sense. I'll admit, there were a few interesting lines, but far too few to continue reading after the first chapter. Although I finished it, I regret doing so. It was, by far, the worst book I've ever picked up. It proved to be mediocre, no better than what the average person could conceive. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
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This article has 588 comments.
Sunshine20023 said...
on May. 13 2014 at 10:05 am
The giver is a very unique book and after reading it I found that it was a very complex book.
HayleyFther said...
on May. 1 2014 at 5:45 am
I read this book and even though there are some points that i got tired and almost stopped reading,I still think it's worth to give it a try.
I cannot agree with you more. I have also read the quartet and have found that the workings that the author undertakes in combining the books is simply remarkable. And i cannot say that The Giver by itself is a dull read either. It, like all the other books, gives us some of the best thought out symbolism and makes it readable to children.
JesusandHisLawyers SILVER said...
on Mar. 25 2014 at 9:53 pm
I feel like I've posted about the Giver before, so bare with me. The Giver is, at its core, a book intended for children with a very simple and childish understanding of literature, and by extension, what makes good literature. It takes some concepts that have been used before many times, and often used better (I think sombody mentioned Anthem?) and wraps them into an easy to swallow and simplistic chunk of nothing. That's what it is, really. Nothing. Charactres so flat that you can't help but not care what happens, plot that barely chugs along, and a universe so lazily crafted that after a certain point you stop caring about the inconsistentcies and unexplained bits. It was a desperate grab for a Puilitzer and it worked, it was "deep" and it was "thought-provoking", but only in a bare-boned and childish way. And I guess that's what they were looking for.
EllyApolloRose GOLD said...
on Mar. 19 2014 at 12:27 pm
I completely agree, this book was awsome!! Have you read any of the sequals?
EllyApolloRose GOLD said...
on Mar. 19 2014 at 12:25 pm
I really loved this book, but when you read it, you have to keep an open mind. It was very confusing at first, but when i reread it, it was better. There are multiple sequals/books about the same utopian world. If you still have problems understanding the book, you should also read the others, they might help you understand it a little better. This is just my opinion though, but i really love the "what if" factor of utopian books.
WrappedUpInBooks said...
on Mar. 9 2014 at 9:26 am
I read this in the seventh grade and was not very interested. I've been meaning to re-read it, but to be honest my memory of it is basically summed up by this review. It was a bit confusing and the end really bugged me. Out of all the dystopian fiction I have read, this was probably my least favorite.
wildandfree13 BRONZE said...
on Feb. 4 2014 at 12:33 pm
i completly disagree this book was interesting and worth while reading this book was very intersting
HelloKitty456 BRONZE said...
on Feb. 4 2014 at 12:32 pm
WildandFree13 says you make Horrible Book Review and disagrees.
super_slim_77 said...
on Jan. 5 2014 at 11:27 pm
well said. noone could hav said it better
cometear said...
on Nov. 8 2013 at 3:11 pm
I competely agree. This book sucked.
I have to disagree. The giver is anything but a dull and predictable book and that is the exact word I would use to describe it, fine. The plot is enticing and makes you want to keep reading. And the idea of a world where you have to learn to see color is incredible. Lois Lowry composes an unforgettable piece, inextricable from the group of top kids novels of all time.
dFNihegihGIrhgiRI said...
on Sep. 10 2013 at 5:06 pm
the book was confusing since u dont hav any experience to relate to in terms of finding the lights and all. and my teaxcher completely changed the meaning so that might hav beeen the reson didnt get i. frankly, he thought he knew everything. anything he says is right. at the end of the book he said that the kids die cuz thats what happens when u faint or something, u c what u wanna c or something?? anyway he "faints and "dies" at the end of the book. so i was confused. i asked him a billion times if hes sure thats right that he died. he said yes. i asked him how bout if hes wrong. he said hes most likely almost defineltly not wrong. later i ound out the boy does live. i get the whole thing. Whoop de doo, so know i understad that book, only not a few parts. i wonder what other parts he said qwrong......................................................
While I enjoyed The Giver the first (and only) time I read the book, I now agree whole-heartedly with you, as I have since read Anthem by Ayn Rand. Anthem was written literally decades before The Giver, and is the exact same concept, with almost identical characters and plot developement, only it is written beautifully. You should read it next; it is very short, and unlike The Giver, it is original.
ramfthomas4 PLATINUM said...
on Jun. 1 2013 at 7:52 pm
I'm sorry, but I disagree with you. I read this book and would recommend it to any aquantaince. It is truly a fine piece of literature. If one is expecting the usual sci-fi action adventure, I could see how you would be disapointed, but I found this to be a meaningful and poignant read.
Bookworm77 said...
on May. 1 2013 at 10:26 pm
I have to completely disagree, when read correctly and thoroughly, this book is one of the best novels writtenin modern society. To understand the novel, you must understand symbolism and you must be able to correctly identify many symbols in very close relation while actively reading the book (taking notes on book, re-reading sections). Once fully read correctly, the book is by far, one of the best books I've ever read, but you have read carefully and slowly and understand the allusions and symbolisms that the book is almost entirely made up of.
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