The Giver

Poor Jonas, between snow and pain. The story is about a boy living in a reality where people have very controlled lives, and at Eleven you find out your future Assignment/job. His is The Receiver of Memory, which is to find out all memories of time from back and back and back, of things that no longer exist in their lives, such as war, hunger, thunderstorms and sickness, colors and Christmas celebrations. He finds out there's much more to it than that, though...

This is supposed to be a classic... But I found it very “meh”. The story was good, but the ending was lacking. I wanted so much more! I may be spoiled by today's dystopian novels, but I truly expected much more.

4.5.
Muy buen libro. Ojalá fuera acá también una lectura requerida en el colegio.

3,5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. I feel I can both love it and feel absolutely nothing about it (and that explains my uncertainty about the suitable rating for it), which is incredibly adequate considering the story of the book. but it was enjoyable. I loved the ending!!! the idea of the book is fantastic. I can't wait for book two. I already though have a vague idea about it.

I don't know how I missed the boat on this book when I was younger... It was first published when I was five, so maybe it was just before my time - when I started reading longer books, I was all about Nancy Drew and only Nancy Drew. I had actually barely heard about The Giver until it was being made into a movie. I didn't make it around to reading the book until after I watched the movie... and that was really only because I really like the movie. I guess I stalled with reading this because it's labeled as a children's book. But it is far from juvenile. It is extremely insightful into human emotions and what makes life meaningful but also has the chance to make it painful. I love the message in this book. It's a heavy children's story, but an important one. I'm dying to move on to the next books in the series.

I just re-read this book for the first time since grade 7 because I watched the movie, which was pretty good. And I remember really liking this book when I was kid. I guess it was the first dystopia that I read and it sort of blew my mind. I was worried that it wouldn't hold up, like Animorphs (though my love for that series will never diminish no matter how much I am unable to read it as an adult), but it's still really good. The writing is simple but not simplistic, and the story is dark and frightening without being inappropriate for younger readers. Still excellent!

Anything to prevent war...

I finally came around to read this. And it was good.

Part of me wants to think this story is about growing up and leaving your innocent and orderly life as a child behind, to face the gruesome reality of adulthood. But another part of me just takes the story as it presents itself. A scifi”ish” dystopia where manhood altered nature and feelings, because we destroyed the world with our behavior. Because those are stories that I like.

I like frightening future predictions, because it's fun to weight them for their possibility of coming true. And this one really could come true, or is already if we look at North Korea.

And this is where my problem with the book emerges. Lowry created a world that feels really claustrophobic and intense, but it leaves me with a desire to learn more about it. There's not much depth in everything, be it the world building or the characters.

I settled with the thought that this is on purpose, because that's how the characters in this world live. That's all they know. There isn't much depth in everything. Everything is superficial.

This way I could really enjoy the book, because it throws you right into this community.

Am I wrong? Probably. Could one interpret much or even less deeper than this? Sure, but with this mindset, paired with the really awesome ending that leaves you like you want it to leave you, I really enjoyed The Giver. I think it's a book that you can form like you wish.

FANTASTIC NOVEL!
By far, one of the best dystopian novels I have ever read.
The work has a somewhat similar touch to Anthem by Ayn Rand but at the same time very rich and unique.

Definitely in my top 10 recommendations

Livre assez bien écrit, présentant un futur dystopique vraiment intéressant qui n'est pas sans rappeler Le meilleur des mondes. J'ai retrouvé des éléments classiques dans la science fiction ça et là, mais cela ne gâche en rien le plaisir de lire. La société décrite est intéressante, le rôle de dépositaire encore plus, car il est intriguant et pose énormément de questions. Je suis juste un peu resté sur ma faim, mais je vais m'attaquer à la suite pour combler ça. Petit bémol, les personnages sont à mes yeux pas assez creusés pour que on s'attache vraiment à eux.

the story took forever to get moving and then it ended just when it seemed to get moving. Guess I'll have to read the 2nd book to see if it gets better.

A wonderful book. The world Lowry created is both believable and frightening. Jonas and The Giver are both easily likable with the book moving at break neck pace as it nears it's ultimate climax. I could not put this book down and needed to find out what happened in the end. Highly recommended.

This reminds me of the story of the little matchstick girl.
It was... Interesting.

1st read - 5 star
2nd read - 4 star

My book club chose to read The Giver in preparation for the movie (which will be out in August). I think it's probably been a decade since I last read this. I loved it then, but I have read so much dystopian literature at this point that The Giver comes off as very simplistic. Very little of Jonas's world makes sense to me. Why don't they see colors? Where are the animals? How does the Giver and the Receiver have magical powers when no one else does? I remember being shocked at what happened with the father, but blurred it in my mind with another book that “released” old people after a celebration of their lives (was is Matched by Condie)? I'm glad I reread it, because it was an important book for its time. I'm just not sure how it holds up. It didn't for me.

I liked this, merely because I like the genre. I'm going to go with the opinion that Jonas and Gabriel die at the end becasue it was a bit too Peter Pan like for it not to be ie Elsewhere and Neverland.... same place, death. 3/5 stars

An absolutely fantastic children's book. The dystopia is introduced as matter-of-fact, without judgment, and the adventure begins when the main character gets his first job. Though he is singled out as special, he is not “the only one”, which occurs so often in Fantasy and Children's books to make it worthless.
The only detractor from the book is that events happen a bit too fast. While a lot of time is given to setup the context and experiences, decisions are made and acted on straightaway. This shallowness is likely because the book is written for children.
Nevertheless, could not recommend the book more.

I read this last night from 12:00-2:00 AM and here's my full review on this book:

Set in a world where there is no color, suffering, pain, diseases, war, etc., The Giver is a magnificent story that depicts a what we so called a Utopian society. Every person has an essential role to maintain and help the Community to function precisely. Everything was just PERFECT. Although everything started changing when our young protagonist, Jonas, was honoured as the new Receiver of Memory at age twelve. Memories that are utterly unknown by the society, memories that will surely change his perspectives in life. The world that Jonas lives in is completely different from he world we're living right now. Everything is controlled by government and everyone's fate is sort of planned out already. Nothing new ever happens, nothing seems to change anymore. Human feelings were eliminated, to eradicate problems and conflicts that would just ruin their perfect kind of living.

Lois Lowry's writing style fascinated me. The setting was very unique and I felt a strong connection towards the characters, especially Jonas and The Giver. And of course, Baby Gabriel. The entire story used wonderful details which will surely draw every reader in. It's not very fast-paced, and things weren't rushed to let everyone process every bit of detail in the story. Lowry's imagination led us to a world we know nothing about.

I strongly recommend this book to all ages, most importantly to children. It will teach them how to properly perceive the world with their five senses. It will not only be entertaining to read, but will also give you new perspectives in the world we're living. This book is going to leave you with a different outlook in life, and a much brightened sense of reality.

Can definitely understand why people consider this a classic.

The only bad thing about this book is that people insist that it is a children's/young adult book. But it is not. It is definitely a good sci-fi book for any age.

Whoa.

I was assigned this book for school reading. It was supposed to be a couple of chapters a day. I read through it in one sitting. I had to! Some books, it feels like I will ruin my life if I put them down. It was so with The Giver.

I'm not going to go into the utopian/dystopian setting or the political messages. What struck me about the book was memories. The people of Jonas's community had no memories other than here and now, the Sameness. It was safe, and they were all content because they did not know any other way. It sort of blew me away when I realized that no one in the book had any concept of hills or color, because those were outside the realm of their experience. Things I take for granted. And none of them had experienced love, which I have also lived with my entire life.

The Giver and the Receiver were the only people who knew suffering, hunger, poverty, agony, war, or terror. They were alone in their pain. But they were also the only ones who knew true joy, love, and courage. They needed the good memories of many generations, “back and back and back”, to face the pain that brought wisdom. Someone needed to bear all those memories. They alone had the strength.

Basically, anyone who has traumatic memories, this book will be an engrossing and hard read. It brought to mind a lot of stuff for me. Some pages it was mostly memories of the joy of love. Other pages it was the pain of loneliness. But after reading this book, it's like I'm armed with the confidence, that even when the bad memories threaten to overtake me, when it hurts just to breath, I have the strength and wisdom to use all my memories to keep others safe.

Most people read The Giver when in junior high, I did not until I was out of college. I still enjoyed the story and made me a bit disappointed I did not read it back when. The book is about a dystopia I find most troubling, one where your decisions are made for you. Story is good for young children to start a young love of reading and thought provoking subject matter.

A small, impressive book that shows us a world which could be a utopia. Like Jonas, the protagonist, we learn at what cost this society has been created. Lois Lowry teaches the importance of free choice, of memories, and of being allowed to have feelings - all without preaching. I personally wasn't a huge fan of the ending but I think this book is a good choice for all those who are currently suffering from the YA dystopia craze.
Readers are not treated as morons, the language is concise and the story written so well that people of all ages can enjoy it.
For a full review go to SFF Book Review

I appreciate the story but on the whole it comes off like something expressly crafted for a grade school textbook. I half expect to find a glossy laminate sheet tucked inside with questions like “What do you think of the world Jonas lives in? Why?” It's no doubt a fantastic book to foster animated discussions in the classroom, maybe not so great for anyone who's old enough to pay income tax.

Based on the synopsis, I thought I would detest this one, but my only complaints were with the slightly condescending tone and the ending... But, I tend not to like anyone's endings, so take that with a grain of salt.

I am recommending The Giver to my 12 year old.

This was a really good and fast read. The story was well written and kept a great pace. Would love to know what the “rest of the story” is!

And...I did totally see the similarities between Matched and The Giver in the beginning, but as the story began to take shape it fell away for me. Both were great reads.