chrissie_whitley's reviews
1549 reviews

Reluctant though I was to find myself in a sequel novel that had no obvious commonalities with its predecessor, I'm glad I took the plunge.

Setting aside the society and characters from [b:The Giver|3636|The Giver (The Giver, #1)|Lois Lowry|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1342493368s/3636.jpg|2543234], author [a:Lois Lowry|2493|Lois Lowry|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1348162077p2/2493.jpg] chooses to present us with a second option to the future with a different society and character-realm. However perpendicular the common ground the novel walks on, when compared to the first book, its clear after reading Gathering Blue that the points of intersection are fast approaching.

The society that masquerades as a utopian future in the first novel, is countered with the clearly dystopian society here that has reverted to a near-Middle Age-esque level of development and violence.

The similarities run in the vein of wonderment and amazement as the main character elevates above the norm and begins to break away from what has become acceptable and expected. Also, the thrum of acceptance from the main stream of the population with the status quo, given with a shoulder shrug of that's just the way things are, rings true for the universe as a whole and is present in both books.

I think the main thing I am finding that I love about the two books I've read so far in The Giver Quartet, is the simple writing style, coupled with the discovery of where humanity could potentially find itself and seeing what possibly led it to this place: the exploration of the unknown in Lowry's universe.

Going into the third book of the series was easier because the main character for [b:Messenger|12930|Messenger (The Giver, #3)|Lois Lowry|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1386924375s/12930.jpg|901952] is present and an enjoyable part of the narrative from this book.

I wasn't sure when I'd get around to reading this book. It's been on my list of books to read for a while, on Goodreads and before when I'd see it in the store. I remember reading [b:Number the Stars|47281|Number the Stars|Lois Lowry|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1370917812s/47281.jpg|2677305] when I was in sixth grade. Like all books I read during that time that incited any powerful emotions of injustices and societal discriminations, it had quite an impact on me at the time and it stayed with me for years later. Ultimately, I had my oldest son read it when he was in sixth grade (and he felt the same striking emotions), and will have my younger son read it when he reaches that age.

So, needless to say, I was an uncertain fan of Lowry's—that having been the only book of hers that I had read. But, this had always grabbed my attention: the cover, the title, and the author all having very striking statements to make on the shelf at the store.

The story unfolds in a neat manner, and you get the sense of wrongness from the get go. The utopian future feels off straight away, and you get the currents of the underlying actuality of the dystopian state. Our narrator, Jonas, is rather younger than I would imagine for the roles they play within the Community in the book. But, I enjoyed his point-of-view very much. The newness of his experiences and the knowledge he gains played very nicely off his own inexperience in life (in our world or his). The many things the Community, and the people of, lacks are subtly revealing and were startling realizations at times to imagine. I never felt the story slow to a lull or throw something at me from left field. The entirety of the story felt delicate and balanced, whispery and gentle, even in the more unthinkable revelations.

All in all, a quick and immensely enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series soon.