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The Giver (The Giver, #1)

Lois Lowry

Start date: September 15, 2020

Finish date: October 1, 2020

Discussion: AW BOOK CLUB (spoilers)

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Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back

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What Members Thought

Sep 06, 2012 ☼Bookish in Virginia☼ rated it it was amazing

THE GIVER hardly needs commentary from me. It's been praised up one-side and down another. And yet I'm going to write a few more words.

Lowry's writing in this book is delightful. Her tone is calm and her word and grammar choice are simple, almost childish, which fits the principle character who is only 11 at the beginning of this book. And yet it's the soft, light tone --which never changes as the story unfolds-- that makes the horror of the tale all the more real, all the more poignant when jux ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2012 Katie Kenig rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, dystopia, favorites

In this novel of a dystopian future where "sameness" is the norm and politeness and normalcy is the status quo, we meet a young man chosen to receive the memories of all people. It will be painful, he is warned, and he will have to be brave. With the collective consciousness purged of any knowledge of famine, war, prejudice, pain, and fear it is important for one person to be wise enough to advise the governing council on their decisions, for only the receiver of memory has any idea what the rep ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2014 Elizabeth rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, fiction, audiobooks-library, bookclub-ladies, dystopia, 2014, series

I hadn’t heard of this book before it was chosen for one of my book clubs, but later found out it is known as a classic young adult dystopian novel (which will soon be a motion picture). I didn’t know much about it, but was interested in the structure of the “community” it portrays. Everyone born within a single year are essentially treated as the same age, with important milestones celebrated collectively until they reach adulthood. Family units consist of a husband and wife that are matched an ...more

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Sep 11, 2013 Melanie rated it it was amazing

This book is on so many best book lists, so I had to read it! Not sure how I never read it before in the 90s, but glad I finally did!

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Jan 11, 2009 Ashley FL rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-reads

Best described as "heartbreakingly beautiful". I picked this up after talking about books with the elementary school principal, who said her husband was teaching it to his 8th grade class. An easy read, deceptively straight-forward in its language and style. Somewhat reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery" in its overall feeling. ...more

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Aug 02, 2010 Tom rated it liked it

Shelves: hard-copy

I heard about people reading this book in high school and wondered why I missed it. It turns out that it's because it was first published in 1993... about 10 years after I was done with high school.

It's a cautionary tale about a Utopia where everything is safe, secure and predictable. But safety/security comes at a cost. I won't spoil it for those oldsters who haven't read the book yet, but it comes as no surprise.

It's heavy-handed, moralistic and one-sided - as any "Utopia" story goes. It would ...more

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Sep 03, 2008 Aimee rated it liked it

This book actually put me in mind of The Stand by Stephen King. Lots of build up with a great story line -- plenty of tension -- and then an abrupt ending. I find that extremely irritating. It's as though the author all of the sudden looked up, saw the page count, and thought "Oh frap, this is getting long. I'd better hurry and finish." That might be somewhat understandable in a book like The Stand that is over 1,000 pages long, but in a book that doesn't even crest 200??? Maybe it's just my typ ...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Donna rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, dystopia-apocalyptic

I enjoyed the story and thought most of it was beautifully written, especially that ending. I've also got a lot of respect for this book's influence on young adult fiction. I will say it was more juvenile than I expected, though that's not surprising given how different the YA scene was at its publication.

The setting is a bit unrealistic for my taste. It's understandable to go along with the premise for the sake of the story, but the idea of memory being tied so heavily to perceptions and emotio ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 12, 2013 Mitchell Friedman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, dystopia, own, economics, philosophy, fiction, five-star, popular, read-popular, newbery-winner

Much better than I expected. Definitely not a children's book - but quite fits my definition of a young adult book. And holds up to comparison to Animal Farm and 1984 and Anthem and so forth. Scary and unfair. And the ending is rushed and uneven. But otherwise posits a world much different than our own. Written in a simple and clear style and worth rereading as an adult. ...more

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