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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 587 comments.
Wanda Leibowitz said...
on Dec. 4 2009 at 8:13 pm
I completely agree. Had I not read "1984" before reading this I would have been completely lost. "Animal Farm" is also another great book to read to understand better.
Asia&Jimetta said...
on Dec. 4 2009 at 12:53 pm
I love this book=))**
jmc.13 said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 11:27 am
I read and loved "The Giver". It was an interesting satire of communism, and if you couldn't get that then it's your own fault. This book is amazing and Lois Lowry is a superb author.
FlyleafFreak DIAMOND said...
on Nov. 28 2009 at 9:32 am
Wow. It seems that there are so few people left that can actually look past the literal meaning of words on the page. The vague sense of all her books it what keeps you in the book. Come one people, look deeper than the words on the page!
KnowItAll said...
on Nov. 24 2009 at 11:13 am
Although it was a well written review, so was The Giver. I personally disagree with your oppinion. The giver was a bit predictable, but all around a great book.
fearlessalways13 SILVER said...
on Nov. 23 2009 at 6:30 pm
Very nice format to your review! But, I have to disagree. 'The Giver' is actually one of my very favorite books! I thought the vagueness of it was really beautiful, actually. The ending DID leave me hanging, though, which I wasn't a huge fan of. But I haven't read 'Gathering Blue' or 'The Messenger' yet, so I guess I shouldn't judge the ending quite yet. However, I respect your opinion and your writing style is really good! :)
book_itt752 said...
on Nov. 22 2009 at 3:06 pm
I absolutely 100% disagree. I love The Giver and im sorry it wasnt enjoyable for you. but i love how i can draw my own conclusions, eventhough my favorite parts of book are the ending. Lois Lowry did a great jod. Thanks to my 8th grade teacher for making me read it !
Well, the whole point of the giver was not the content itself, but the message it gave. The society he lived in was communist to the most extreme. You couldn't see color, there were no hills, nobody could be different, nothing bad nor good happened. There was no LOVE!!!! If you think that this book was dull, you missed the point of it.
pictolover SILVER said...
on Nov. 10 2009 at 10:06 am
I really liked this book. I loved the cliffhanger ending.
I agree that the giver was in fact a boring book, i had to read it in 6th grade. then in 7th grade we read the next book of the series, gathering blue. This one was a little better. Finally in 8th grad e we read the last book in the series, the messenger. This book tied everything together and was a really great book. so if you have the patience so read the rest of the series i really recommend it.
I HATE YOU said...
on Nov. 5 2009 at 10:57 am
I hate this book so much. I agree with the writer of this review. It's very doll and slow. It didn't please me or satisfy me. Read it and die of boredom
I had the exact same response when I read The Giver. I was so interested in this society that the writer painted a picture of so well, and it actually helped me think of a lot of story ideas that revolved around utopia and futuristic plots. I consider The Giver to be one of my favorites.
D.D.in_da_house said...
on Oct. 21 2009 at 9:43 am
i think the giver was a great book even the ending because it gives you a cliff hanger which draws your attention
JoeGoe said...
on Sep. 8 2009 at 6:44 pm
I could not agree more with you.
omgimaninja07 BRONZE said...
on Sep. 2 2009 at 12:58 am
No disrespect to you or this review, but I completely disagree with your opinion of The Giver. I read this book in 6th grade, and to this day it remains one of my favorites. I was fascinated with the idea of a utopian society in which people were unable to make decisions for themselves, and I was also slightly disturbed by the limitations of this lifestyle. I think that Lois Lowry succeeded completely in capturing the essence of what such a lifestyle would be like, and I'm sorry that you failed to realize what a treasure this book really was.
dancedreamer101 GOLD said...
on Sep. 1 2009 at 6:48 pm
I had to read this for 8th grade englsih a while back. I actually kinda liked it. I liked it very much. Very different from most novels I've read.
Leyra said...
on Sep. 1 2009 at 6:10 pm
I think your review was well written but I have to completely disagree with you. That book was rather confusing but once you got to the end you got it all, even though the ending of it was rather, how do you say dumb and stupid, but the rest of the book was good and it didn't seem predictable. I think you are completely wrong about that book. I thought it was going to be bad but after I read it I loved it. It was good and well written. You're judging a book by its contents and thats even worse then judging the cover.
i disagree 10000000%, this is an amazing book. yes, you need to look a little deeper, and think along different lines than normal, but it is a meaningful book, not an adventure story. try it again, i've been reading it every year since it came out and i love it more every time.
