Saturday, January 23, 2010

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Genre: young adult
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from brother in law
Published: 1993
Pages: 208
Content: PG for adult themes.
Reading Challenges: 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge, A to Z Challenge (Author L)

I really wanted to like this one too...I enjoy the dystopia type society and what could be world. I was into this about the first 50 pages or so and then the rest of the book just left me feeling bleh. It's been done before and better with A Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451. (with the first two, so I've been told, but with Fahrenheit definitely.)

I got the feeling throughout the last half of the book that she was telling me what was good and what was bad and how I should feel. Like with The Adoration of Jenna Fox I want these types of books to lay out the questions and themes without answering them for me.

I can see why people enjoy this book; it's horrific and kind of thrusts the creepiness and icky factor upon you with a sense of relief that you're sure glad your life isn't like this...but it just answered for me instead letting me answer for myself. I guess it's an OK read if you don't try to take too many things from it, but I know Lowry was trying to teach here and thus my displeasure.

Rating: 2/5

8 comments:

  1. Love the new background!

    You'd better get out of the YA books! They do have a tendency to try to guide the young people to what the author thinks is the right decision.

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  2. I know Lisa, I probably shouldn't take these so seriously...I really do enjoy a lot of YA...I guess the ones that aren't too deep or at least are too political or too philosophical in nature...

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  3. I remember really liking this author when I was younger. The one YA dystopia book I'm pimping to everyone is Life As we Knew It. It's what got me reading YA again. Love the Valentines Day background!

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  4. I've got an award for you at:
    http://litandlife.blogspot.com/2010/01/playing-catch-up-again-with-awards.html

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  5. Hey there. It's been ages since I read this book (i think 6th grade). I all I remember is not liking it...the same way I didn't like 1984 and Brave New World...They were so worth reading, as part of my education but not really enjoyable.

    It was good to hear what you thought.

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  6. I still want to read this one day, just to see what it's about. I do have 1984 sitting on my TBR pile too.

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  7. When I think of this book, I think that it is a good book because I have not really heard of anyone not liking it.

    Good to know your point of view for when I ever do get around to giving this one a read.

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  8. I've been meaning to read this one, so I don't know if I'll feel the same way as you, but I guess I'd rather have an author's point of view than not. Doesn't mean I have to like it, just like you didn't. Now I'm curious to read it and see what I think ;)

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