“If you were to be lost in the river, Jonas, your memories would not be lost with you. Memories are forever.” ― Lois Lowry, The Giver The Giver is a story about a young 12 year old boy Jonas, who lives in a society free of crime, sadness and any real concerns which we experience in our current world. At the age of 12, all children are assigned their jobs for their future careers which they will be trained for. Every child is monitored from a young age, from their parents, to their school test result… When the choosing ceremony comes, Jonas is different from the rest and is chosen to become the new ‘memory keeper’. This job entails that he will be taught by ‘The Giver’ all real experiences and aspects of life which are hidden from the community. This means that all the good and bad memories which ‘The Giver’ holds will be transferred to Jonas for him to keep. Will he be able to keep all the secrets and memories? What really happens to people who are “released”? Has his whole life being a lie? This book was quite enjoyable and an easy read for everyone- Despite it being targeted to younger children the story line makes it perfect for everyone of all ages. I really loved how Jonas’ character evolved through the novel, from a scared young boy who believed whatever her heard to one which made his own decisions and was willing to risk his life to save his ‘brother’ and his community. Throughout the book he started loosing trust in his parents and all leaders of the community when he started to find out the truth about his world. When The Giver shares his knowledge with Jonas and sees the recording of his father “releasing” a new born baby he instantly looses his trust and respect for his father, rather feels anger and embarrassment. This ultimately is the trigger in Jonas’ mind to leave and save his little brother which is to be dismissed the next day, also giving all memories to the entire community despite the leaders wishes. This change in heart from Jonas was probably my favourite part of the book where he had control over his destiny rather than having others choose it for him. This is presumably why the ending was so open ended where the readers had control over how the story ended. I really liked this books story line and the entire concept, however I do think that the ending was a bit dull and uneventful. I was quite disappointed, rather hoping for a more ambitious and insightful ending to the book. I think I was expecting more from the book, due to all the praise which I had heard. Dont get me wrong it was good however the ending didn’t exactly have me excited or thinking about it after flipping the last page. This book is for readers of all ages, particularly 10-14 who enjoy dystopian novels. The Giver by Lois Lowry AUD $ 19.99 (approx.) The Young Book Critic
2 Comments
Grace
8/3/2018 04:33:07 pm
THIS WEBSITE IS SO GOOD!!!
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The Young Book Critic
8/3/2018 06:14:24 pm
Thank you Grace!! I'm glad you like it :)
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