The Giver by Lois Lowry | Teen Ink

The Giver by Lois Lowry MAG

By Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
1044 articles 0 photos 1 comment

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 588 comments.


stargirl237 said...
on Dec. 7 2009 at 3:32 pm
stargirl237, Hartland, Vermont
0 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can&#039;t and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.&quot;-Robert Frost<br /> <br /> &quot;There is no excuse for not having a good excuse&quot;

This was a pretty good book until the reader finds out about the truth of the society in the end. Then I don't like it any more with the elements of release, absence of fellings and color, and the complete brainwashing type of style come in.

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
jmc.13, Dobbs Ferry, New York
0 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I&#039;d rather regret what I did than what I didn&#039;t do.&quot;

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.

on Nov. 28 2009 at 9:32 am
FlyleafFreak DIAMOND, Loveland, Colorado
51 articles 0 photos 203 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I have faith in fools;self confidence my friends call it&quot;~Edger Allan Poe<br /> &quot;In this world of infinite insanity, your friends are the best psychiatrists you will ever have.&quot;~Me

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!

Naina BRONZE said...
on Nov. 24 2009 at 4:46 pm
Naina BRONZE, Merrill, Iowa
3 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
still lookin for 1

im sorry but honestly would someone like to tell me how you all get this book... i got so lost i couldnt finish it

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.

on Nov. 23 2009 at 6:30 pm
fearlessalways13 SILVER, N/A, New Hampshire
7 articles 6 photos 46 comments
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 !

Kavishg BRONZE said...
on Nov. 18 2009 at 6:28 pm
Kavishg BRONZE, Newton, Massachusetts
2 articles 0 photos 39 comments
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.

on Nov. 16 2009 at 9:31 pm
DizzyRae PLATINUM, Fort Washington, Maryland
20 articles 2 photos 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks; the ultimate, the last test and proof; the work for which all other work is but preparation.&rdquo;<br /> -Rainer Maria Rilke

I liked it 2...It was sumthin different..It wasnt the usual mystery type book or wateva but it was an futuristic 1...

on Nov. 10 2009 at 10:06 am
pictolover SILVER, Brookfield, Missouri
8 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Life is like a roller coaster. When you don&#039;t know what to do buckle up, close your eyes, and enjoy the ride.&quot;

I really liked this book. I loved the cliffhanger ending.

on Nov. 7 2009 at 2:44 am
itsjustme BRONZE, Vacaville, California
3 articles 0 photos 5 comments
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

MiRawr BRONZE said...
on Nov. 3 2009 at 3:45 pm
MiRawr BRONZE, Bloomington, Indiana
1 article 1 photo 7 comments
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.

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.

on Sep. 2 2009 at 12:58 am
omgimaninja07 BRONZE, Laflin, Pennsylvania
4 articles 0 photos 4 comments
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.

on Sep. 1 2009 at 6:48 pm
dancedreamer101 GOLD, Severna Park, Maryland
10 articles 0 photos 4 comments
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
Leyra, Bronx, New York
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
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.