In her strongest work to date, Lois Lowry once again creates a mysterious but plausible future world. It is a society ruled by savagery and deceit that shuns and discards the weak. Left orphaned and physically flawed, young Kira faces a frightening, uncertain future. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, she struggles with ever broadening responsibilities in her quest for truth, discovering things that will change her life forever.
My Thoughts - B+
Although not as amazing as The Giver, Gathering Blue was another brilliant trip into a new possible world. The Village seems so primal even though it is set in the not so far future. The possibility that the human race can revert back to such a savage race is daunting and frightening. Kira, the main character breathes compassion into the story with her humbleness and innocence. My only complaint, besides being too short, was that it was quite predictable and left a few unanswered questions. The conclusion was somewhat vague which left the reader to decide what they think will happen to the characters and what paths they will follow. Overall I enjoyed it, but, again I say, it did not live up to the standards of The Giver.
Messenger
Second book in the Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
For the past six years, Matty has lived in Village and flourished under the guidance of Seer, a blind man, known for his special sight. Village was a place that welcomed newcomers, but something sinister has seeped into Village and the people have voted to close it to outsiders. Matty has been invaluable as a messenger. Now he must make one last journey through the treacherous forest with his only weapon, a power he unexpectedly discovers within himself.
My Thoughts - B+
The series is starting to all come together... When I first found out there were companion books to The Giver, I was so excited, until I read the jacket summaries and didn't read the name "Jonas" anywhere. My heart sank a little when I figured that this wasn't a continuation of The Giver's main character, Jonas, but the stories of separate individuals from different places. My assumption was confirmed when I read about Kira in Gathering Blue. But as I dove deeper into this installment, I realized these several stories are taking place on the same timeline, in the same world, just in various communities. Messenger is beginning to connect the dots and is bringing the characters slowly together.
So that was the best part of this novel, was recognizing some old friends and making these connections. We get to follow Matty and watch him mature into the caring and determined man we knew was inside the playful young boy. The author shows us the panic a community has when it feels threatened by the loss of the perfection they have achieved after such hard former lives. It was intriguing to read the mystery of the negative changes to the village members and how this place and its people were connected to seemingly alive forest they all feared. Overall Messenger was a little better than the last
"Maybe everything is
an illusion to a man
who has lost his
eyes..."
-Matty
Son
Son: Final Book of the Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
They called her Water Claire. When she washed up on their shore, no one knew that she came from a society where emotions and colors didn’t exist. That she had become a Vessel at age thirteen. That she had carried a Product at age fourteen. That it had been stolen from her body. Claire had a son. But what became of him she never knew. What was his name? Was he even alive? She was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible. Now Claire will stop at nothing to find her child, even if it means making an unimaginable sacrifice.