Common Sense Note
Though lacking the intellectual and moral complexity of its predecessor, "The Giver," this still gives readers things to think about, including the relationship between politics and art, and between art and magic.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
The parallels with the author's Newbery-winning novel, "The Giver," are many. Both take place in ordered villages in a future after some sort of world-wide destruction, and both revolve around a child who is given the task of preserving cultural memories, and who discovers, through their tasks, the secrets upon which their society is built. Author Lowry explored a seemingly perfect future society in the previous novel, but here the society is squalid and hateful.
"The Giver" asked readers to think about the compromises they would be willing to make for peace and contentment. Here the questions are about the sacrifices they would make to improve an angry and loveless culture. Both seem particularly relevant questions these days. Like the previous story, the ending is ambiguous, and most of the questions are not answered, which some readers will find frustrating. The story, though engrossing, is more taken up with an exploration of the society and the revelation of some of the secrets, than with the kind of intellectual and moral complexity presented in "The Giver." Nevertheless, fans of the earlier book will find this an interesting and well-written, if somewhat paler, companion.
From the Book:
She saw Vandara lean down and pick up a rock the size of a tyke's fist. "We don't want you here," the woman said. "You don't belong in the village anymore. You're worthless, with that leg. Your mother always protected you, but she's gone now. You should go too."
Plot Summary:
Kira, born with a bad leg in a harsh society that shuns imperfections, is left an orphan when her mother suddenly dies of a mysterious illness. To her surprise, she is taken in by the Council of Guardians, given a comfortable room with food and indoor plumbing, and allowed to pursue the craft for which she has an unusual talent -- embroidery. She trains with an old woman in how to make dyes, and is given the task of restoring the robe worn by the Singer once a year, when he sings the history of the world to the people of the village.
But this unusually kind treatment hides many mysteries; what really happened to her parents, why was she taken in, who is crying on the floor below her, and what is the nature of her talent that so interests the Council. With Thomas, a boy with a similarly unusual talent for carving, also orphaned and taken in by the Council, and Matt, a cheerful little urchin from the Fens, she begins to explore the nature of the society she had taken for granted.
Related Books:
Other Books in this Series
The Giver
Messenger
Other Dystopian Novels
No Kidding by Bruce Brooks
The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer
2041 by Jane Yolen
The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1984 by George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
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ViolenceKira's father is clubbed, slashed, blinded, and left for dead. Kira is threatened by women who want her land. |
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