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.


LilEgg BRONZE said...
on Oct. 10 2011 at 6:46 am
LilEgg BRONZE, Solothurn, Other
3 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Think of all the Beauty still left around you and be happy&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> -Anne Frank

The book is really interesting actually and it's a series of books so you can't just read the Giver you have to read the other ones to understand everything.

Shadow said...
on Oct. 7 2011 at 5:51 pm
The Giver was boring

Hester BRONZE said...
on Sep. 29 2011 at 5:24 pm
Hester BRONZE, Austin, Texas
4 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
Not all who wander are lost. <br /> <br /> <br /> -J.R.R. Tolkien

I read The Giver when I was in elementary school and loved it. I read it again as a school book in 7th grade. And loved it. In conclusion, this is a great book. ;p

on Sep. 28 2011 at 9:44 pm
TheWordSmith SILVER, Placerville, California
5 articles 0 photos 51 comments
Personally, The Giver is my all-time favorite book. I know everyone has their personal preferences, but perhaps if you used an online resource that thoroughly explained any confusing parts (example: SparkNotes), then you would be able to better appreciate the story. Just a suggestion :)

on Sep. 27 2011 at 3:00 pm
 Why would you be negative about the book? You are supposed to give us details about the book, not how you didn't like it and I hear that it is a very good and interesting book.

Costa said...
on Sep. 18 2011 at 11:32 pm
Costa, Ellsworth, Iowa
0 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
When I grow up I want to be a rainbow. That way I can be any color I want and still be me. ~Me

I read The Giver last year for school and I loved it. I know that some people got a little confused about some of it, but that's the best part. Even though I didn't get confused while reading this—I only get confused when things actually make sense, if they are confusing themselves, then I won't get confused and I'll understand it perfectly...strange...—I still think that this was a great book. I think that you should reread it and try to find the true meaning of The Giver because then you'll have a better understanding of it and you'll like it a lot more. Also if you are to write a review on a book, you really need to add why you did or did not like what you are reviewing. If you don't add those important elements then people will disagree mostly wit what you have to say because you don't explain to them why you think the way you do.

Costa said...
on Sep. 18 2011 at 11:19 pm
Costa, Ellsworth, Iowa
0 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
When I grow up I want to be a rainbow. That way I can be any color I want and still be me. ~Me

I agree. We read this for English in 8th grade and we had to do a project fo it. I decided to write another chapter explaining what happened to Jonas and Gabriel

Taintedlove said...
on Sep. 18 2011 at 10:35 pm
Taintedlove, Hell, Georgia
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.&quot; <br /> &mdash; Edgar Allan Poe

This book was absoulutly beyond amazing. I can see close-minded people not liking it because their agraid of what is happening to society, but if you like it or not if we don't change our choices made in the goverment thats what is left to happen for genrations before someone has the guts to speak up and leave this horrible community.

on Sep. 18 2011 at 4:45 am
AyeshaMuzaffar BRONZE, Lahore, Other
4 articles 0 photos 98 comments
I couldn't disagree more. I read this book 3 times and every time I felt an urge to read it again and that's a good thing.

Jessica112 said...
on Sep. 3 2011 at 5:49 pm
I agree! This was an awesome book!

WritersSpark said...
on Aug. 16 2011 at 8:15 pm
I read the Giver unopenedly (and maybe a bit unwillingly) as a project for school and was actually a bit surprised by its outcome. First of all, L.L was very creative and brave on the storyline, which I commend her for that, and she also opened my eyes brighter in the catagory of science fiction. At first the Giver did NOT appeal to me (from the dull grey cover of a bearded man to the vage description) but after getting into it, I became eager to enter the doors of 5th period English. As a fellow writer, the ending was my favorite part, and I dont mean that in a bad way. I will try not to spoil it but I liked how she made us ponder about what happened next and let our brains inspire us to think of a last sentence. My class even got into a fight between two possible answers and we didnt talk to eachother untill the next week. Over All I would give this book about 4 stars. (:

bridget1 said...
on Jul. 24 2011 at 4:47 pm
bridget1, Green Cove Springs, Florida
0 articles 6 photos 3 comments
I competely agree that it was about being grateful for our world. I also think the author was trying to convey to the reader how important it is to be unique and at least a little different than everyone else rather than trying to be the same.

Krystal27 said...
on Jul. 22 2011 at 7:22 am
"The Giver," it's themes and the choices made by the society disturbed me deeply, so much so I even told people at work about it. For society to make a choice to opt for "sameness" and take it to the extents they had... I can't say I enjoyed The Giver but I can appreciate it for what it was. I felt some backstory would have been nice, and I wasn't entirely satisfied with the last chapter (the moment his "father" says Gabriele is being released, and onwards) but ending was brave and thought provoking and left me full of questions, a refreshing change from the norm.

I LIKE PIE said...
on Jul. 8 2011 at 1:44 pm
I thimk you were expecting it to be a 'event book', but really, The Giver wasn't about what happened; it was about the ideas the author had about our world. It was a book about how great our world is and how we should be greatful.

kewlbeans41 said...
on Jul. 2 2011 at 4:40 pm
i totally disagree wit the writer of this review. i loved the giver and pratically spent all nite reading it and while its not fastpased its still well written. i think that lois lowry is a damn good author.

on Jun. 26 2011 at 8:17 pm
abnormal PLATINUM, Jonesboro, Georgia
24 articles 8 photos 44 comments

Favorite Quote:
Truth is eternal. Knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them. <br /> <br /> -Madeleine L&#039;Engle

I'm in a completely different boat!  I've read the giver multiple times and it has left me a lot to ponder over.  It may not be an action-packed book, but it still meets the standards of intersting

rockyraccoon said...
on Jun. 26 2011 at 12:47 am
rockyraccoon, Fort Wayne, Indiana
0 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
today tommorow next month next year all look remarkably gray.

I disagree this book while not exactly fast paced was still quite interesting and also this book was fairly original no hoverboards or flying cars and such.

on Jun. 25 2011 at 1:27 pm
RhythmAndRhyme BRONZE, Rockford, Michigan
4 articles 0 photos 91 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;There&#039;s no half-singing in the shower, you&#039;re either a rock star or an opera diva.&quot; ~~Josh Groban

I totally and completely disagree with you and this whole article. The book is extremely well written, in my eyes, and is quite the cautionary tale. I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy it as much as you could have, and I wish you would give it a second chance...maybe read it again, but with new eyes! Try to find the good things in it as you sweep over each line, the things other people might like about a book like this.

caitieb said...
on Jun. 25 2011 at 8:33 am
caitieb, Quincy, Indiana
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
The giver was amazing and well plotted maybe its too politically educating

on Jun. 24 2011 at 5:22 pm
I must say I completely disagree with everything said in this article.