nullitas@smartreads.ca reviewed The Giver by Lois Lowry
Thoughtful book
Although the book is meant for children it's worth reading for adults.
Paperback, 208 pages
English language
Published May 11, 1999 by Yearling & Newberry.
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.
Although the book is meant for children it's worth reading for adults.
I've never read these books, despite having them come up in conversation and in passing many times. The first one was good, but for the most of it I found myself thinking about how cliche it felt. Young Adult Dystopians novels always seem really obsessed with social control. Not that that's a bad thing, and of course that's a set of ideas that is actually really important to young adults. But to me, it made this narrative feel really...trite. I enjoyed the second novel in the series much more.