Messenger by Lois Lowry

“Six years earlier Matty had come to Village as a scrappy and devious little boy. Back then, he liked to call himself “the fiercest of the fierce,” but since that time, Matty had grown almost into a man under the care of Seer, a blind man whose special sight had earned him the name. Now Matty homes that he will soon be given his true name, and he hopes it will be Messenger. But strange changes are taking place in Village. Once a utopian community that prided itself on its welcome to newcomers, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders. As one of the only people to safely travel through the dangerous Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village’s closing and try to convince Seer’s daughter, Kira, to return with him before its too late. But Forest has grown hostile to Matty too, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it, armed only with an emerging power he cannot yet explain or understand.”

I was glad to see that Matt (from Gathering Blue) was the main character of this book. He has grown up a lot since the last time we saw him and is now living in the Village with Kira's father (the Seer). The Village is a place where people can come as a refuge from their previous homes. It is there that we are reunited with Jonas (from The Giver), who has become their Leader. I was happy to finally have some resolution on what happened with Jonas, and even to find out all the improvements that have taken place with Kira. For all three books I was just filled with frustration as I read. I appreciate the concept and what the author was going for, but in each case I felt the story ended too soon. Each had a hint of closure and the hope that everything will work out, but I was again left wanting more. It was frustrating to think that so much time and creativity had gone into each story and the endings just didn’t do it justice.

Book One: The Giver
Book Two: Gathering Blue
Book Three: Messenger

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

“Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared y the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can carry out. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes that she is surrounded by mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world—and to find out what exists beyond it.”

This is a companion book to The Giver. The story once again sucks you in, and the entire time you’re wondering what is going on. Like Jonas, Kira is a great lead character. Lois is really able to write children characters well, and yet still entertain an adult audience. There were many clues along the way that the audience picks up on that Kira does not. Like The Giver the society that Kira lives in is lacking in love, with very sad effects. They are a completely brutal race. Kindness is rare, and questioned. Life isn’t valued and even “family” will turn on you if it benefits themselves. It was encouraging to see that the children in the story Matt, Thomas and Kira were able to become dear friends in such harsh circumstances.

I was again disappointed in the ending, although it was better than the first book. For me it felt like an abrupt end to the story, there should have at least been one more chapter. I was also disappointed with the character of Vandara, she was a great villain but was hardly used in the book. That was a huge lose end that should have been tied up. I’m nervous to read the last book, Messenger, in fear that the ending of the series will leave me just as dissatisfied as the first two books.

Once again this book reminded me of the movie The Village. I just noticed that I wrote about that in my review of The Giver. I’m beginning to think that M. Night Shyamalan read these books and based loosely based the movie on them.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

"’It was almost December and Jonas was beginning to be frightened.’ Thus opens this haunting novel in which a boy inherits a seemingly ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality. It is a time in which family values are paramount, teenage rebellion is unheard of, and even good manners are a way of life. December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve year old receives a life assignment. Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man—the man called only The Giver—he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.”

Sometimes I am surprised when I pick up a book at the library and the cover is totally different than what I was expecting. Some books have a lot of different editions or re-printings. So, for this reason I wasn’t that surprised when I picked up my copy of The Giver and it had a totally different cover than what I have previously seen if. A lot of my friends have read and recommended this book to me and as I started reading I was really surprised and started to question why they thought I would be interested in this book. You see, the book I checked out was called The Giver, but it was by an author named Lynn Hall NOT Lois Lowry. The book I had checked out by mistake was (and I only read a little ways into it) about a high school student who falls in love with her teacher. Needless to say after I got a few pages in I did a double check online and realized I had picked up the wrong book. Since then, I have been a lot more careful when ordering a book from the library!

Finally, I received the correct book and was excited to see what all the hoopla was about. I had a vague idea about what the book was about, but was still surprised with the story. The writing was exceptional; you totally get sucked into the story and of course love Jonas and The Giver. It totally makes you grateful for God’s plan, and for His gift of free agency. Although life can be hard and bad things happen it is so worth it for all the good in the world. There is far more good than bad, and freedom is so important. I won’t get on my soapbox, but I will say this book really gives you perspective.

It reminded me a bit of the movie The Village, where a few people who had suffered greatly decide the world has gone out of control and decides to set up their own community. It also reminded me a bit of the book Ella Minnow Pea. In that story the town elders have all the decision making ability and pretty much go out of control. We see this in The Giver, where they even take away color, weather, or love. They go overboard and take way all the good things as well as all the bad.

I would probably rate this a 4.5, I would have given the book a full five stars, but I was completely dissatisfied with the ending, there was no closure. I would have liked to see more of what happens with Jonas and the people of his community. I still recommend this to everyone, it’s a great quick read and totally worth it. I look forward to reading Gathering Blue and Messenger (which I’ve been told are companion books to The Gift).