The Giver by Lois Lowry | Teen Ink
  1. Home
  2. Reviews
  3. Book Reviews
  4. The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry MAG

By Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
More by this author
Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
1044 articles 0 photos 1 comment
View profile

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.

Image Credit: Amazon.com

Buy from Amazon
Post a comment
Submit your own

Similar Articles

Previous Next
Reviews
Dragon Champion by E.E. Knight
By Anonymous
Reviews
Sister Slam
By Anonymous
Reviews
Burned by Ellen Hopkins
By Anonymous
Reviews
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
By Anonymous
Reviews
Stick Figure by Lori Gottlieb
By Anonymous
Reviews
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman
By Anonymous

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 587 comments.

manga_maniac SILVER said...
on Feb. 15 2010 at 7:12 am
manga_maniac SILVER, Bloomington, Indiana
8 articles 1 photo 79 comments
View profile
me too! but i thought the giver was best
manga_maniac SILVER said...
on Feb. 15 2010 at 7:11 am
manga_maniac SILVER, Bloomington, Indiana
8 articles 1 photo 79 comments
View profile
i thoght the book was great. i liked the ending though it might bother some who want and ending that tells exactly what happens. nice writing though!
adristar96 SILVER said...
on Feb. 14 2010 at 8:49 pm
adristar96 SILVER, Miami, Florida
9 articles 4 photos 77 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is like a box of chocolate, You'll never know what your gonna get. :) Forest Gump

View profile
In a way i disagree with you. I read it and thought it was very decent and well written. But in some parts were confusing. other than that, it was good.
Alyssathenerd:D said...
on Feb. 12 2010 at 10:21 pm
I have to disagree with this review. In my opinion, I thought the giver was a fairly decent book. Even though some of the book was predictable, I still believe it was great book because of the strong message given off by this book.
nbmssi said...
on Feb. 8 2010 at 10:31 am
i loved this book.... it actually made you think just like the rest of her books.
SaraRoxsHerSox SILVER said...
on Feb. 5 2010 at 10:12 am
SaraRoxsHerSox SILVER, McVeytown, Pennsylvania
7 articles 0 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Brochacho!"

View profile
Yep, I agree with you
SaraRoxsHerSox SILVER said...
on Feb. 5 2010 at 10:11 am
SaraRoxsHerSox SILVER, McVeytown, Pennsylvania
7 articles 0 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Brochacho!"

View profile
I completely agree with you.
SaraRoxsHerSox SILVER said...
on Feb. 5 2010 at 10:10 am
SaraRoxsHerSox SILVER, McVeytown, Pennsylvania
7 articles 0 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Brochacho!"

View profile
I respectfully disagree with this article. I love this book adn have read it many times.
Shel-Bells SILVER said...
on Feb. 4 2010 at 9:42 am
Shel-Bells SILVER, Middletown, Delaware
8 articles 2 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
When nothing goes right , go left (:

View profile
The Giver Has changed the way I see the world. Once you read it you begin to think differently about this world and your community. Its a great read with twist & turns!
AspiringAuthorAnonymous BRONZE said...
on Jan. 29 2010 at 3:58 pm
AspiringAuthorAnonymous BRONZE, Lititz, Pennsylvania
2 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I cannot live without books" - Thomas Jefferson

View profile
I personally love the giver and have read it three times. Try number the stars, it good too!!!
kagoma BRONZE said...
on Jan. 20 2010 at 8:49 pm
kagoma BRONZE, Miami, Florida
1 article 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
shoot for the moon, even if you miss you will land among the stars

View profile
The reason I found the book “The Giver” so interesting because they described a society with people who were living a seemingly perfect life. The job of the Giver was to take on the burdens of the people within the village. The Giver was the only one who felt pain, happiness, and compassion. In other words he was the only person in the village who really endured feeling. I felt the plot was magnificent and that the book was very well written. However like you have already stated, that’s just my opinion, and you're entitled to yours.
DeadlyPoppy PLATINUM said...
on Jan. 18 2010 at 6:12 pm
DeadlyPoppy PLATINUM, Chehalis, Washington
30 articles 13 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Is mayonnaise an instrument?" -Patrick, Spongebob Squarepants

View profile
As far as I could tell, the book was about how even a "perfect society" wouldn't work properly. How what was supposed to be perfect only worked well because they kept secrets from the people and took away their free will. It was a good plot, as I said, and the message was inspiring, but like I said, the writing didn't flow at all. That's just my opinion, and you're entitled to yours.
kagoma BRONZE said...
on Jan. 18 2010 at 6:55 am
kagoma BRONZE, Miami, Florida
1 article 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
shoot for the moon, even if you miss you will land among the stars

View profile
I disagree with you entirely. The book “the giver” is the most breath taking, interesting, unique, and powerful book I have ever read. This book may have been boring to you, but maybe that is because you didn’t understand the true context of the book.
DeadlyPoppy PLATINUM said...
on Jan. 8 2010 at 9:05 pm
DeadlyPoppy PLATINUM, Chehalis, Washington
30 articles 13 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Is mayonnaise an instrument?" -Patrick, Spongebob Squarepants

View profile
I totally agree with your review. We read The Giver for English class last year, and it practically put me to sleep. The plot is good, but the book itself doesn't flow properly and it's slightly confusing at times and boring at others.
xenon333 PLATINUM said...
on Jan. 2 2010 at 3:50 pm
xenon333 PLATINUM, Billerica, Massachusetts
42 articles 0 photos 150 comments
View profile
You could maybe try reading it again-but slower-to grasp the full effect of Lois Lowry's outtake on the future. The Giver is certainly a novel with many perspectives.
sophietle BRONZE said...
on Dec. 30 2009 at 11:07 pm
sophietle BRONZE, Houston, Texas
4 articles 3 photos 33 comments

Favorite Quote:
"As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters." - Seneca

View profile
Your review is well organized and written fairly fluently, but I have to strongly disagree with your opinion of this book. "The Giver" is a book that needs to be read more than once to be completely understood. I found the "disappointing" ending more like a hopeful one, and the book overall as incredibly powerful. Try reading it again. :)
Josefina said...
on Dec. 16 2009 at 8:22 pm
I agree with this, sort of. The book did have interesting part, but it was slightly slow and not enough plot, but if you have disscussions, like I did in 7th grade. There were so many different opinions, and if you really listened, you could get more out of.
nadeszhdahope said...
on Dec. 15 2009 at 2:47 pm
nadeszhdahope, Sofia, Other
0 articles 1 photo 1 comment
View profile
I love The Giver but to fully understand it you need to read the next three, Gathering Blue and The Messenger (in that order.) It also helps if you try to look for parallels in society. I love Lois Lowry. :)
bandicootii said...
on Dec. 13 2009 at 10:22 am
I agree. I love this book! I know there are a lot of people who hate it, but I don't see why!
stargirl237 said...
on Dec. 7 2009 at 3:32 pm
stargirl237, Hartland, Vermont
0 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can&#039;t and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.&quot;-Robert Frost<br /> <br /> &quot;There is no excuse for not having a good excuse&quot;

View profile
This was a pretty good book until the reader finds out about the truth of the society in the end. Then I don't like it any more with the elements of release, absence of fellings and color, and the complete brainwashing type of style come in.