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    The Giver
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    The Giver
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    The Giver
    Audiobook4 hours

    The Giver

    Written by Lois Lowry

    Narrated by Ron Rifkin

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Lois Lowry's The Giver is the quintessential dystopian novel, followed by its remarkable companions, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.

    Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 5, 2000
    ISBN9780553751376
    Author

    Lois Lowry

    Lois Lowry is the author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including the New York Times bestselling Giver Quartet and the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, Number the Stars and The Giver.

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    Reviews for The Giver

    4/5

    11,076 ratings715 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This amazing book is a meditation on the dangers of trying to create a perfect world. In its unique way, it is a celebration of differences and a reminder that though our world sometimes brings us pain and difficulty, is also brings us joy and love and music and, most important, freedom.The Giver presents an opportunity to have conversations about why and how the world is the way it is—and why and how it isn’t the way it isn’t—and it is a beautifully written, wonderfully crafted novel that I believe completely deserved the Newbery Medal it was awarded “for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”Full review at The Book Lady's Blog
    • 4/5
      Great book and great series! Really thought provoking.
    • 5/5
      Jonas lives in a perfect world. Family units are perfectly selected, no one has any worry, jobs are assigned, and no one thinks twice about it. That is, until Jonas is selected as the next receiver of memory. As Jonas takes on his roll as the receiver, he begins to question his society. Maybe it is not as perfect as one would think. Troubled by this fact, Jonas decides to change society. This novel is my absolute favorite. Teachers can do so many things with this novel from an author study to comparing and contrasting other dystopian societies. Students could also think about what they would do if they were in Jonas' situation. Since this book has been adapted to a film version, students could also compare and contrast the movie and the book.
    • 4/5
      This is about a community who give up memories that one person keeps for them because the people might not be able to handle them. The Giver is getting old so he must give all the memories to a new person who must keep them for everyone. They don't remember color, sun, pain, courage and many other memories. They are very vanilla people. Jobs, spouses and children are selected for them. Twins born? The heaviest is kept and the other is "released" which everyone thinks they go somewhere else. I saw the movie first and it is a lot like the book yet quite different. The movie is heavier on the friends and the book is about the Giver and the Receiver. It's a very interesting concept. It's sad that people would be happy with such a bland life and controlled life. Love Ron Rifkin reading the book. One of my favorite actors.
    • 3/5
      [Cross-posted to Knite Writes]I’m not really sure how much I can say about this children’s classic that people haven’t already heard. Obviously, it’s a pretty clear origin point for many, many later dystopian stories, and its themes are fairly similar to much of today’s dystopian fare. Jonas is a young, impressionable, and hopeful protagonist who quickly grows disillusioned with his society when some ugly truths come to light. The social structure consists of the familiar few, older authority figures who control people through constant, 1984-style observation and rigorous, lifelong conditioning.There’s nothing much in this book that would surprise any reader today, given how popular dystopian has become in the last few years. But I can see how it would have been fairly groundbreaking children’s literature way back in 1993 (when I was, believe it or not, one year old).Really, I can’t complain about anything in this book, although I will admit I didn’t find it that spectacular. The writing style didn’t really grip me, the characters weren’t that interesting (although they weren’t too boring), and the plot was fairly simplistic despite the somewhat heavy-handed thematic overtones.In other words, it was a children’s book through and through. Not something I usually pick up. Not something I would have picked up had it not been hailed as a classic.There isn’t anything wrong with it, per say, given what is is: a didactic children’s story that teaches an important lesson about the nature of sacrifice and the human experience.So I’m firmly on the middle ground with this one. It’s all right, but it’s not something I found particularly compelling or ingenious.
    • 5/5
      The premise: ganked from Amazon.com: In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price. My RatingMust Have: fans of dystopia need to spare this book a look. It's short, sweet, and totally not a waste of time, and the elements of the dystopia are fascinating to examine and stew over. Yes, there's a touch of magical realism here, but the story of Jonas is touching and engaging, and worth reading no matter how old or young you are. The ending is poetically ambiguous, allowing the reader to decide for themselves what happens next, and lesser authors could not pull such an ending off. Lois Lowry, however, is not a lesser author, and it works wonderfully.Review style: For the love of everything pure and good, THERE BE SPOILERS!!! Seriously, I talk about pretty much everything important IN DETAIL, so if you want to stay pure, do NOT click the link below, which goes to the full review at my LJ. Because seriously, THERE BE SPOILERS. And not just this book, but two of Lowry's other books that make up this trilogy (yes, it's a trilogy. Did you know this? I sure didn't). At any rate, consider yourself warned. For those of you who don't care about spoilers or have read the book, feel free to click below for the full review (with spoilers). As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)REVIEW: Lois Lowry's THE GIVERHappy Reading!
    • 5/5
      The Little BookwormJonas lives in his own Community, where people are assigned everything in their lives from wives to house to jobs, where emotions are dampened by a pill and food is always available, where everything is orderly and rules are to be obeyed without question. At the onset of the book, it seems like an ideal world and Jonas does not question it. Until at his 12th ceremony, he is named the new Receiver of Memories. Once he meets the old man, the Giver, he starts to learn of how things were before the Communities and how even a perfect world contains its own horrors.Amazingly I had never read this Newbery Award winner before. I genuinely liked it. There were parts that I found especially disturbing, like when Jonas finds out what it means to be "released" and the pills they start taking at the onset of puberty. Lowry creates a world here that shows that a "perfect" society comes at a price. I know this is an oft challenged/banned book but I don't think that I would have really understood certain things when I was younger. I think this is one of those books that you see differently as you grow up.I actually listened to this one and Ron Rifkin, the narrator, does an excellent job. He gives Jonas the perfect voice and creates tension when needed. The only thing about the audiobook was the little music accompaniments to the memories. I found those distracting.
    • 4/5
      Troubling book. How much would you give up for peace and security? Your ability to choose? Your memories? Your feelings? For a perfect world. Jonah's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war, no fear, no pain.
    • 4/5
      About what could happen in the future as far as society or the world being controlled, stripped of choices.
    • 3/5
      This book might have impressed me if:(1) I hadn't come across the argument that this is "great science fiction", and(2) the author didn't argue with readers about the (obvious) outcome of the end.Basically, I should have read The Giver in childhood, before knowing that I see it differently than its existing fan. This book read to me as a giant metaphor for how marginalized people can see historic threads and layers to the world that's ignored in a mainstream culture.The perspective could have made me feel seen and understood the way my favorite childhood books did. Now I only think of arguments against the labels applied to it.
    • 3/5
      Teen fiction that has become a classic - and also attracted derogatory criticism. I found it to be a good read, and usefully thought provoking.
    • 5/5
      This book was AMAZING. The society seems so perfect to those living within it but as Jonas started to receive more memories he found that it was completely flawed. I recently read anthem by Ayn Rand and I can see some connections to that book, I don't know if these books are connected to each other.
    • 2/5
      I was glad this was short, because I couldn't shake the feeling of something being off. The distopia disguised as utopia was interesting, but the memory transfer idea was never really explained. I think I must have read this years ago, but had forgotten it completely. Not sure if I'll go for the next ones. The audiobook performance was often interrupted by odd electronic music and the reader's voice was unnervingly squeaky when portraying Jonas' voice.
    • 4/5
      As a child I read this book several times, and have kept my worn paperback copy through the countless moves I've made. Thankfully, time had erased the specifics of this story - I remembered the general premise, but not the details, and not the ending. I re-read it now because I just learned this year that the book was part of a loose trilogy, and of course now there has been a new book added to make this a quartet. My mind needed a refresher, so I wanted to start from the beginning.

      I had forgotten the intricate details of the world Lowry created for us. I had forgotten how she revealed clues about the civilization's lifestyle slowly; I started out assuming they were like us, with a few minor modifications, then kept having to change the world I imagined and restructure it from scratch. The scenes she paints are vivid and emotional and of course it might be cliché and obvious but there is that undertone of reading about one world and realizing how much you appreciate your world in contrast, the world you were complaining about not long before.

      And the ending… as soon as I read it, I remembered loving the ending as a child even as I was wanting to know more, to know what happened, what the author imagined happened, what other readers imagined happened. It made me more excited to read the other books and visit this civilization more as it evolves.
    • 4/5
      This book takes place in the future where everything is the same, no colour, no pain, no snow etc. Memories of music, love, fun are all being held in a person called "The Receiver". Old people, those who do not follow the rules and babies with bad dispositions or twins are "released". Everyone seems happy, they live in family units of parents with 2 children, go to school, ride bikes and get assigned a job when they are older. They do not know any better. Jonas gets his adult assignment when he turns 12 like everyone else and he is chosen to be the new "Receiver". What Jonas learns turns the world as he knows it upside down. A quick read that I enjoyed and do not know why I never read it before. Now to see the movie.
    • 5/5
      Re-read this book after 10 years and still great!
    • 5/5
      This book takes place in the future where everything is the same and memories of pain, music, love, fun, color, and hate are all being held in a person called "The Receiver" When Jonas turns 12 he is assigned the job of the receiver in which he is suppose to keep the memories of the past. The information he gains conflicts with everything that he thinks he knows. This is novel that will challenge readers to think beyond what they know and question why they do the things that they do. This is a book I would share with students who are in the eighth grade or older to talk about themes and symbols. This book is so well written that you will not want to put it down. Reading this book again has been a cherished experience.
    • 3/5
      I really liked hearing about the 'sameness' in this book, it reminded me a lot of a Stedford type story (which I guess would be a Utopia of sorts). I also really liked the description of the different ages receiving items/privileges as the grow up. I feel that the whole 12 years old and getting a job thing was a little unrealistic. They made them seem much more mature for 12 year-old kids. I did like that it had a nice depth to it without being pompous or ridiculous. I didn't really get the whole no color thing. I know that they said it was because there was no sun, but if that means no color then Jonas wouldn't be able to see color either. I liked hearing about the different jobs and things, and the rules. The children rule reminded me a lot of China with it's restrictions. It wasn't the best book I've ever read but it wasn't bad. I own the second book in this series and I'll most likely read it (maybe not this month, but at some point). Overall I liked it, and might recommend it to certain people.
    • 5/5
      So glad I re-read this. It's good as a kid, amazing as an adult. A practically perfect novel.
    • 5/5
      I first read The Giver in the summer before 8th grade as a school required reading. Most books I had to read for school were met with distain or disinterest from me, with few exceptions (I didn't like to be forced to read; I enjoyed the choice). The Giver was the exception to define all exceptions.

      I knew there had been times in the past—terrible times—when people had destroyed each other in haste, in fear, and had brought about their own destruction.
      The Writing and the Worldbuilding

      Lois Lowry is spectacular at giving deeper meanings to shorter books. She doesn't require all the pomp and circumstance to tell a meaningful, profound story. The Giver was told in such a way that made a strange and apathetic world seem almost good, almost necessary, while also championing a world more similar to our own. The ambiguity in that, the possibility to lean in either direction, in addition to the interpretive ending (though, not anymore, given the Quartet, I suppose), made for a thought-provoking novel with themes of choice, equality, peace, and apathy.

      The concept of transferring collective memories to another person, but only those perceptive enough (or with blue eyes, for that matter), yet still, seemingly, with our world's reality as a historical past, was somewhat far-fetched and not explained, but in this case, an explanation was not necessary, as the method of reaching sameness was not entirely explained either and the story was not lacking for it whatsoever, as it was consistent throughout.

      Of course they needed to care. It was the meaning of everything.
      The Characters

      Jonas: He is an excellent protagonist—relatable, perceptive, kind, passionate, and active. He did always what he believed was best, and he was a pleasure to read.

      Jonas' family: Jonas' parents and sister were particular interesting characters: his father and mother go along with the society as they always have, as Jonas himself had been content to do before being selected as the Receiver; while his sister still holds some passionate humanity in her, as she is still a child, but because she is still a child, she still is somewhat apathetic to the plight of others, her whole world revolving around herself, as children are. Jonas, being 12 for most of the book, straddled the boundary between the two, simultaneously adult and child.

      The Giver: He is kind and wise, but also fallible, human. He worries over his past mistakes, as well as humanity's.

      Conclusion

      This book was just as intriguing and deep as when I first read it, all those years ago, when I was around Jonas' age myself. Now that I am an adult (though I might not want to act like it), I find it especially important to understand the choices you must make as an individual, with an understanding of the past and past mistakes to guide you, knowing the weight of your decision. To celebrate differences and not reject change, because choices matter more than you can imagine. And wrong choices are there to teach you.

      We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others.
    • 4/5
      oh the splendor of utopia.... that ending is one left to the imagination.
    • 5/5
      I read The Giver for the first time about 10 years ago, I really liked it then as a pre-teen and still enjoyed it today. Its a quick read and very well written. I felt the author did a good job at setting the background and building up, I would of liked more information between the time Jonas is upset at his community's lifestyle and their plan on how to change it. I think its relatable in a way that everyone is kind of in a innocent bubble as a child then as you learn more about the world you realize shit is unfair, this was just a more extreme version.
    • 5/5
      The Giver is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a utopia where people are told how to live and assigned everything in life. Jonas is given the job of taking on all the knowledge of feeling and color from the giver. He finds out how life is now lacking and how unfair it is to be shut off from all the feeling in life. This is a good science fiction novel because Jonas lives in a Utopian society with other advanced sciences. I would use this for older intermediate and middle school.
    • 2/5
      Future in which emotions and choices are minimized. Careers and families are assigned. One person is assigned to be The Giver - the only one who holds the memories of humanity's past. It's meant for kids, even so it seems overly simplified.
    • 3/5
      It all went down hill towards the end.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. It was a great YA Sci-fi novel. It explored a few topics like pain, suffering, freedom, safety, memory, and what people may or may not be willing to give up. It's got a bit of philosophy mixed in. The world building is pretty interesting. It does appear to be a tad cliche in parts, but I think that's because of the many books written since this one, have including similar tropes.

      I did find the ending a little weak, but there is a continuation of the series so I believe it was to keep it open for more.
    • 5/5
      Really like the other books that follow this one too.
    • 5/5
      An apocalyptic story. The Sameness was created to help the society live peacefully. At every year mark, all children receive the same item (coats with buttons, bicycles). At 12, you are given your career (helping the elderly, sanitation, teacher, etc.) Family units are created not biologically, but by the elders who decide who your partner will be, as well as your children. Jonas is determined to be a Receiver (the keeper of memories). This novel is a young adult, but could be a cautionary tale about the unintended consequences of wanting everyone to be the same.
    • 2/5
      I found this book less satisfying than many other YA fiction I've tried. One always expects some simplicity but this book seemed highly derivative until the main character's selection as the Keeper of Memories. After that, the book became somewhat less predictable, but still lacked depth. I thought the ending abrupt (perhaps in preparation for many sequels?). I picked this up primarily because a movie is coming out in August. Perhaps the movie will be better.
    • 4/5
      An admirable re-telling of Ursula K. LeGuin's The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.