Review: The Giver

Tittle: The Giver

Author: Lois Lowry

Publisher: Ember

Pages: 178 pages

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Well, I have to say that when you read some first chapter of the book you'll think like "How wonderful to life there", because I did. I mean, who doesn't want to life in a place where everything is so organized?

In where's Jonas life, everything is the same, under control. The world is colorless due to the sameness and everything seems to took care seriously. For children, each year they receive different attires to show their growth: comfort objects, jackets with buttons and pockets at the front to show independence, and bicycle. Once you turn 12, you got the Ceremony of Twelve, where you are considered as young-adult and you got your perfect job.

Once Jonas turn 12, he went to his Ceremony to celebrate his being 12 and received his job, but he doesn't get a job, rather he was assigned to be the Receiver of Memory. Receiver is someone who held everything about the past,the world. And that's the most important job. Jonas got to meet an Elder who has the same pale eyes like him whom he called The Giver. The Giver gave him the memories about the past, he first knew what is Snow,Sunburn,and even see a Rainbow. But it doesn't always a good memories, there's a great suffer from the memories. Jonas was shown The War, getting his bone broken, the lost and the suffering. The more memories he received, the more he knew that everything is wrong in his community and he is determined to change that. 

The set of The Giver is more like Utopian at first and turning into Dystopian the more you read the book. I think Lowry had done a great job on making a perfect imagination of the society we always wanted, when everything is so under control. What make me think this book deserve to get 4 stars is because I like the plot, I enjoy reading the book. And the turning point on my reading is when Jonas asked his parents if they loved him or not, and the answer makes me shocked. 

"Your father means that you used a very generalized word, so meaningless that it's become almost obsolete... And of course our community can't function smoothly if people don't use precise language. You could ask, 'Do you enjoy me?' The answer is 'Yes,'."

The biggest disappointment is, I don't really get the ending, really. After watching the movie, I had to say that I like the movie better, even though there's a major different, but the movie is more likely to make us more understand about Jonas' Community. And I like the ending of the movie. 

Enjoy!xx