Image Map

Oct 16, 2012

My Thoughts: Son by Lois Lowry

4 wonderful frosted sugar cookies.

Cover Love:  I don't really love this cover, but I love all four of the new covers put together.

Why I Wanted to Read This:  The Giver is the defining dystopian novel for middle graders but it is also one the adults love.  Most people don't even realize that there are four books in this series.  Those of you that do wouldn't stop until you have read all four!  This is the last one.  Here is the synopsis from GoodReads:

They called her Water Claire. When she washed up on their shore, no one knew that she came from a society where emotions and colors didn’t exist. That she had become a Vessel at age thirteen. That she had carried a Product at age fourteen. That it had been stolen from her body. Claire had a son. But what became of him she never knew. What was his name? Was he even alive?  She was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible. Now Claire will stop at nothing to find her child, even if it means making an unimaginable sacrifice. Son thrusts readers once again into the chilling world of the Newbery Medal winning book, The Giver, as well as Gathering Blue and Messenger where a new hero emerges. In this thrilling series finale, the startling and long-awaited conclusion to Lois Lowry’s epic tale culminates in a final clash between good and evil.
Romance?: Yes. There is a non-spoken, sweet romance.

What I Liked:
There was so much to think about with this book that I wrote a whole other post with my thoughts on this dystopian world.  I could mull it over for days!

I loved revisiting Jonas and Kira and seeing how wonderful Gabriel had grown up to be.

I read The Giver when I was much younger, so going back to this dystopian community with adult eyes was very interesting to me.  My favorite part was when Claire made it to another village and was trying to explain her surgery and drugs and they just didn't seem to understand what she was talking about.  I am sure that the community Claire and Jonas came from really view other communities as third world because they do not have the same advances.  Kind of like our world today...weird how that works!

The story starts out with Claire giving birth to Gabriel then we see her life in the community after she has been a Birthmother and why she is different than others.  Again, this community is just fascinating to me!  I normally had to read a chunk then take a day off of reading it to think about things.  So much scope for the imagination (shout out to Anne Shirley there...).

The communication gaps between Claire and the village she first arrives in after she leaves the community are very interesting.  It's not that she doesn't have the words for animals or insects but she has no concept of these things.  There is so much she has to learn--it's truly a foreign world to her, as her world would've been to them.

The ending!!  Oh, the ending.  It was perfect and satisfying and great.

To Sum Up:  A worthy addition to this amazing series.  You must pick up a copy today (actually, read all four!).  Will be adding several copies to my library collection!

ARC requested and received from HMH Books.  Thanks Meredith!!

1 comment: