The Giver

Hardcover, 226 pages

English language

Published Dec. 9, 2004 by Thorndike Press.

ISBN:
978-0-7862-7153-5
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
57563507

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (249 reviews)

This novel is set in a future society where a young boy named Jonas lives in a seemingly perfect world. But when Jonas is selected to be the "Receiver of Memory" he starts to see the cracks in the carefully constructed society. The Giver won the Newbery Medal in 1994.

43 editions

Quelle ambiance !

5 stars

Il est des romans dont on craint de raconter l'histoire, tant on a peur de faire passer à côté de l'essentiel. L'essentiel ici, c'est bien le style de l'autrice et l'ambiance dans laquelle elle réussit à plonger le lecteur ; sa description d'un monde pas du tout désirable (encore que... patientez jusqu'au dernier et 4e tome) et pourtant chaque page est pétrie d'humanisme. De la SF avec un monde d'une inventivité incroyable que l'auteur parvient à distiller sans être démonstrative, au fil de l'histoire qui nous happe page après page.

Review of 'The Giver' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Apparently this is a YA book that's been out for a while, but since it's been an even longer time since I was a YA, I'd somehow missed its existence till now. I picked up the audiobook from the local library after reading a recommendation for it among lists of dystopian fiction, and I did enjoy it; quite a short listen at only 5 hours so it must be quite a quick read in text.

The story follows 11-going-on-12 year-old Jonas, through whose eyes we slowly begin to understand the community in which he lives. What seems at first to just be metaphor, for example about how things are colourless and how everything is the same, is slowly is revealed to be literal truth. It's very cleverly done the way the book slowly feeds the reader bits of information that bit by bit reveal a picture of an increasingly artificial, …

My review of 'The Giver'

No rating

I've never read these books, despite having them come up in conversation and in passing many times. The first one was good, but for the most of it I found myself thinking about how cliche it felt. Young Adult Dystopians novels always seem really obsessed with social control. Not that that's a bad thing, and of course that's a set of ideas that is actually really important to young adults. But to me, it made this narrative feel really...trite. I enjoyed the second novel in the series much more.

Review of 'The Giver' on 'GoodReads'

2 stars

The story brought up some interesting ideas but most of what's going on is left to the reader's imagination, to fill in the gaps that the author perhaps couldn't on her own.

It doesn't seem believable that euthanasia would be such a large part of their society, but no one knew about it except a select few. Clearly the society was technologically advanced to the point of terraforming the planet and manipulating memories, but if that's the case, why was the ability to "see beyond" or "hear beyond" found randomly in the population? If memory control was so important, wouldn't the succession of Receivers have been engineered to be flawless? Why would memories be released to the general population on death? And what were they seeing and hearing beyond anyway? Genetic modifications that prevented people from perceiving certain things? Or technology-based barriers?

The plan that Jonas and the Giver came …

Still holds up well.

5 stars

I still remember the feeling I had of reading this while in school, when it was about five years old; I loved it almost immediately, and I credit it with being one of the first novels to make me question the world around me, even if it wasn't apparent at the time. I mean, honestly, I first read this when I was in seventh grade for school. That was sometime in the late 1990s.

I still have a lot of the same feelings for this novel, though now I'm going to be pushing to read the series; I still need to do that.

I love this book, and it's so difficult to really write a lot of why. It's such a simple tale, starting with such a simple frustration: the knowledge that there's more, that there's something else, that one person is meant to be burdened by the knowledge to …

Review of 'The Giver' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Perfect for a young person's first 'dystopian/utopian' book, but a bit on the shallow side for those who have read similar works before. I think I lost something by not having read this when I was back in middle school, so take my personal rating with a grain of salt.

Review of 'The Giver' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I simply loved this book. I picked it up to read in honor of Banned Books Week, and I'm glad I did.

Jonas lives in a quasi-Utopian society where everything is strictly laid out for them. From birth to death, the people follow the rules, or are "released". When the children turn twelve, they are placed in their job, and Jonas is selected to be the next Receiver of Memories, a rare and honored position in the society. As the Receiver, he uncovers things that he didn't know, and did not want to know, about his life and the lives of those around him. He and the former Receiver (now the Giver) are left with their singular knowledge of life and are faced with the hard choices that come with the knowledge of both good and evil.

Definitely not an uplifting book, but one that will stay with you afterwards.

Review of 'The Giver' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The Giver is a great work of science fiction, not because it's set in the future, but because it envisages how our society could use technology and examines the social and personal implications in a way that helps us understand ourselves better. In this case it looks at the cost of convenience and conformity from the perspective of a young boy coming of age. The ending seems a little abrupt and feels a bit out of kilter with the rest of the story, but its ambiguity lends it poignancy that a more traditional approach is unlikely to achieve. Over all, a great, quick read that packs a startling number of concepts into such a small space. Sadly, I doubt a movie adaptation can do it justice.

Review of 'The Giver' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Perhaps this is a teen/young adult book but so is Harry Potter. Like Harry Potter this story deals with some pretty heavy subject matter, however in a more obvious and shortened manner.

I liked the future that was presented and enjoyed having the 'what would our world be like without [x]' questions it posed. I don't think I will read anything more from this series at the moment but I don't feel that not reading any more is hindering my enjoyment of the story. I was still engaged and provoked to think about our world so as a stand alone piece I feel the book succeeded.

avatar for schmudde

rated it

1 star
avatar for todrobbins

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jaredmoody

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Disabledbookbro

rated it

5 stars
avatar for hnb

rated it

5 stars
avatar for wdavery

rated it

4 stars
avatar for DerekCaelin

rated it

3 stars
avatar for sdivyank

rated it

3 stars
avatar for wdavery

rated it

4 stars
avatar for jmbkes

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Bestguy2001

rated it

5 stars
avatar for hakase

rated it

4 stars
avatar for curtdubya

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Davercade

rated it

2 stars
avatar for mishari

rated it

2 stars
avatar for samullen

rated it

2 stars
avatar for buu709

rated it

4 stars
avatar for nonskanse

rated it

3 stars
avatar for rainer

rated it

4 stars
avatar for ethne

rated it

2 stars
avatar for meeg

rated it

5 stars
avatar for meganmoss

rated it

3 stars
avatar for kaakow

rated it

2 stars
avatar for tdonn

rated it

5 stars
avatar for struppi

rated it

2 stars
avatar for kimkarma66

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Izzmo

rated it

5 stars
avatar for joshua

rated it

3 stars
avatar for j6m8

rated it

5 stars
avatar for sansaraf

rated it

4 stars
avatar for chrisamaphone

rated it

5 stars
avatar for baerwolf

rated it

5 stars
avatar for michaelthec

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Langwidere

rated it

3 stars
avatar for dan_oglesby

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Balint

rated it

4 stars
avatar for clayferris

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Azuaron

rated it

3 stars
avatar for brucy

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Chaostheorie

rated it

2 stars
avatar for Smoak

rated it

2 stars
avatar for Griddle

rated it

4 stars
avatar for squishymage42

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jbeimler

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ceoln

rated it

5 stars
avatar for GoneSoul

rated it

4 stars
avatar for gracerec

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Amethystkat

rated it

4 stars
avatar for genebean

rated it

4 stars
avatar for annemarijn

rated it

3 stars
avatar for NightDrake

rated it

5 stars
avatar for tayredgrave

rated it

3 stars
avatar for vincekd

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Pretense

rated it

4 stars
avatar for JustGrist

rated it

1 star
avatar for unicornia

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jasondlee

rated it

4 stars
avatar for cwhitfield

rated it

2 stars
avatar for 73pctGeek

rated it

3 stars
avatar for tylerbones

rated it

5 stars
avatar for betty

rated it

4 stars
avatar for pithypants

rated it

4 stars
avatar for SandraG

rated it

3 stars
avatar for emarsh

rated it

2 stars
avatar for wordeater

rated it

3 stars
avatar for ish-i-ness

rated it

2 stars
avatar for kbreit

rated it

5 stars
avatar for suddzzjr

rated it

5 stars
avatar for 2tinybirds

rated it

3 stars
avatar for MaryKat

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Crepusculi

rated it

4 stars
avatar for tremain

rated it

5 stars
avatar for sebastost

rated it

5 stars
avatar for AnsgarFrej

rated it

4 stars
avatar for hhasart

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ranok

rated it

5 stars
avatar for CSND

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Zelanator

rated it

4 stars
avatar for KyleStewart

rated it

4 stars
avatar for tealtorch

rated it

5 stars
avatar for treyhunner

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Allenshull

rated it

2 stars
avatar for barsports

rated it

4 stars
avatar for krisrex

rated it

4 stars
avatar for PatatesChoux

rated it

4 stars
avatar for dragna

rated it

1 star
avatar for flylaika

rated it

3 stars
avatar for gadabyte

rated it

4 stars
avatar for imbrandon

rated it

3 stars
avatar for timchi

rated it

4 stars
avatar for GenericHero

rated it

3 stars
avatar for turmacar

rated it

3 stars
avatar for acaleyn

rated it

3 stars
avatar for townbanshee

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ascagnel

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Ghalidrim

rated it

4 stars
avatar for hollypocket

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Spiderkitten

rated it

3 stars
avatar for nimbledaemon

rated it

3 stars
avatar for autumnfrost

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Teali0

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Hyzie

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Shack70

rated it

2 stars
avatar for Dvmheather

rated it

3 stars
avatar for theblackbox

rated it

3 stars
avatar for NewCountry

rated it

3 stars
avatar for greystar

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Angzarr

rated it

3 stars
avatar for wislander

rated it

3 stars
avatar for harfang

rated it

5 stars
avatar for court_ellis89

rated it

5 stars
avatar for JuniperusVox

rated it

3 stars
avatar for aj1215

rated it

5 stars
avatar for bachya

rated it

5 stars
avatar for stim

rated it

3 stars
avatar for irf23

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jbtchr

rated it

3 stars
avatar for oddghost

rated it

5 stars
avatar for smh

rated it

3 stars
avatar for WarmRegards

rated it

4 stars
avatar for sphenoid

rated it

3 stars
avatar for aCosmicWave

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Isoprenoid

rated it

4 stars
avatar for rmcminds

rated it

5 stars
avatar for HoneyBee

rated it

4 stars
avatar for God-Is-Love

rated it

5 stars
avatar for V171

rated it

4 stars
avatar for jobias

rated it

4 stars
avatar for trevor

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Jorn

rated it

2 stars
avatar for MrKurtz

rated it

3 stars
avatar for deathgrindfreak

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Kethlenda

rated it

5 stars
avatar for brianholley

rated it

5 stars
avatar for piotr

rated it

3 stars
avatar for fjordic

rated it

5 stars
avatar for nqd

rated it

5 stars
avatar for synthism

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ToadyNerd

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Stacks

rated it

4 stars
avatar for gregorygandy

rated it

2 stars
avatar for Nikita

rated it

4 stars
avatar for BojanB

rated it

5 stars
avatar for kfrench

rated it

5 stars
avatar for estranho

rated it

4 stars
avatar for chaos_angel

rated it

5 stars
avatar for BigJay

rated it

5 stars
avatar for tcgoetz

rated it

4 stars
avatar for yayJill

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Autolycus

rated it

2 stars
avatar for schmavery

rated it

5 stars
avatar for xanderbook223

rated it

3 stars
avatar for HaHaWoooooo

rated it

5 stars
avatar for FilthyCasual

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Exarch

rated it

3 stars
avatar for seago

rated it

4 stars
avatar for rmdaley

rated it

4 stars
avatar for librarychic

rated it

4 stars
avatar for ClumsyGolem

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Andykz

rated it

4 stars
avatar for recri

rated it

3 stars
avatar for ashrgreen94

rated it

4 stars
avatar for freezin4books

rated it

5 stars
avatar for fluxmind

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Batsandbyrds

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jshank

rated it

5 stars
avatar for JonNotJon

rated it

5 stars
avatar for anonymole

rated it

5 stars
avatar for DaveCline

rated it

5 stars
avatar for MrRaccoon13

rated it

4 stars
avatar for schellenberg

rated it

4 stars
avatar for faceleg

rated it

5 stars
avatar for camdotbio

rated it

4 stars
avatar for nogoodnik

rated it

3 stars
avatar for yasharz

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Mickey

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Lucius

rated it

4 stars
avatar for teabat

rated it

5 stars
avatar for bioscape

rated it

5 stars
avatar for littlezen

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Wim3141

rated it

2 stars
avatar for IntrepidTiger

rated it

5 stars
avatar for biblio_creep

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Cozycello

rated it

5 stars
avatar for barffalo

rated it

4 stars
avatar for kosure

rated it

3 stars
avatar for abon

rated it

3 stars
avatar for isla

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Monirah

rated it

5 stars
avatar for maruey

rated it

4 stars
avatar for tripoutro

rated it

4 stars

Subjects

  • Social Issues - General
  • Study Guides
  • Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)
  • Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
  • Control (Psychology)
  • Ethics
  • Juvenile Fiction
  • Social control

Lists