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
Killing Mr. Griffin
By Anonymous
Reviews
Vanishing Acts
By Anonymous
Reviews
Bleachers
By Anonymous
Reviews
The Plain Truth
By Anonymous
Reviews
Speak
By Anonymous
Reviews
The Seer and the Sword
By Anonymous

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 587 comments.

Bluetooth13 SILVER said...
on Apr. 19 2013 at 8:59 pm
Bluetooth13 SILVER, A Town In, Texas
8 articles 0 photos 46 comments

Favorite Quote:
To play a wrong note is insignificant, to play without passion is inexcusable.

~ Ludwig van Beethoven

View profile
woah! hold up. This book is 100% pure awesome. I higly recomend it. Also, im pretty new. Please check out my work :)
estucker1998 PLATINUM said...
on Apr. 11 2013 at 5:50 pm
estucker1998 PLATINUM, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
20 articles 0 photos 63 comments

Favorite Quote:
The voracious ambition of humans is never sated by dreams coming true, because of the thought that everything may be done better and again. --John Green, The Fault in Our Stars.

View profile
I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It had a great message, was easy to understand, and was marvelously written. Definitely read it!
TexTgr said...
on Apr. 4 2013 at 7:04 pm
Your review is baseless; you provide no evidence to back up your claims.  Until you can come up with something substantial, I, along with the rest of the reviewers who have actually read and understood the book, will continue to praise the story which opened the eyes of millions of readers to what a dystopian society looks like (18 years before The Hunger Games), and the decisions The Community made to take it there. What does it mean to be a human being?  Based on your review, you don't have a clue.
swat17 SILVER said...
on Apr. 3 2013 at 11:28 pm
swat17 SILVER, Mineral, Virginia
6 articles 0 photos 34 comments
View profile
I read this book in 5th grade. The true meaning of the story was easy to understand and it was well written.
tianna-alexa BRONZE said...
on Apr. 2 2013 at 8:34 pm
tianna-alexa BRONZE, Minden, Nevada
4 articles 0 photos 25 comments

Favorite Quote:
A writer never has a vacation. For a writer, life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.
— Eugene Ionesco

As well as pretty much everything that comes out of John Green's mouth.

View profile
I find it amazing how diverse two people can be in their opinions. I, for one, thought this book was fantastic. Perhaps it is merely sentimental - after all, I first read this book in fourth grade, and again four years later for an English assignment. I've devoured the other books by the author, and most recently finished the last book in the Giver quartet. With the exception of Harry Potter (as, let's be honest, Harry Potter for me comes out on top no matter the category ), if there's one book I have enjoyed time and time again, it's the Giver. Perhaps you need to read the other books in the quartet before you solidfy your opinion. The way Louis Lowry interweaves the characters together is truly unparalled, and her quartet makes for an enjoyable and original read.
FemmeGeek BRONZE said...
on Mar. 6 2013 at 11:25 pm
FemmeGeek BRONZE, Tenafly, New Jersey
4 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”
― Kurt Vonnegut

View profile
I cannot agree with a single sentence in this review.
Bluetooth13 SILVER said...
on Feb. 18 2013 at 9:55 am
Bluetooth13 SILVER, A Town In, Texas
8 articles 0 photos 46 comments

Favorite Quote:
To play a wrong note is insignificant, to play without passion is inexcusable.

~ Ludwig van Beethoven

View profile
Oh my goodness! I love this book and recomend to everyonr :)
KayleneB BRONZE said...
on Feb. 17 2013 at 1:33 pm
KayleneB BRONZE, Oakfield, New York
2 articles 4 photos 23 comments
View profile
I finished this book last year and I thought it was fantastic.  I loved this book all the way up until the end.  This book doesnt have a clear ending.  I had to decide how it was going to end, even though I had no clue how it would end.  Other than that I LOVED the book. 
AmarisKade PLATINUM said...
on Feb. 9 2013 at 5:15 pm
AmarisKade PLATINUM, Rye, New Hampshire
21 articles 11 photos 8 comments
View profile
Hey, Bapalapa2! I just finished reading the quartet (yes, there are four books), and I thought it was great. However, I felt the same way you did after I finished the Giver. I looked further and found the other three. After reading those, I felt like the majority of the questions I had were answered and I liked the ending. I think that overall, they're fantastic! By the way, your review was written very well, and I appreciate your thoughts.
the_chris_218 said...
on Feb. 5 2013 at 2:26 pm
the_chris_218, Durham, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 5 comments
View profile
I found The Giver to be really well written, but also very confusing, especially toward the end. At the end a lot of readers find themselves confused. I won't spoil it, but I do think you will find yourself confused at the end of the book, and I think thats how its intended
the_chris_218 said...
on Feb. 5 2013 at 2:26 pm
the_chris_218, Durham, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 5 comments
View profile
I found The Giver to be really well written, but also very confusing, especially toward the end. At the end a lot of readers find themselves confused. I won't spoil it, but I do think you will find yourself confused at the end of the book, and I think that's how its intended
18rabbit283 said...
on Jan. 23 2013 at 3:55 pm
The Giver is my absolute favorite book. I have probably read it ten or more times. I disagree with the review; I thought Lois Lowry did a wonderful job.
lanham32 said...
on Jan. 11 2013 at 1:12 pm
what genre
ConstanceContraire said...
on Dec. 25 2012 at 12:31 am
What are you talking about I read the book in 5th grade and I understood it and loved it. It was written beautifully.
o......... said...
on Dec. 16 2012 at 2:20 pm
crazy dudes
kaycee abbett GOLD said...
on Dec. 5 2012 at 9:19 am
kaycee abbett GOLD, Edwards, Missouri
11 articles 0 photos 2 comments
View profile
i agree, as such we are reading it in my english class. the book is way confuising and doesnt make sense.
kitties4eva said...
on Dec. 3 2012 at 1:41 pm
i think this book is very mysterious and wicked weird. I   dont really understand this book but i do recommend it too other people
wgwkegjhewh said...
on Dec. 3 2012 at 1:26 pm
The Giver is actually a good book so far.  I am on chapter 4 and it is a very interesting story about a utopian community.
rjjytri said...
on Dec. 3 2012 at 1:22 pm
I liked this book a lot! 
wqhqwbgtqbg said...
on Dec. 3 2012 at 1:20 pm
This book was interesting.  I really liked it because it was an easy read and not hard to follow.  It fits the ages 12 and up