Son: A Mother's Sacrifice in a Utopian Society―Unveiling the Epic Conclusion to the Giver Quartet

Lowis Lowry has done it again! This book perfectly portrayed the story we know and love. A perfect end to a classic.

I had no idea there was to be an actual sequel to The Giver. I had read Gathering Blue, thinking it was a sequel, but it wasn't really. So when I heard on the radio a couple of weeks ago that an actual "sequel" was coming out, I ordered The Giver and Messenger and read them before starting Son. For young adult fiction, Lois Lowry is one of the best. I genuinely wish all of these books had been out when I was younger. I can only imagine how much these books would have impacted me then. I'm not a big Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Alternative Reality reader. I prefer your normal, everyday fiction. These books work, though, even for those preteens like I was who don't want to read everything Tolkein or Brian Jacques ever wrote. They're just more... normal while still being different enough to cause a young person to think in a completely different way than he or she ever has before. Every young person should read these books. They are the perfect opening to a discussion of what are freedom, liberty, and the point of life, which is an invaluable exploration to begin at the right age. As for the story... I'm not actually done reading it yet. Throughout this series, Lowry's worlds are enrapturing, but her climaxes tend to be kind of abrupt, even for young adult fiction. Son begins in the same time period and society as The Giver, but follows the birthmother of the baby Gabriel whom Jonas saves at the end of The Giver. This book ties together The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger. The story is pretty archingly symbolic, as is Messenger, but it's at an appropriate level for the target age group. There isn't a whole lot of action in any of these books, but it's definitely worth the read. I, and I'm sure other readers, will enjoy the tying up of all of these lives. It definitely isn't going to be as tidy, exciting, and obvious as, say, a Hunger Games, though.

Son. I struggle to find a place to begin. For starters, it's much longer than its predecessors. Which was a much welcomed attribute considering how fast I read the others. That being said, I found it the most unsatisfying of the quartet. Does that mean I didn't enjoy it? Absolutely not. On the contrary, with the exception of the incredible first book "The Giver," it was the most enjoyable of the 4 books I'd have to say. Maybe it's because, this being the conclusion to the series, I won't be getting anymore information about the world Ms. Lowry created. I won't be able to spend anymore time with the characters she so wonderfully realized. In the end, that's really no fault of hers. Everything that has a beginning, has an end. And that brings me to the last thing I want to address: the ending. I am fully aware that too much exposition can ultimately ruin a book. Part of the charm in "Son" is the ambiguity surrounding certain aspects of the story. The history of the world and how it came to be in the state it's in now. The mysterious "gifts" that each of the protagonists in these books possess. All of these serve to generate a yearning in the reader to discover more about the world and its secrets. But...there is also such a thing as too little explanation as well. This book ends very abruptly. There is almost no time between the climax and the conclusion. You spend an entire book, maybe more depending on how you look at it, waiting for the payoff and it never comes. The payoff being Claire`s reunion with her son Gabriel of course. It's very frustrating and extremely unsatisfying. That's the only thing holding me back from giving this book a 5 star rating. All books have a goal. Whether it be to get across an ideal to the reader by enveloping you in a universe, or simply to tell you the events of a particular slice of time. In the case of "Son," it's the former. There are many themes covered over the course of 3 sections it's divided into, but in my opinion, the dominant one is determination. And I'd say it succeeds in getting that theme across. It's more about the journey, rather than the destination. When you realize that, you'll come to peace with your want for a more satisfying end. I did at least.

Easily the best sequel in series...and I liked both Gathering Blue and Messenger! I have read and re-read The Giver several times since I first read it is a child. It was always one of my favorite books, and I loved the intentionally ambiguous ending. This being said, I was thrilled to be transported back to the community that Jonas and Gabe escaped from. Seeing the community from the perspective of Claire made the effect of the society that much more chilling. I was actually a little sad when this first part of the book ended. The second part of the book was nearly as good. Claire's gradual recovering of her memories is heart-wrenching to read. The friendship and tension between Claire and Einar is another strong point of this section, as is watching her strengthen herself for the coming climb. I would have to agree with another reviewer, though, that once Claire reached the top and met Trademaster, that there was a let-down. I was disappointed in the trade that Claire made, because she had worked so incredibly hard to get up to this point. In part three, the pacing of the book seems to slow down. I would have liked to have read more of Claire's perspective in this section. Gabe's development and realization of his power and the secret of Claire seemed to be a bit rushed at the end. I guess I had hoped that Gabe would veer into Claire and feel her love for him. The ending of the book was fabulous, though! It surprised me, in a way, but it was a good surprise. The ending paragraphs were poignant and really resolved the entire series for me. Even with a few gripes, I loved this book!

This book series deserves so many praises that I don’t even know where to begin. Not only is it exceptionally written, but the world Lowry creates, with its many unique cultures, is thought-provoking and encourages us to look at the different cultures and governments of our world from a new perspective. The characters are engaging and, even without their abilities, we can easily relate to their struggles as they search for a place where their basic human rights are respected, where they’re loved, and where they’re accepted; a home. Within the pages of this series from Lois Lowry lies a journey you’ll be glad you took. I recommend you take it as soon as possible!

First, I need to admit that The Giver is probably my favorite dystopian book of all time. I have used it in my classroom for years and each time I read it I find something new and fresh to focus on . . . but, this is not a review of The Giver. The first part of the book I absolutely loved. I was savoring the pages, reading it slow, wanting to take it in and experience it. I normally fly through books so quickly I have a hard time remembering the characters and the plot soon after I put them down. Not so with this book; I took my time - the beginning of the story begged for that type of reading. The character of Claire was amazing and I was thrilled to be back in Jonas' world. I felt Claire's induction in the quartet was believable and wonderfully creative. The "Water Claire" section was also written very well and interesting. It flowed quite nicely with the first part of the story. And then . . . the last section. It was as if there was either a mad rush to bring this all together or somebody different wrote the ending. I really don't know what happened. This wonderful, engaging, well developed story split into a hodgepodge mess that I had a hard time finishing. I lost complete interest in Claire and I had very little positive feelings toward Gabe. The ending was predictable and swift. I was asked today by some teachers if I would recommend the novel. My response was to read the first two sections and perhaps just create their own ending for the last section. I read another review that suggested that this might not be the final installment. I almost hope that it isn't - I would love to be taken back to the original village. Perhaps learn what happened when Jonas left. Or, simply finish the series with the same beautiful writing, character development, and creative storyline that the first book in the series was teeming with.

Great book, buy the 4 book set of The Giver, you will love it.

This was pretty good. I really this last of all 4 books. I wish I had read it third. In order. But still very good.