The Giver (The Giver Quartet, Book 1) by Lois Lowry

I don't typically read many dystopian books but I felt I couldn't put off reading THE GIVER any longer, especially with all of the talk about the movie coming out.  Recently, I saw an interview that Meryl Streep was doing about the movie version she had just finished filming. She was saying what a fan she was of Lois Lowery and how great she felt the movie was going to be. I knew then I had to read this book before I see the movie.

This futuristic, dystopian story of life in an extremely uniformed and controlled culture is a very intriguing and unique story. I'm really glad I took the time for it. I chose the audio version because I already had three print books going at the time. I'll get to the performance part of this post in a minute.

THE GIVER is a story of community of people who live in a society of sameness.  There is no pain, no war or hunger. Everyone is equal in this future world. Every aspect of their life is uniformly planned out. Each year there is a ceremony for the children turning twelve years old that is attended by the Community and at that time it is revealed what job you are assigned and you begin training for that role that you will carry out for the rest of your life.

For Jonas, it is time for his Ceremony of Twelve and he is given a very special assignment - one that is not given out each year. He is to train with The Giver, who holds all the truths and memories of their people. It is considered the highest honor to be given the title of Receiver. As Jonas begins to understand what the Giver has sacrificed for the Community and the truth behind their seemingly perfect existences, an inner struggle begins to emerge.  Jonas has to decide if he will fulfill his obligation or stand up for what he believes in knowing what he has learned from The Giver.

My Thought:

This is such a simple story that is also incredible. I really didn't know what to expect with this book but I was quickly awed by the sheer oneness of this society. Lois Lowry writes about this with such perfection, you can't help but believe it. The story is so original and so simply told. There are no bad people in this story. All the people are good, even though some of the rituals they have seem cold and heartless. They simply do not know anything else.

I chose the audio version because of time management and though the narrator, actor Ron Rifkin, did a good job, he was a noisy narrator. By that I mean, I could hear him take his breaths with almost every sentence, many times I could hear him swallow or open his mouth. Its kind of hard to explain and may sound odd to you. I listen to a lot of audios and I've never come across this before. That said, I think he did a good job with the narration and once I got used to it, it didn't distract me from the story, though it was very noticable so I thought I'd mention it.

The recommended age group for this book is ten and up. It would be a great book for parents to read with their kids. There's a lot to be taken away from this story and it would generate some good discussions along the way. Now that I've read it, I'm even more anxious for the movie to come out. I read the other day that along with Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges will play The Giver (a perfect choice IMO), and Taylor Swift even has a role in it as Rosemary. There are four books total in this series that Lowry began writing in 1993. For more information on Lois Lowry and the many other books and series she's written, visit Fantastic Fiction

Here is the official movie trailer. You Must check it out!

THE GIVER by Lois Lowry (Unabridged Audio)
Author: Lois Lowry
Narrator: Ron Rifkin
Publisher: Listening Library
Published: Audio - 2003
Length: 4 Hrs 41 Mins

Audio Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I don't know why I put off reading this book for as long as I did, but thank goodness I finally got the good sense to read it. Even though I've had the book in print version for several years, I decided to go with the audio after sampling it on Audible.com. And it proved to be a great decision.

About the Book (Taken from Goodreads):

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. 

 My Thoughts:

Simply put, this book was outstanding.  I've read many books about WWII but not from the prospective that Markus Zusak painted for us with these wonderfully human characters.  My heart was stolen by Liesel from the very start and also with her foster father, Pappa. But singling them out isn't fair to all of the other people in her life like Rudy, her best friend, and Max, the Jew secretly living in their basement. Each one of the amazing characters had such a special purpose in this story and Mr. Zusak did a brilliant job bringing them to life. 

The story takes place in such a bleak time in our world's history and Zusak shows us how it was for the German people under Hilter's rule living in this small town. He shows that not all German's agreed with what was happening and the reader is shown the fear they lived in even from their own neighbors.  Liesel's foster parents showed so much courage by hiding Max in their basement, but they were terrified each and every day that someone would find out. 

The thing that intrigued me the most was that the narrator of this story was Death. In my opinion, that decision took this book to a whole other level. Not only did Death tell the story but also gave insight and even put feelings to the job he had to do.  And that takes me once again, to the writing. I was blown away by the phrasing - taking a simple act or thought and putting it in a way that just made me stop for a moment and think about what I'd just heard. The writing in this book is without a doubt at the very top of my list of all the books I've ever read in my life. That's a huge statement, I know, but I absolutely stand behind it.  

Now I get to the audio review. Allan Corduner did an amazing job. His deep, penetrating tone was spot on for the character that he portrayed.  I've read some audio reviews that said it was too much, but I strongly disagree. For this book and that character, he was perfect. Death is scary and even daunting to some and his voice brought that and much more. If you haven't yet read this book, try a sample of it on Audible.com and see for yourself. Personally, I'm so glad I chose to listen to this modern classic. This book moved me to the point of hot tears and has stayed with me. It is a wonderful book. 

With the release of the movie version coming soon, now I am expecially excited to see these characters come to life. You can watch teh movie trailer here. 

THE BOOK THIEF

Author: Markus Zusak

Publisher: Listening Library

Published: September 2006

Length: 13 Hrs 56 Min

Recommend? YES, YES, YES, YES YES!!!!!