Book 44 of 50: Gathering Blue
Book 44 of 50
Title: Gathering Blue
Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: Fantasy, Dystopia, Fiction, Juvenile
Summary (from Amazon.com): After conjuring the pitfalls of a technologically advanced society in The Giver, Lowry looks toward a different type of future to create this dark, prophetic tale with a strong medieval flavor. Having suffered numerous unnamed disasters (aka, the Ruin), civilization has regressed to a primitive, technology-free state; an opening author's note describes a society in which "disorder, savagery, and self-interest" rule. Kira, a crippled young weaver, has been raised and taught her craft by her mother, after her father was allegedly killed by "beasts." When her mother dies, Kira fears that she will be cast out of the village. Instead, the society's Council of Guardians installs her as caretaker of the Singer's robe, a precious ceremonial garment depicting the history of the world and used at the annual Gathering. She moves to the Council Edifice, a gothic-style structure, one of the few to survive the Ruin. The edifice and other settings, such as the Fen (the village ghetto) and the small plot where Annabella (an elder weaver who mentors Kira after her mother's death) lives are especially well drawn, and the characterizations of Kira and the other artists who cohabit the stone residence are the novel's greatest strength. But the narrative hammers at the theme of the imprisoned artist. And readers may well predict where several important plot threads are headed (e.g., the role of Kira's Guardian, Jamison; her father's disappearance), while larger issues, such as the society's downfall, are left to readers' imaginations. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
Comments: The Giver has been one of my favorite books back since around the time it came out in the mid-nineties. However, I didn't realize until recently in my adult life that there were companion books to The Giver. When I read it in high school, it was the first dystopia book I'd read, and I remember being fascinated by how ambiguous the end is and how imaginative the world is. I found the book very intriguing. I reread The Giver right before I read this one as a refresher. The plot line of Gathering Blue is very similar to The Giver, except that while The Giver shows us a future society that is very technologically advanced, Gathering Blue shows us a future society that has regressed. Both deal with eliminating the "imperfection" from society, and the importance of remember where we have come from. Both have ambiguous endings that can be interpreted according to the reader's own experiences. If I hadn't known that the two books were companions, I might not have realized (although I would doubtless have noticed the strong similarities between the books). Because I've read The Giver, I recognized the one small illusion to The Giver. I'm thinking that maybe the third book in the series must combine these two versions of the future and show us how things could be different.
Overall, I think these books are great for a young reader. They introduce some "adult" concepts in a way that I think is developmentally appropriate that will help young readers generate some thought. (By adult concepts, I'm thinking about handling differences between people, death, assisted suicide, whether any knowledge should be prohibited, whether as world is better without suffering, roles of gender, etc.-- sex isn't really a topic in these books)
x-posted to 50bookchallenge
Title: Gathering Blue
Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: Fantasy, Dystopia, Fiction, Juvenile
Summary (from Amazon.com): After conjuring the pitfalls of a technologically advanced society in The Giver, Lowry looks toward a different type of future to create this dark, prophetic tale with a strong medieval flavor. Having suffered numerous unnamed disasters (aka, the Ruin), civilization has regressed to a primitive, technology-free state; an opening author's note describes a society in which "disorder, savagery, and self-interest" rule. Kira, a crippled young weaver, has been raised and taught her craft by her mother, after her father was allegedly killed by "beasts." When her mother dies, Kira fears that she will be cast out of the village. Instead, the society's Council of Guardians installs her as caretaker of the Singer's robe, a precious ceremonial garment depicting the history of the world and used at the annual Gathering. She moves to the Council Edifice, a gothic-style structure, one of the few to survive the Ruin. The edifice and other settings, such as the Fen (the village ghetto) and the small plot where Annabella (an elder weaver who mentors Kira after her mother's death) lives are especially well drawn, and the characterizations of Kira and the other artists who cohabit the stone residence are the novel's greatest strength. But the narrative hammers at the theme of the imprisoned artist. And readers may well predict where several important plot threads are headed (e.g., the role of Kira's Guardian, Jamison; her father's disappearance), while larger issues, such as the society's downfall, are left to readers' imaginations. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
Comments: The Giver has been one of my favorite books back since around the time it came out in the mid-nineties. However, I didn't realize until recently in my adult life that there were companion books to The Giver. When I read it in high school, it was the first dystopia book I'd read, and I remember being fascinated by how ambiguous the end is and how imaginative the world is. I found the book very intriguing. I reread The Giver right before I read this one as a refresher. The plot line of Gathering Blue is very similar to The Giver, except that while The Giver shows us a future society that is very technologically advanced, Gathering Blue shows us a future society that has regressed. Both deal with eliminating the "imperfection" from society, and the importance of remember where we have come from. Both have ambiguous endings that can be interpreted according to the reader's own experiences. If I hadn't known that the two books were companions, I might not have realized (although I would doubtless have noticed the strong similarities between the books). Because I've read The Giver, I recognized the one small illusion to The Giver. I'm thinking that maybe the third book in the series must combine these two versions of the future and show us how things could be different.
Overall, I think these books are great for a young reader. They introduce some "adult" concepts in a way that I think is developmentally appropriate that will help young readers generate some thought. (By adult concepts, I'm thinking about handling differences between people, death, assisted suicide, whether any knowledge should be prohibited, whether as world is better without suffering, roles of gender, etc.-- sex isn't really a topic in these books)
x-posted to 50bookchallenge