Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Take pride on your pain […] you are stronger than those who have none.

Why I read this book

Earlier this month I read The Giver and learned that there is actually a quartet of books and not just the stand alone. Even though I did not love the first book, I did find it quite interesting and wanted to know what would happen with Jonas and Gabe.

What the book is about

The main character, a young girl named Kira is a newly orphan with a particular talent: weaving. On a community that values ability this is the only thing that she has to offer but it is enough for the Council to want to keep her around. However, as she advances in her work and learning she will also discover the darkest part of her community.

First impressions

This book starts on a completely different note than The Giver. While in the first book the community is portrayed as somehow idyllic in this case it feels likes most of the people, except for the Council, are working hard to barely survive. More than education in an academic sense, people go by through trade learning (weaving, butchering, carving) and exchange. The more it differed from the "perfect" community of the giver, the more I wanted to know what made this a companion novel.

Final thoughts

Such different books and yet...they both explore how society might change after a huge calamity; I am still not sure what exactly happened, I am hoping to figure that out soon.

While this installment was a bit easier to swallow (I will not give spoilers, but if you read the first one I am sure you know what I mean) it still had several situations that made me stop reading, take a minute to gather my thoughts and then be able to continue. I believe that one of the reasons this two books have been very different to me in the YA dystopia genre is that the protagonists are so young and FEEL so young. A lot (if not most) of the dystopias I have read involve a teenager as a protagonist and for me this has a big effect in the way I see them confronting the different situations they encounter.

I am intrigued with this quartet; I don't want to call it a series, because I think the books could be read as standalone story, albeit with a somehow inconclusive ending. However I don't see yet clearly how the stories merge, IF they merge. At the end of this book there were a couple of sentences that made me think of the previous one, but it felt a lot like a whisper, a reminder that they are somehow meant to be connected.

Because I am so intrigued I will be reading Messenger for sure. 

It (artist) means, well, someone who is able to make something beautiful

 

The Giver by Lois Lowry

We don't dare to let people make choices of their own

Why I read this book

As I've mentioned several times before, when possible, I like to read the book before the movie. As the trailer for the movie has gained momentum, curiosity started to grow inside of me. I've liked other YA dystopias before so I figure why not give this one a try.

What the book is about

The book takes place in a community were "sameness" is rule. Everyone dresses pretty much the same and they behave in similar fashion too. There is no chaos, and you life is carefully planned and decided for you. At the same time, this community has neither pain, nor suffering of any kind and people are portrayed as content with the situation. At 12 your career is assigned, and it is then that our protagonist Jonas is selected as the new Receiver. What this actually means is a mystery to him, since there can only be a Receiver at a time for the community. He will finally discover what, if anything, pushed the community to be formed.

First impressions

The thing that impressed me the most, from the beginning of the story, was the dedication and importance given to people to be accurate in their usage of words. It was interesting to hear the voices of children no older than 12 years old, being extremely precise in their speech. This I actually enjoyed. The concept of loosing/gaining the concept of color was very different and I will have to agree with several critics to the movie that it is a shame this wasn't used to portray the changes happening to Jonas in the movie.

Final thoughts

I quite enjoyed the concept of the book. The importance of memories and how they might shape or destroy a whole community was very well built and to see all the responsibility of memories to fall into a single individual was quite unique too.

Although the main character is 12 years old, I don't think I would've enjoyed this book at that age, particularly as we advance in the story. There were some parts that, in my own opinion, need a bit more of "ground" to be able to stomach them and take them critically, that I did not have at that age. However, it was nice to see a protagonist this young and not the (now) typical 15/16 year old.

It has an appealing critique to what society accepts and what it frowns upon, but mostly, why is it frown upon. Would thing be really easier if we were more uniform, including our thoughts? Would the absence of pain be worth it the absence of love?

I will read at leas the next book in the quartet, Gathering Blue, to learn more of this world building. There are a lot of unanswered questions at the end of this book that I hope that will be tackled in the other three.

[...] but was considered rude to call attention to things that were unsettling or different about individuals.