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Joe's Reviews > Son
Son (The Giver, #4)
by
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no no no no no no no No No No No NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NONONONONONONONONONONONONONO
NO
, Lois Lowry!
NO.
No.
This cannot be how you chose to end the quartet.
I am flabbergasted and bereft and... cheated. I feel cheated.
In the same way Suzanne Collins ruined The Hunger Games trilogy in its crummy final act, so too has Lowry with Son.
Despite being weaker efforts, Gathering Blue and Messenger felt like stepping stones toward an ending that would seamlessly combine disparate storylines. Instead we get this.
(I am well aware now that this review has begun as a rambling mess. I am sorting through my emotions as I type, and am hopeful that everything will come together in the end - UNLIKE SON.)
Divided into three parts (Before, Between, and Beyond), Son begins strongly.
Before
Here is Claire, a child of fourteen, forced to live the life of a birthmother in a society that is a striking cross between Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale and George Orwell's 1984. Fully realized in the Newbery Medal winning The Giver, it is a richly drawn community that provokes unease in the reader through subtlety.
Claire's character is developed beautifully, and readers will feel her ache and longing as she navigates the oppressive system in which she has been unwittingly thrust. Lowry is at her sharpest in the Before section. The narrative travels at a piercing clip, and the tumult of Claire's emotions is palpable in the same manner of Jonas' own emergence in The Giver. Further details about the community are provided, each simultaneously intriguing and sickening. It is a section that is gripping and thrilling and that, unfortunately, ends.
And the trouble begins.
Spoilers from here on out.
(view spoiler)
No.
This cannot be how you chose to end the quartet.
I am flabbergasted and bereft and... cheated. I feel cheated.
In the same way Suzanne Collins ruined The Hunger Games trilogy in its crummy final act, so too has Lowry with Son.
Despite being weaker efforts, Gathering Blue and Messenger felt like stepping stones toward an ending that would seamlessly combine disparate storylines. Instead we get this.
(I am well aware now that this review has begun as a rambling mess. I am sorting through my emotions as I type, and am hopeful that everything will come together in the end - UNLIKE SON.)
Divided into three parts (Before, Between, and Beyond), Son begins strongly.
Before
Here is Claire, a child of fourteen, forced to live the life of a birthmother in a society that is a striking cross between Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale and George Orwell's 1984. Fully realized in the Newbery Medal winning The Giver, it is a richly drawn community that provokes unease in the reader through subtlety.
Claire's character is developed beautifully, and readers will feel her ache and longing as she navigates the oppressive system in which she has been unwittingly thrust. Lowry is at her sharpest in the Before section. The narrative travels at a piercing clip, and the tumult of Claire's emotions is palpable in the same manner of Jonas' own emergence in The Giver. Further details about the community are provided, each simultaneously intriguing and sickening. It is a section that is gripping and thrilling and that, unfortunately, ends.
And the trouble begins.
Spoilers from here on out.
(view spoiler)
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Reading Progress
January 14, 2013
–
Started Reading
January 14, 2013
– Shelved
February 2, 2013
– Shelved as:
borrowed-library
February 2, 2013
– Shelved as:
young-adult
February 2, 2013
–
Finished Reading
November 2, 2017
– Shelved as:
dafuq
November 2, 2017
– Shelved as:
science-fiction
Comments Showing 1-50 of 85 (85 new)
You know Joe, you have this talent, magic, charisma, sex appeal if you want it, that just attracts people to read your review. Read it even if we don't even know shit about the story! So my friend, I applaud you! I applaud your awesomness and super powers to bring the happy fudgeries out of people!
Boom, baby, you are awesome! So happy you exist =w= Your review made me smile~
To JoeI agree on not just one, or two but ALL counts. i was thoroughly disappointed with this conclusion because the Giver was one of my favorite books I have ever read. The "Beyond" area of this story really didn't seem to tie into how it started off. I assumed this would be the snip all loose ends and beautifully end the quartet but no. I am sadly left with this sad excuse for a Lois Lowry novel.
Yes - I agree! Thank you for this! I was left with a strong feeling of wtf at the end... your review says it better than I could.
Sad I read the first one in middle school and liked it.... Sorta. I want aware of more and wanted to read it to get an adult perspective.
I feel like this review came straight from my mind. thank you thank you and well said.
... as for Claire not leaving by boat in the "Between" section, it did address that, after nearly drowning at sea she refused to get on a boat again ... although that doesn't really explain why Einar didn't try that route. My main question was WHY did the trademaster cut off half his feet?
This is worse than the ending for Harry Potter. And I don't know how you beat out JKR for worst series finale ever. Was this really supposed to be a tie up? It felt like fanfiction for another series. The Giver seems completely set apart from the latter three books of the quartet. This adds nothing to it and literally takes away the magic by adding magic into a nice sci-fi/dystopic (or utopic) landscape..
I didn't feel that this book was a strong as the others but I have to disagree on something. Claire can certainly leave on boat but that's not what she's looking for. She must climb the cliff to reach the Trademaster and find her son. Wandering aimlessly in the sea would be pointless.
I just feel as though The Giver was another story entirely, in which Jonas was this character we cared about fighting against something that was conceivable with a little imagination. Here, Gabe is just A Character fighting something Sinister and the tale is just stripped of humanity. As so as Claire gets out, everything crumbles.
Ryan Murdock Totally agree with this review. I thought that the Giver and Messenger (and really, the ending was the only part of the book that really captivated me in Messenger) were worth my time reading. This and 'Gathering Blue' are just extremely boring. I don't feel like anything new or interesting happens in either of those books.
This review is awesome! It perfectly sums up my feelings about Son (although I admit that I DNFed at the final part.) I though it would be a poiganant journey of a girl searching for her son in an unforgiving world and her feelings toward humanity and her world. Instead, it was... well, you know.
Lauren, Claire could have gone around the cliffs. Then, instead of practicing for years on climbing, she could have spent a week or so travelling around. Beside the whole Trademaster thing was silly. (See my review for more)
You read my mind. Especially about: 1) Just as disappointing a finish as Mockingjay was to The Hunger Games trilogy; 2) 140 pages of her becoming acquainted with the village; 3) the ending (aka, Gabe walks back to the village, sees Mom, one narrated line that doesn't even bring emotion, and then "THE END". Whyyy Lois Lowry? This quartet was shaping up to be outstanding, but this was terribly disappointing finish. You really took the words out of my mind. Everything you wrote here, I agree with.
You read my mind except one thing: Claire could have gone into the ocean. The only problem is she has no idea where Gabe is, plus she terrified of the ocean after "the incident" with her falling out of the boat after the society is destroyed.
Really, its not that big of a deal id you don't like that book. SPOILER!!!! Anyway, in the end, Claire gains her true age and beauty. Besides, do you really think that if you lived in a dystopia with not even a thought about training, working out, or even a thumb wrestle! And do you think that you would want to find a cliff and say "Hey look! A cliff! Lets just climb it with no sense of anything with cliffs instead of finding the expert on it!" Now do you think if Claire had an attitude like that, would she be even alive now?
I LOVE the end of your review. I can really feel the frustration through your writing. I feel the same. Claire was such a good character, then....blah blah blah.
I didnt realize The Giver was a series till i got goodreads. Amazing what the power of internet can do. Lol. I wondered why The Giver ended in such inconclusive fashion. Looks like ill hafta seek out the rest of the series... Or maybe not after reading the bad reviews of Son. I hate when a series waits till the end to disappoint.
I agree with Cory. These three books really have nothing to do with The Giver. The Giver is amazing, one of my favorite books. The latter three should not have even been written. Lowry should have left well enough alone.
Heehee! I had refused to read this review in it's entirety before finishing the book. Now, it gave me a good laugh. Especially the end. If you don't think too much about what the "moral of the story" is, it's not so bad. Just weird people living a weird life. But, yeah, no shit, Lois!
I just posted my review of Son, and like my reviews of the other books in the series, it wasn't exactly favorable. I too felt cheated. Anyway, I came across your review (as I was looking to see if I was the only one who felt that way; glad I'm not) and, since I'm on my phone, there was no "Like" button for me to show my appreciation for your review. Consider this rambling message a "Like."
I simply could not agree with you more. This review is right on. I am so disappointed with this book, especially since the writing and issues brought up previously were wonderful and interesting. Sad.
I agree that the middle of the book was extremely boring. I found myself skipping the pages of her just climbing the rock at times, and that almost made me rate the book a 3. But I can't agree with Claire being a bitch. She isn't at all described or portrayed that way, and simply because she kills a bird doesn't make her so. If she did it out of cold-blood I understand, but she was being attacked by this gull and saw it as the only way to defend herself. The climb had just been a bunch of rock climbing and almost slipping, so Lois threw in something as an obstacle. (As it is common to find nesting birds in cliff sides) so I disagree there on your characterization of Claire, simply based on one incident.
some of you need to reread the book and pick up on suttle nuances and her gentle weaving of sub plots.
Violet wrote: "some of you need to reread the book and pick up on suttle nuances and her gentle weaving of sub plots."You're absolutely right, Violet. What I need to do is re-read the book, pick up on the subtle nuances that you caught and I didn't, and come to the exact same conclusion about this book that you did. Then - and only then - will I become a reader who is confident in my analysis skills (because they'll be the same as yours!!).
I guess I don't understand why everyone can't just agree and like the same books. It must mean some readers are better than others!
maybe we feel that because we went on this l9ng journey with the books..... we expected a crazier ending possibly! !
Yes, I was a little disappointed that this series of ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULARLY AMAZING books ended like this (the hunger games series was TERRIBLE! Why do they even call it The Hunger Games???), however, this one book did not make the ENTIRE series come crashing down like in the hunger games. The Giver (FAAAVORITE BOOK!! READ! READ! READ IT! ): should say " AM-AZING "(like saying "I am amazing"). GRRRREAT BOOK!! The Messenger: "ALL-SO AWESOME"!! (Get it? Like "Im completely awesome"?Nah, that probably was a little cheesy. I'll stop with the jokes on this comment.)Anyway, the poin I'm trying to get to is that you should NOT let a (not in this case, but) pathetic sequel SPOIL or completely RUIN the first extraordinary masterpieces. Last long the great books!!!!!!
Firstly, the hunger games is called the hunger games, because it centers around an event important in the characters lives called the hunger games. Second of all, I did like the giver a lot, but I think that as Lowry continued the series, it was like a thought she was finishing, and it turned out to be a very bland thought about good vs evil. Otherwise there wouldn't be sequels. That's why to me the series is vet weak.
I laughed so hard reading this.
But I must say that I disagree a bit. I liked the ending of the series, but I see where your points are coming from. Oh well. We can't all agree on everything.
But I must say that I disagree a bit. I liked the ending of the series, but I see where your points are coming from. Oh well. We can't all agree on everything.
Agreed! And there are way more answers than questions at the end of this book. Such a frustrating ending.
Sofia wrote: "I agree that the middle of the book was extremely boring. I found myself skipping the pages of her just climbing the rock at times, and that almost made me rate the book a 3. But I can't agree wi..."
I agree with Sofia on this--and I thought the whole thing showed that she's going to do whatever it takes to see her son (overcoming fear, creative problem-solving, etc.) and the mother bird attacking to protect her young was also a symbol of the whole theme here....it wasn't an unnecessary scene.
I agree that there were major plot holes that I had to painfully force myself to overlook. And no, it was not okay. Felt like a rushed and unnecessary ending to what was already a great trilogy.
Joe wrote: "Violet wrote: "some of you need to reread the book and pick up on suttle nuances and her gentle weaving of sub plots."You're absolutely right, Violet. What I need to do is re-read the book, pick..."
"LIKE"
I like the other three books, though not as amazing as The Giver. Yet I must say I enjoyed reading them, especially the last book, Son, when we got to see a different perspective of The Giver. I like the main character, Claire (the mother of Gabriel), a lot, and we readers gotta see her grow into a real human being with feelings and emotions. I just don't like how the book ended, but still recommended if you want to see glimpses of the older Jonas and Gabriel.
Thank you Joe. Thank you. Well put. I couldn't have said it better myself.
And after all that, does Lame Einar just disappear???
As is visible in my review, I thought this was a good book, but I will concede that the latter three books seem different from The Giver. The Giver is a tale of the importance of agency and acknowldging pain; The Messenger and Son were primarily about the power of compassion and Gathering Blue thematically bridged the two part of the series.The ending was a bit abrupt, but I think it was worth it as it gave beautiful insight into the world and characters and highlighted (once again) the evil preys on desperation, regardless of the intentions of the victim.
Joe...the killing of the gulls shows Claire's despairation to survive and not be defeated by unexpected dangers. It was give up or kill the gulls and move on with life. So much like our own lives...do we choose to give up when the road ahead is tough or do we remove the obstacles and get on with life? I thought it showed her fortitude.
You took this review out of my mind. As a result of this book, I'm just going to return to believing that The Giver is a standalone book.
Although I enjoyed the book, I certainly understand your point of view. Moreover, I found your review incredibly entertaining. thank you for the laugh.
Number 1: This book is BAE.Number 2: You've got PROBLEMS.
I loved the book until Trademaster was introduced. I don't get it. Everything made sense up until there. And yeah I was upset about the baby birds too.
Officially my favourite review on this entire site
Even though I disagreed with some of your review, it was hilarious. :-)
The book was okay bit pales in comparison to The Giver. And what is the point of Trademaster? Is he the embodiment of humanity and weaknesses...the world so guarded against...I felt like that character had no place in Messenger nevermind a second feature. I love that Gave saved his mother but felt that Lowry just wrote in the ending. Great review though dripping with sarcasm!
Kathylynn wrote: "The book was okay bit pales in comparison to The Giver. And what is the point of Trademaster? Is he the embodiment of humanity and weaknesses...the world so guarded against...I felt like that chara..."The Trademaster is not humanity but rather is desperation and desire, or more accurately is every dark impulse we have when we are desperate with wanting.
".... felt the same way.. and as such, will avoid this one.