Giver Quartet Omnibus

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		Giver Quartet Omnibus
		Giver Quartet Omnibus

Now a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift, Alexander Skarsgard, and Brenton Thwaites

This first-ever Lois Lowry single-volume collection includes unabridged editions of the Newbery Medal-winning The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son. Lois Lowry's groundbreaking dystopian series comes alive in a single portable volume. An affordable addition to the shelves of teen fans and collectors alike.

Lois Lowry is the author of more than thirty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader's Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Association's Children's Book Award. Ms. Lowry now divides her time between Cambridge and an 1840s farmhouse in Maine. To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com.

网友对Giver Quartet Omnibus的评论

印刷清晰，重量轻，语言简单，故事有趣，适合中学生看。

书很大本，但很轻，印刷清晰，看着很舒服

Ok, so this was a weird experience. After reading the first book and then going into the next I was so disappointed! I wanted to know what happened! I thought the next book would pick up where the first left off...not the case but...it all ties together in the end and I got the answers I was looking for! Absolutely loved! I won't say more because I hate when reviewers give away the whole thing trying to convince the potential buyer the books are good. I can say it is great though. I would highly recommend!

Dystopian teen fiction is pretty hot right now, with blockbusters like "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent." But the grandaddy of them all was "The Giver."

And long before it became chic, Lois Lowry produced a hauntingly memorable quartet of stories set in a world where emotions are suppressed and people with gifts are imprisoned. The four books are loosely tied together -- the first and last most tightly -- and mingle fantasy and science fiction, with haunting prose and some very strong characters, as well as a message of compassion and acceptance.

In "The Giver," Jonas lives in a rigid, joyless community where people use emotion-deprivation pills and adhere to insanely strict rules -- they have no conflict, poverty or discrimination... but they also have no love, no fun, and no creativity. When Jonas is selected as the Receiver of Memories, he is suddenly flooded with feelings and memories of both the good and the bad from humanity's distant past.

And as he comes to realize what his people have lost in their quest to be the same, Jonas begins yearning for the world he knows must exist outside the Community. But his quest becomes a more personal one when he discovers another price for the Community's existence: the "release" of babies that they don't deem good enough. The only one who can change the Community is Gabe.

"Gathering Blue" introduces us to Kira, a young girl born with a deformed leg in another community that leaves disabled or sickly people to die in the Field of Leaving. She is only kept alive because of her skill with embroidery and weaving, so she can make the Singer's robe. As she comes to realize the horrible flaws in her village's way of life, Kira must make an important decision -- stay and try to improve things, or leave for a place that would welcome her?

"Messenger" was somewhat controversial upon its release, since some fans of "The Giver" felt that it "ruined" the bleak ending they had imagined for the first book. In takes place in Village, a community made up of outcasts, misfits and disabled people, ruled by the kindly Leader. But the Village is surrounded by Forest, a terrifying and deadly forest that kills those who venture into it -- and though the awkward teen boy Matty has been able to go there, it is now growing darker and twisted. As the Village begins to close itself off from the outside world, Matty finds that he may be the only one who can save them all.

"Son" takes us back in time to Claire, a young woman whose entire purpose is to produce babies for the Community -- and her child is the sickly baby boy known as Gabe, who vanishes with Jonas into the great unknown. Her desperation to find her son inspires her on a years-long quest to find him -- and a Faustian pact with a terrible figure who only wants suffering.

Pretty much all young-adult dystopian fiction owes a debt to the Giver Quartet -- it has young people discovering the cruelty and callousness of their societies, and finding different ways to rebel. But Lowry doesn't shy away from asking the serious questions in her story, such as lack of respect for life (if it's inconvenient or doesn't fit in), kindness, compassion, and the good AND bad roots of what it means to truly live.

Lowry's writing is simple but poetic, winding through with some quietly eloquent language ("Now, on this shattered morning, he felt nothing but knots and snarls under his fingertips"). And she fills the stories not with bombast and battle, but with tragedy and quiet triumph -- and while the story is in a future world fragmented into multiple civilizations, there's a hint of the fantastical as well. Think special powers, the mysterious Trademaster, and whatnot.

And she creates a varied collection of characters. All of them are tied together into a story that culminates in "Son," and they all have the theme of seeking to improve the cruel, callous worlds they were in -- Jonas by leaving the Community to the memories they are trying to avoid, Kira by staying and working, and Matty through self-sacrifice. Claire is the odd duck out, a young woman adrift in the world, desperate to find her baby.

"The Giver Quartet" is a haunting memorable collection of novels, some of which inspired the current widespread dystopian novels. Rich, haunting and well-written.

"The Giver Quartet" by Lois Lowry answers many questions I had after reading "The Giver" years ago. The simplicity of the themes and writing is charming. You know you are reading something special when you can't put it down.

"The Giver" follows Jonas, a young boy in a seemingly utopian society. He lives in a world without sadness or suffering. One may think such a world would be paradise, but the price is a society without emotion, creativity, or even color. The idea of "Sameness" is controlled through mandatory medication and strict guidelines. Jonas is chosen to be the Receiver of Memories, working with The Giver to pass on knowledge of the past. Once he is given a glance into a world full of important events, feelings, and beauty, he comes to realize that the dystopian society he is a part of is not enough.

The second story in the series, "Gathering Blue" follows Kira, an orphaned child with a deformity. The society that Jonas was from seems like nirvana compared to her village. Typically, the weak are cast aside into The Field where fierce Beasts prey. Kira begins to prove her worth through embroidery, a talent that she learned from her mother. As she learns to dye her threads, Kira realizes that the color blue cannot be found. Just as in "The Giver," Kira uncovers dark secrets that haunt her village.

I was disappointed after reading "Gathering Blue" because there was no connection between the first and second in the series. Do not be discouraged; all of the stories being to come together in the next installment.

"Messenger" picks up within a few years after both "The Giver" and "Gathering Blue." Matty, a boy from the second story, discovers that he has mystical abilities as uses them to bring messages back and forth between his village and the places beyond The Forest. He is the first person that has been known to make it through the unforgiving forest. Matty is suddenly given a purpose and his will to survive for himself, his supporters, and their ambitions which unleashes a fierceness in him.

"Son" comes full circle providing a different perspective of the society from "The Giver." Claire is a young woman chosen to be a Birthmother, whose only duty is to bear children. Most in the community look down upon this profession and Claire is initially disappointed. The birth of her son changes her perspective and his existence becomes her passion. The last book in the series is thrilling and keeps the reader guessing until the end.

The conclusion itself is satisfying, although it left me with some unanswered questions. The fate of a few important supporting characters and villages are left to the imagination. There are some individuals from "Gathering Blue" in particular that I was sure would make additional appearances, but I never learned what happened. This was frustrating since I had come to care about them and, good or bad, I wanted to know what had become of them.
This aspect does not destroy the series as a whole for me. I enjoyed reading and would recommend!

As far as writing style and interest goes, this book is great. I originally read the first story, "The Giver", in elementary school, and it ends on a bit of a cliff hanger. I bought this book in order to end the mystery, and let me tell you, that is not what happened.
I did get a bit of satisfaction because some things were explained, but this book turned out to be 4 different stories that all interconnect. It's not too complicated to follow, but it did mean that the end of a story meant there wasn't likely to be new answers.
I understand this is great author practice, sometimes. It's just not my personal favorite.

That said, I was enthralled with each story and stayed up too late many times in order to find out what happened in each story. I would definitely recommend this quartet to friends and family, especially if they can handle a loose ending. :)

One very important detail to note: This is not a "series" in the traditional sense, i.e. it doesn't have a continuous storyline that runs chronologically from book one to book four. Rather, it's more of a "collection" of four distinct and separate stories connected by a common theme and overlapping of characters with the final book providing a satisfying resolution to the quartet.

In "The Giver", we are introduced to a community in a dystopian future in which emotions are chemically suppressed. Although on the surface this creates a pleasant, productive society free from emotions like anger, jealousy and hate, it's also lacking in love, joy and empathy. Spouses are not chosen, they're assigned with the soul purpose of raising and guiding the next generation of children. Babies are not born into their families, they are born to women who's job it is to birth them, then they are cared for in a facility until they're assigned to a family unit. Babies deemed unfit for placement are "released" from the community. The main character, a boy named Jonas, is assigned the job of Receiver of Memories. As the Receiver, he receives the "memories" of emotional experiences (both good and bad) from the Giver. As his collection of "memories" grows, so does the compassion he feels for baby Gabe, who is scheduled for release.

"Gathering Blue" takes us to a completely different community and a different cast of characters. I was confused and disappointed at first because I expected it to pick up where "The Giver" left off. Instead, the reader is introduced to Kira who lives in a community far less advanced than Jonas' but on some levels very similar. No one is allowed to be a burden to the community. Babies born with defects are left out to be taken by wild beasts. Born with a deformed leg, Kira was spared this fate by her mother who loved her. When her mother passes away, Kira once again faces the threat of being turned out.

"Messenger" tells the story of Village, where diversity is celebrated and all are welcome. It is a refuge for the weak, the injured, the disabled and those seeking a kinder way of life. But as the forest around them grows darker and more threatening, the people of Village begin to change as well. A teenage boy named Matty may be Village's only hope.

"Son"
The final book takes us back to the beginning where we see the story from the perspective of Gabe's mother. Claire was assigned the occupation of Birth Mother, producing babies to be placed in approved family units. Claire loved her son in spite of the community's rules. This love sends her on an epic quest to find her son. All of our familiar characters are finally connected in this book as the threads of the different storylines are woven together.

To me, it felt like "The Giver" and "Gathering Blue" weren't originally intended to be connected to each other. They don't even seem like they're in the same time period! "Messenger" seemed to be a sequel to both books, with "Son" completing the story. In spite of that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading these books and recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre.

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