Movie Monday: The Giver

The Giver

When opportunity arises, I feature Movie Monday. I recognize few people have the time or desire to read the amount I do, especially when it comes to the 100 Best Novels list. Luckily, Hollywood loves adapting a classic and I love a good story in any form.

I love Lois Lowry's The Giver. Even though most of my peers read it years and years ago, I only was introduced to the book (and series!) in 2012. It somehow was one of those books I had just never gotten around to reading. How glad I am that changed!

If you haven't read the book, I strongly encourage you to do so. And, if you read it years ago, you may not know there is a whole series! Lowry just wrote the fourth book a couple years ago, long after the other three. All are good, but the sequels, I must admit, do not come close to The Giver - at least not for me. 

Along with many Giver fans, I anticipated last summer's film adaptation with both excitement and apprehension. The book is so good and was going to prove inherently difficult to adapt for a visual audience. There is a reason it had not been done in the intervening years between original publication and now.

The trailer made me nervous. The online discussions made me nervous. The somewhat lack luster reception at the box office made me nervous. So, we waited for Netflix.

We do that with basically everything but Hunger Games anyway, so it wasn't a big deal for us. Plus, Kevin has not read The Giver (I know!!), so he was not particularly interested. We finally got around to requested the Blu-Ray late this fall.

Son - Lois Lowry

Son

Looking back, I can hardly believe I had not read The Giver until this year.  The Newberry Award winner captivates with its elegant simplicity and introspective message.  Upon completion, I immediately read sequels Gathering Blue and Messenger, which, though not to the level of The Giver, were also quite enjoyable.  The series reaches its conclusion in new release Son, which Lowry just published this year after a long gap between books.  Lowry had promised a book which would bring the first three to a cohesive conclusion.  While she did that, and her writing remains superior to so many others, I found myself somewhat unsatisfied by her conclusion.

Messenger - Lois Lowry

Messenger

I have absolutely flown through this series.  It was just over a week ago that I savored the words of The Giver for the first time.  It's been only days since I read of Kira and her drastically different village in Gathering Blue.  It is here in Messenger that the stories converge.  Sequel does not seem to be the correct word to describe the two follow-up novels to The Giver.  This is where the term "companion" novel is perfect.  (Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry

Gathering Blue

Clearly, after finishing The Giver last weekend, I immediately requested the next book in the series, Gathering Blue.  I was thrilled when I received notification mid-week that the Kindle version was available for me to check out.  I was expecting a sequel to the story of Jonas in The Giver.  However, Gathering Blue is as story all its own.

The Giver - Lois Lowry

The Giver

It should come as no surprise to anyone who has read this book that Lowry's classic won the 1994  Newberry Medal.  In  retrospect, I'm quite surprised that it took me until age 25 to read this novel.  The name has been familiar to me for some time, but I've never actually read it.  However, it's been showing up on quite a few lists of books recommended to those who have enjoyed The Hunger Games, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I am so glad that I did.

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay

The final book of the series.  Reading through this series again, particularly at a time which coincides with the pandemonium the movie is creating, has been truly enjoyable.  That said, I'll put it right out there: the finale of this great series is always sort of a let down to me.

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire

I know that it has been a little while since I've written. There are 2 good reasons for that. First of all, I hit a point about a week ago where I finished all of the books I was reading and launched into 3 new ones at once. So, you should expect several new posts in the coming week or so. The second reason has nothing at all to do with books. Life has been more than a little crazy. First and foremost, Kevin and I got engaged at the start of the month! Needless to say, having a big shiny rock on my finger has distracted me a bit from the written word. Instead, I've been perusing wedding magazines and worrying about finding a venue. I also started a new job today.  On top of all of that, Kevin moved into what will be our first home together last week. Like I said, things have been crazy.

I realize that none of that had anything to do with Catching Fire. To those of you who don't care at all about my personal life and just want to read about books, I apologize. On to the book... (spoilers ahead)

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games

I'll admit that I feel a bit cliche posting about The Hunger Games in the midst of the pre-movie fury.  Yet, I feel secure in my love for the series because I read them over a year ago, long before the craze began reaching those a decade younger than me.  Of course, one of the great things about this series is that, while it is technically classified as Young Adult literature, it can appeal to those of all ages.  I actually head about the books from my 30-year old co-worker.  I suppose I should thank that guy because I love this serious, and have from the first chapter of the first book.