Messenger (Giver Quartet, 3)

This third story by Lois Lowry is a study in altruism and what happens then evil creeps in. The first book, "The Giver" took place in a city where there is technology, and people do not know what love, color, family, etc. are all about. Everything is dictated. All are the same, and those that are different are not appreciated and are breaking the Law in some way. Lowry's second book takes place in a village where infirmity is bad. It is a hard life, but there are families, most poor, and if you are found to have a Gift, you are whisked away to use it for the village. The story revolves around 3 gifts, and in particular, a girl, Kira, who has a twisted leg and is a weaver, and a young boy, Matty, who does not yet know he has a gift. He goes to a special village and brings back the color blue, in the form of a flower not grown in Kira's town and Kira's father. This story does not particularly overlap with the first story other than to show a different village in the same world. That brings us to book 3, " The Messenger". Here we are more thoroughly introduced to the village where Matty had found Kira's father. The village started as a truly altruistic community. Everyone was welcomed. Everyone helped everyone, and people, escaping other villages would find their way there. Here there is Leader, who later we find is Jonas from "The Giver". Matty and Kira's father, often called Seer as he was blind but "saw" so much, are also in this village. This is the story of Matty and the village. The people are changing and not for the good. As the people change, so does the forest going from hospitable and welcoming to actually being able to kill people. The village decides to close the gates to outsiders so Matty needs to go back to Kira's village as it is time for her to come home to her family. The journey is fraught with danger. It is truly a fascinating read. The imagery used to show the results of progressive evil using the people and the forest is amazing. It also begins to tie some of the book themes together. For a young adult, it is a fun read. Lois Lowry does a terrific job of weaving a story, painting a complete picture. For adults it has such depth. This book along with the other 2 gave me much food for thought. I went right on to the fourth story to see how it was wrapped up. Not to give it away, but you will finally get a feel for how the world was through the three settings and the characters. You also get to meet Gabriel's mother and see her journey as well as young Gabe, who is now a young boy. Happy reading!

Messenger is the third book in the Giver Quartet series by Lois Lowry. Having previously read “The Giver” and “Gathering Blue”, “Messenger” sees the continuation of Matt (now Matty) approximately six to eight years after “Gathering Blue”. Having returned the blind man, Kira’s father, back to his village, Matt decides to remain with him instead of returning to his previous home. Over the years he has kept in contact with Kira and has visited frequently, but his pleas to have her join her father and him in Village are not successful as Kira feels that she still has much to accomplish in her home. Because of increasing unrest and concerns voiced by the inhabitants, the once open Village is closing its borders and it’s up to Matty to travel the ever increasingly treacherous forest to spread the word and try to get Kira to come with him before it’s too late. I must say, this is by far my favorite book in the series. Not only did we have a continuation of the characters from the previous book, we finally get to catch up with Jonas and Gabe from “The Giver”. Lowry’s writing in this book conveys yet another village that is different from anything we’ve seen thus far and is by far the most inclusive and welcoming, until the Trade Mart turns the villagers’ focus more toward themselves than others. When this occurs, a poison seeps into the community and the surrounding forest that may result in more than just closed borders. Jonas has found himself in a position of influence in the community however that influence can only go so far. I tore through this book is less than a day and the ending, while not unexpected ripped my heart out. If you are not an emotional wreck by the end of this story, you must not be human. I am looking forward to the final book in this series to see how Lowry ties all if these different yet similar dystopian communities together.

SPARROW'S THOUGHTS: ¡ANSWERS! Yes, Lois Lowry has finally provided us with answers concerning Jonas and Baby Gabriel after the freakish, yet brilliant ending of The Giver. Thus, I will make it known, that Messenger has been my favorite read so far in the quartet; although, the page count is pretty ridiculous. I mean, 187 pages? Really? Okay, I’ll stop being snarky. ;) While I acknowledge that I gave Gathering Blue a pretty low review, I will say this: The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger eventually connect beautifully. So, yes, please read the quartet in that particular order if you wish to experience the fullness of a dystopian relationship between the stories. But what makes Messenger stand out between the other books!? The mere fact, that you are reminded that living amongst a community/family/city/nation is both beautiful and ugly, and how self-love, egotism and especially pride can easily corrupt and poison a society in its entirety. And who doesn’t need this friendly reminder? ;) Sadly, history has taught me that when a society is overthrown by pride and corruption, a martyr is the most effective solution. While martyrdom may not always mean a physical death, (though that is the legitimate definition), martyrdom may be displayed by ones self-sacrifice in taking the blame for something they may, or may not have done. IN A NUTSHELL: The Giver » demonstrates what a controlled community looks like when its leaders make every effort to prevent division, controversy, misunderstandings and painful experiences from ever taking place. Gathering Blue » illustrates how a society can be gravely affected by its way of reasoning, and how living in such a society, one forgets how to care and appreciate one another. Messenger » Exposes how a society, whose initial principles were founded on love, friendship, sympathy, compassion, friendliness can easily become corrupted by way of pride, self-love, envy and unforgiveness. » A wonderful thought-provoking message that challenges the reader to live in a selfless way » The characters were fairly engaging; I liked how the characters from Gathering Blue and The Giver all connected beautifully, and with their own stories too. My favorite character was the Seer; he reminded me of a Gandalf. » I was impressed with the book! It was worth the read :) 3 THINGS I LIKED: + The personal convictions the story delivered; I needed the rude awakening :) + Messenger is full-on fantasy with a pinch of dystopia; not to mention, Lowry’s writing is wonderfully descriptive and thought-provoking + I received my answers regarding Jonas and I was quite pleased :) 3 THINGS I DID NOT LIKE: - Though I received a somewhat detailed summary of what took place after Jonas arrived at The Village, I didn’t get enough about baby Gabriel; nothing - The whole Trade Mart scene was confusing and flawed; I was left with unanswered questions - The origin stories of both Jonas and Kira lose their sense of realism towards the end of the book; I felt betrayed :(

Ohmigosh! So so good. Devastating. Beautiful. Thrilling. Tragic. This book is amazing and such a perfect companion to the first two books.

I had read "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, sharing same with my neighbor girl (14). She shared with me that she had read "The Giver" for school last year and that it was really good. Finally, I read "The Giver." Then came the movie "The Giver" and what a delightful movie it was for both a 14 year old and a gal over 60. When I took a trip to Barnes & Noble to look for another book I found that there were " The Giver," "Gathering Blue," "The Messenger," and the "Son." My 14 year old friend does not like to read. These books have peaked not only my interest but my neighbor girl's interest as well. FOR THIS REASON alone "The Messenger" is well worth a 5 STAR RATING. When I found the other 3 books I bought them that evening for my friend. I purchased the additional 3 for my Kindle, also. This book "The Messenger," has been a great read. I like the fact that it has brought back characters from the first two books. Review by J Matthews September 27, 2014 PS I have found the author, Lois Lowry, to be meticulous with the dialog remaining true for the individual characters. Well done.

Enjoyable continuation of The Giver series.

SPOILERS AlERT ****************** Let me start off by saying, "I love love love The Giver!" I read it when I was younger in school and I never forgot it. It would haunt me at random times asking me to read it again. So I was thrilled when I saw that it was a trilogy! "Gathering Blue" was also a good read but I thought it could almost stand on it's own and not be put into "The Giver 's world. I wanted to see what happened to the town after he had fled it, or what he went through. The story of Kira is also very interesting but somehow out of place. There were a lot of question after this book ; What happened to Gab? What happened to Jo? Was the society killing their parents? Since Jonas was followed by airplanes, how come no one here has seen them? And how did the world of Jonas know how to send him books? Jonas was given memories, when did he get to see in the future, I think Color is different from the future, I got the image of color as a memory of what had been? Why we didn't get to learn more about the trade market? What picture did Kira stitch in the singer's robe? Why didn't she confront the man who blinded her father? Didn't Kira see the community's coming together? I saw nothing about these places joining. Together. (Really I could go on) I gave this 3 stars for the memory of a wonderful first book and the idea of what could have been. I agree with a lot of these reviews: one more book would have summed it up nice.

Each book builds upon the previous one in the series; however, this book acts as a lonely bridge, its whole purpose to link the first two to the ultimate fourth book of Lois Lowry's creation. The lives and the special gifts of the primary characters merge in surprising ways as the storyline develops in this fast-paced and urgent tale of courage and personal efforts. As the characters converge, the plotlines become clearer as everything now focuses to the final and longest volume. This imaginative story is great for discussion, especially with younger readers, acting as a proxy microcosm of life and its many challenges and threats to dreams, hopes, and the best of intentions. Taught here is the need for a courage to go on despite the obstacles and adversities. Although I enjoy the series, this is the least optimistic, as younger characters mature and face difficulties, disappointments, and discouragement. I find the ending abrupt, yet appreciate not having to wait for the final installment as many early readers did. Now on to the last of the series and understanding all the mysteries yet to be revealed.