Now for something completely different...…

Seriously, this is deliberately different from "The Giver" and that's how they tie in. Get it? Well, I will try to help even though I am a butcher from Georgia and not a magical future-telling artist.

The theme/lesson is the same as in "The Giver", presented through the lens of a different community called the village. In "The Giver", the community is emotionless, passive, strictly structured, and suppresses the past. In contrast, the village in "Gathering Blue" is demonstrative, violent, chaotic, and celebrates its past. Both have head counsels led by elders.

In my opinion, the community's counsel in "The Giver" seems evil but is acting in everyone's best interest. However, the village's counsel in "Gathering Blue" seems to help Kira but is only acting in their best interest. Jonas is an accepted member of the community in "The Giver", while Kira is an outcast of the village in "Gathering Blue". Jonas becomes isolated by the memories (insight), and Kira becomes accepted for her talents (foresight).

"The Giver" begins with Jonas being secure and happy and ends with him feeling detached until he escapes. "Gathering Blue" begins with Kira in danger of losing her life and ends with her feeling needed and refusing to leave. Their evolving relationships are the motivators in both decisions.

I liked "The Giver" better but only because the community was more interesting than the village was. These are in fact perfect companion books. They are like two sides of the same coin, ying and yang, colored and colorless.

And to those who ask what happened to Jonas and Gabe? Be patient. Is there any doubt that the pale-eyed unbroken boy is Jonas? So he and Gabe are living with the third group that helps each other. And that Kira and Jonas will meet. After all, my main complaint of the series so far is that they are too predictable. Or maybe I am a magical fortune teller after all.

While this is indeed listed as the sequel to "The Giver", it actually has very little connection with that book. They exist within the same universe. I suspect that the "yonder" place in "Gathering Blue" is the same as the destination where those characters from "The Giver" end up at the conclusion.

This is clearly a children's book. The language used is simple and straightforward. Adults will be able to anticipate events that will come as a surprise to kids. It is a relatively short book.

It examines how a society can regress into selfishness and suspicion due to a state of bare-subsistence living. The question of whether creativity holds value and how it should be harnessed is also explored. This book presents important themes in a way that is accessible to young readers, while also offering some food for thought for adults.

It is truly very sad.

On page 1, we learn that mom dies.

It is such a tragic event.

One cannot help but wonder why she had to die so young.

Her passing leaves a void that is difficult to fill.

Perhaps there were many dreams and plans that she had for the future.

But now, all of that has been cut short.

The pain of losing her at such a young age is almost unbearable.

It makes one question the fairness of life.

How could such a wonderful person be taken away so soon?

The memory of mom will always remain in our hearts, but the ache of her absence will linger for a long time.

We can only hope that she is at peace now.

Rest in peace, dear mom.

Let's address the elephant in the room.

This is not a true sequel to The Giver. It's good news if you didn't read the first one and were planning to read this. However, the bad news is that this book is nowhere near the quality of the first one. So, you might as well just read that instead.

While it is enjoyable and thought-provoking until the end, Lois Lowry has spoiled us and raised our expectations way too high. I think if it was a different author and not trying to connect to The Giver, I could be a bit more forgiving in my rating. If you're looking for a quick and easy read, go ahead and read it, but this won't be a truly memorable experience.

Here's a crazy thought: read this and then The Giver #1. That way, you might be pleasantly surprised. Maybe you'll find that the first book is even better than you expected after reading this one. It could be an interesting experiment to see how your perception of the two books changes.

But in the end, it's up to you to decide which order to read them in or if you even want to read this one at all.

The book in question is not a bad read by any means.

However, when compared to the first book in the series, The Giver, it falls short and is nowhere near as great.

Nevertheless, it does offer an interesting perspective and look into the society that the author has created.

Despite my slightly lukewarm feelings towards this particular installment, I have decided to continue on with the series.

I am still curious to see where the story will lead and how the characters will develop.

However, I must admit that I am not as excited for the next book as I was for this one.

Perhaps the next installment will surprise me and bring back the magic that made The Giver so special. Only time will tell.

After the magnificent The Giver, this book was truly a letdown!

I really wish that Lowry had chosen to continue the story from The Giver instead of penning a brand new one.

The new story doesn't even feel fresh as it presents a similar dystopian world, only this time it seems poorer.

Clearly, it lacks the quality that made its predecessor so remarkable.

This was the tenth book I read for the 2021 Reading Challenge's 25k Readathon.

I had high hopes for this book, especially after being so impressed with The Giver.

However, it failed to live up to my expectations.

The world-building in this new story was not as engaging or detailed as in The Giver.

The characters also didn't have the same depth and complexity.

Overall, it was a disappointing read.

This book, which is the second installment in a four-part series penned by Lois Lowry, has its predecessor as the widely renowned and highly acclaimed novel The Giver. It is a truly fantastic read. I thoroughly relished Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry, and I would unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in a book that offers a unique perspective on science fiction writing.

Although the setting is unusual, it did not detract from the story. In fact, I firmly believe it enhanced the story even further. In most tales that are set in futuristic worlds, there is a rather limited repertoire of possible settings. Landscapes are frequently either wastelands or utopias, and societies are either highly tech-savvy or struggling to survive. However, in Gathering Blue, we encounter a setting that diverges from the norm. It is an unpolluted world inhabited by a somewhat primitive people, yet there are still remnants of an advanced past that taint the world.

The confused blend of cultures has led to some rather peculiar traditions and practices. Nevertheless, this is not to the detriment of the story. On the contrary, it makes the story plausible and realistic to a healthy extent. This atypical setting has paved the way for an enticing plot. Here, a crippled girl named Kira cheats death twice and becomes the Threader. Being the Threader is a position of great esteem, as it is the Threader's responsibility to repair and design the Singer's Robe, an object of immense significance in the Gathering Blue universe. To carry out her tasks as the Threader, Kira requires certain dyes for the thread, specifically blue dye. This prompts Kira and her friends to embark on a wild quest to find woad, the source of blue dye, which, coincidentally, is non-existent in her village. Truly, it is an exciting story filled with numerous twists and turns. If you weren't already convinced to read this book, I sincerely hope you are now.

I was truly and deeply disappointed with this particular installment of The Giver.

Admittedly, up until chapter 13, I found myself actually quite intrigued by the story. The initial premise had piqued my interest, and I was eager to see where it would lead. However, as I delved further into the book, I noticed that the remainder of the story seemed to drag on at a sluggish pace.

In addition to the slow pacing, after chapter 13, I became acutely aware of a significant change in the writing style. This alteration was not only unexpected but also extremely confusing. It was as if the author had suddenly decided to take the story in a completely different direction, and I struggled to keep up.

I didn't necessarily mind the strangeness of the story or the fact that there were certain details surrounding the circumstances of the village that remained somewhat模糊. However, what truly annoyed me was what I can only describe as the author's rather desperate attempt to artificially elongate the story.

This brings me back to the change in writing style. It seems that after chapter 13, the author realized that the story needed to be stretched out and, as a result, changed the narration to resemble more the style of a children's book. There were numerous repetitions of various details that had just been presented, which made for a tiresome and dull reading experience.

The characters in general had their moments of interest, but unfortunately, there was absolutely no character development throughout the entire course of the story. They remained static, and I found it difficult to form a genuine connection with any of them.

The so-called twists and shocking surprises that the author added in an attempt to add depth to the story were, in fact, highly predictable. They failed to add any real excitement or intrigue to the narrative and did nothing to enhance the overall quality of the story.

Moreover, I had the distinct impression that the author was trying to impart moral lessons to her young readers. However, considering the somewhat ambiguous and perhaps even controversial outcome of the story, it becomes highly questionable whether such lessons are appropriate for her intended audience.

All in all, this book simply wasn't worth the time and effort that I invested in reading it. I rated it a mere two stars solely because of the first 12 chapters, which contained a certain degree of intrigue. At this point, I am truly undecided as to whether I should recommend it or not.

ElliotScribbles

Another story from the pen of Lois Lowry and just like Darca, I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly it reads.

At the same time, I realized that it didn't quite pull me in as much.

The plot revolves around a young girl named Kira who has a certain handicap. Kira is lame! One might say, so what? But in the world where Kira lives, anyone who is not a 100 percent contributor to society is exiled to the marshes, left to fate... or rather, it's politely said, sent to die.

The story begins right away with a situation where Kira is brought before a court because the house where she has lived until now is supposed to go to another woman who sees her as easy prey. Something unexpected happens and although Kira loses her house, she becomes a resident of the main hall where she is to devote herself to mending the clothes of the main singer. I won't say more about the plot, after all, let everyone read it for themselves...

It's interesting to look into a society that once long ago went through "some" catastrophe, presumably a nuclear war, and is now trying to survive within its own means. In places, the book reminds me of the first part, the chosen child who has to maintain knowledge, and then starts to question and inquire about the situation,....

Compared to the first part, this one seemed a bit mediocre to me, which is why I'm only giving it 3 stars. Clearly, I'm curious when I'll read part number 3.

The first sentence: "Mami?"

The last sentence: In her hand, the blue thread glowed and she felt it tremble slightly, as if it was breathing and beginning to live its own life.

Goodreads Challenge 2020: 11th book

One of the most mindless continuations I have ever read in my life.

It is to such an extent that there is no need for any feeling in this continuation, and even the author himself seems to have understood this. Instead of writing the continuation of the story of the main character, he has taken the story to another corner of the world, where it is no longer news about that utopian society of the future. It is a place where, in fact, because of the people's love for the first book, and instead, we are taken to the story of a girl who has just become an orphan and suddenly realizes that she has some talents, magical talents that she can weave beautifully! (Yes, really exciting weaving :/) And the story takes place in a society where everyone hits the children's bodies very brutally and the women do not have the right to read and write, and to such an extent that this corner of the world seems so unrelated to the previous book that it is like a difference between the 14th century and the 22nd century.

And this is just the beginning of the shameful problems of this book with characters who have no depth at all and are so superficial that it makes the world-building of the book very disjointed. And God forgive me for describing the ending of the first book because the author thought that leaving the ending of the book as art and leaving those stories in the air

makes it seem like the last chapter of the book is missing.

And the most interesting thing is that this book has no specific story, and everything that the author wants to write is based on the plot of the ending of the story, and this plot is so superficial that it is clear from the previous chapters, and it just makes you want to hit your head against the wall when you read it.

In contrast to the first book, the producers, who created an artificial life of comfort by cheating and restricting the emotions and freedom of all people, and art also did not exist for this reason. In this story, value is given to art, and only artists and leaders have no prosperity. But again, prosperity is given to the artists at the price of losing family, freedom, and by cheating.

It seems that in this fictional world, there is a complex web of trade-offs and power dynamics. The producers, in their pursuit of creating a certain kind of society, have sacrificed the true essence of human existence. By restricting emotions and freedom, they have perhaps thought they could maintain order and stability. However, this has come at a great cost.

On the other hand, the elevation of art in this story is an interesting aspect. It implies that art holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the people, even in a society that is otherwise so flawed. But the fact that it is only the artists and leaders who benefit from this prosperity shows the inequality and injustice that still prevail.

Overall, this story seems to be a commentary on the nature of society, the value of art, and the sacrifices that are often made in the name of progress and prosperity. It makes us question what we truly value and whether the price we pay for certain things is worth it.

Reading this book brought to my mind a great deal of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village.

Many people disliked this movie, yet it remains my favorite among those I've seen of his. It's about a village that appears almost too perfect to be real, with a group of leaders who arouse suspicion and a question as to whether there truly are monsters in the woods that pose a threat to the inhabitants.

I discovered that it was best to approach this book without expectations. Since I adored The Giver and knew this was meant to be a companion novel to it, I didn't wish to let my love for the previous novel diminish the enjoyment of this one. It seems that a lot of readers have had that issue - they anticipate this to be a sort of sequel or the same story. However, it's a companion in the sense that it shares numerous of the same themes as The Giver and it seems to be set in the same post-apocalyptic world where different societies have emerged around the world and adapted to the new circumstances in diverse ways.

The plot here isn't precisely fast-paced, but the mystery within it held my interest firmly. I truly relish dystopian novels, and this one had an intriguing twist with the children artists and the manipulation of them.