Friday, March 13, 2015

Book and Movie Review: The Giver


 Synopsis from Goodreads:

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

Thoughts on the Book:

Intriguing.  Thought-provoking.  Fascinating.  Mind-boggling.  Wonderful.  Complex.  Strange.  All adequate descriptions of what ran through my head as I read The Giver.  An extremely quick read, but quite a great one.  I found myself longing to live in this mystical world at some points and horrified at its existence in others.  I mean, I'm all for being able to make my own choices...especially when it comes to major life decisions like career, marriage, and family, but sometimes it feels like it would just be a whole heck of a lot easier if someone else just told you what to do, assigned you a life partner, and then provided you with one healthy little girl and one healthy little boy to raise.  I completely grasp that this would not ultimately be ideal, but it sure sounds good when you're surrounded by all those question marks of life.  This book totally sucked me in.  I was there.  I bought in wholeheartedly.  And I tried to formulate a plan for escape more quickly than Jonas ever imagined.  I had high hopes that the movie would continue to shape The Giver's world...

Thoughts on the Movie:

Unfortunately, it was a major let down for me.  While it did follow the overall theme of the book, it had a TON of major differences.  Jonas' friends were assigned to totally different jobs.  Gabe didn't appear to live with the family in the same manner described in the book which totally changed a bulk of the ending.  There was never a family discussion regarding dreams in the movie...the shots (pills in the book) just happened from the beginning.  Jonas and Fiona experience romantic feelings for one another.  The movie, on its own, would have been fine, but I just felt like there were far too many changes for it to feel like an accurate portrayal of the exact world created in the book.

Have you read The Giver? 
Watched the movie?
What are your thoughts?

Andrea :)

2 comments:

  1. The Giver is one of my favorite books from my childhood. I think a lot of bookish kids really connect with this if they've read it at a young age because it's the first novel you read in school that kind of shows what another life could be like without the choices we have. Or, it was for me anyway.

    I don't really want to see the movie because I know it won't do the book justice. But I am interested in seeing how they portray everything.

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  2. I just finished the book and I couldn't wait to read your review! :) I felt a lot of the same emotions that you did. At first, it seemed rather peaceful. No conflict, no rudeness, never having to worry about food or jobs, etc.

    And then as the story went on I began to get more and more suspicious and then horrified. I also didn't realize that the book is part of a quartet. I have to know what happens next!!!! :)

    I'm bummed that there were so many changes for the movie. I haven't watched it yet, but I do want to check it out at some point. Isn't Harrison Ford in it? :)

    Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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