 | |
| Author | Lois Lowry |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
Publication date | 2006 |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 154 pages (hardback) |
| ISBN | 978-0-618-68550-9 |
| OCLC | 62290452 |
| LC Class | PZ7.L9673 Gos 2006 |
Gossamer (2006) is a novel with elements of both fantasy and realism for young adults by Lois Lowry.
The book's omniscient point of view, Littlest One, affectionately called Littlest, is out on a dark night. She and her mentor, Fastidious, stealthily sneak into a woman and her dog's home and collect memories. At their home, the Heap, Fastidious complains about her curious student to Most Ancient. Thin Elderly and Fastidious decide that Thin Elderly will become Littlest's mentor, while Fastidious is assigned to a modern house.
Littlest is part of a small sub-colony of dream-givers. Through touching, they gather fragments such as colors, words, sounds, and scents. They then combine the fragments to become dreams, and give the dreams to humans, and sometimes pets. The giving of dreams is called the bestowal.
The next night, Thin Elderly and Littlest go back to the woman's house. On the way, Thin Elderly explains to be gentle in the touching, and not to delve, on the grounds that a dream-giver who picks up menacing fragments of the memory's "underside" becomes a Sinisteed, a horse like creature, which are transformed dream-givers who inflict nightmares. Thin Elderly gladly discovers that Littlest has the "gossamer touch"; the ability to gather and bestow with great subtlety.
The woman reveals that she is to take an angry 8-year-old boy named John into her household and must learn to deal with the troubles in his life.
A young dream-giver named Strapping is introduced. His home, assigned as a mild punishment, is a dilapidated room at the woman's home. He displays his anger by acting contemptuous of his surrounding. The caretaker, for her part, displays only kindness.
At the dream-givers' Heap, Most Ancient reports that the Sinisteeds are gathering, intent on a particular victim.
That night, Littlest and Thin Elderly experience a Sinisteed at work. It inflicts John with a nightmare. He cries out in his sleep, whereupon the woman calms him by reminding him of a happy moment in his past. Littlest and Thin Elderly then gather comforting fragments to help strengthen him after the nightmare.
That night, Littlest decides she must touch the dog, seeking to derive fragments from him. Thin Elderly protests, as they are advised not to touch living creatures, but allows her to do so. Littlest notices how tender John is to a pink seashell, to Toby, and to a chrysalis he had found, in which is growing a butterfly. She gathers fragments from Toby, and bestows them as part of a dream.
The young woman, Strapping's assignment, begins working in a school. She reflects on how bad her old life was for her son, John, because of her abusive husband, Duane. She now has hope of making friends, which Duane had not allowed her to do.
Thin Elderly is proud of Littlest's bestowal, because John is happy in his dreams. Littlest explains that the fragments she collected had a bit of a story in each one, which she put together in her mind.
Strapping is satisfied with his work. Strapping discovers he has a liking and a hope for the woman. Accordingly, he gives her dreams of hope and of a better future with her son.
John tells a story to the old woman about a young boy who ate dog food, having been ordered to do so by his father, who had seen the boy run naked through the house and urinate on the floor. The father had accused the son of behaving like a dog, and so given him dog food for all his meals. The woman realizes that John is telling a story about himself, explaining his past abuse and his own harsh behavior.
That night, Littlest and Thin Elderly discover that a Horde of Sinisteeds intend to inflict nightmares on John and his caretaker. The two dream-givers respond by bestowing strengthening dreams. They are nearly killed in the stampede of the Horde, but are able to counteract the nightmares and strengthen the humans. This is the story's climax.
John enters school, and has become a much happier child. Littlest's dreams and the old woman's care have helped him begin to heal.
Littlest is commended for her work. She learns that she is to be reassigned, a possibility not hitherto considered. She wishes to remain assigned to John, whom she has come to love and cherish, but is told by Thin Elderly that dream-givers are not permitted to generate human emotions. That is when Thin Elderly tells Littlest One that they are imaginary (within the people, dreams, and the stories). Littlest One's experiences with the boy have helped her grow more mature, and as a result she is given the name Gossamer and given a new dream-giver, New Littlest, to train.
Publishers Weekly referred to Gossamer as a "poetic, fanciful", [1] and "spellbinding story" crafted with Lowry's "exquisite, at times mesmerizing writing". [2] They described the novel's prose as "lyrical" and "richly descriptive", and highlighted how it "ushers readers into a fascinating parallel world inhabited by appealingly quirky characters". [2] Similarly, F. Todd Goodson, writing for ALAN Review , highlighted how the novel is "rich in archetypal characters and imagery, reading something like one of the pleasant dreams bestowed by its central character". [3]
In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called Gossamer's prose "light as gossamer" and "the story as haunting as a dream." [4] They also drew connections to Lowry's previous work, writing, "Readers familiar with The Giver will most appreciate Lowry’s riff on the value of memories and dreams and the importance of the sad parts of our lives, too." [4]
While noting that Gossamer's "lyrical and delicate style [is] appropriate to its subject matter", April Spisak, writing for The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books , found that "the delicacy sometimes becomes coy and mannered, [...] and the fantasy world overshadows the growing relationship between John and his unnamed foster mother". Spisak also referred to the "human story" as "heavy handed", especially given that "the maturation and healing of the characters is conveyed through their lengthy discussions of the subject rather than through the book's demonstration of their growth". Despite these concerns, Spisak concluded that "the novel effectively evokes the flimsy and sometimes tentative grasp on happiness and comfort in a way many readers will understand". [5]
Sarah Wanlass, writing for Children's Book and Media Review, additionally critiqued the novel's "remote, omniscient narrator tone", which may leave readers feeling "distanced from the story". [6]
The audiobook narrated by Anne Twomey received reviews from Booklist [7] and Publishers Weekly. Publishers Weekly wrote, "Twomey does an excellent job of distinguishing her voice for the different characters"
Despite offering a positive review for the novel, Publishers Weekly found the audiobook rendition to be "a less-than-satisfying listen", indicating that the audiobook's "many lyrical, detailed descriptions [...] become overlong and slow-moving when read aloud". Similarly, although they found "Twomey's soft, soothing voice fits the subject matter", they also indicated it "may well lull young listeners off to dreamland". [1]
Gossamer is a Junior Library Guild book. [8] The Association for Library Service to Children included it on their 2007 lists of Notable Children's Books [9] and Notable Children's Recordings. [10]
Gossamer was adapted into a play. [11]
Of Mice and Men is a 1937 novella written by American author John Steinbeck. It narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in the United States.
The Giver is a 1993 American young adult dystopian novel written by Lois Lowry, set in a society which at first appears to be utopian but is revealed to be dystopian as the story progresses.
Lois Ann Lowry is an American writer. She is the author of several books for children and young adults, including The Giver Quartet, Number the Stars, and Rabble Starkey. She is known for writing about difficult subject matters, dystopias, and complex themes in works for young audiences.
Goodnight Mister Tom is a children's novel by English author Michelle Magorian, published by Kestrel in 1981. Harper & Row published an American edition the same year. Set during World War II, it features a boy abused at home in London who is evacuated to the country at the outbreak of the war. In the care of Mister Tom, an elderly recluse, he experiences a new life of loving and care.
William Kotzwinkle is an American novelist, children's writer, and screenwriter. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. He won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel for Doctor Rat in 1977, and has also won the National Magazine Award for fiction. Kotzwinkle is known for writing the novelization of the screenplay for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
"Nothing in the Dark" is episode 81 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone, originally airing on January 5, 1962. This is one of two episodes that were filmed during season two but held over for broadcast until season three, the other being "The Grave".
Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone is a British-American animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera in conjunction with Sleepy Kids PLC and is known outside the US as Potsworth & Co. In the United Kingdom, the BBC felt that the suggestion of children being awake after midnight was inappropriate ; thus the name was changed.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child is a 1989 American slasher film directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by Leslie Bohem. It is the fifth installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, and stars Lisa Wilcox, and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. The film follows Krueger, using a now pregnant Alice Johnson's baby's dreams to claim new victims.
The Nightmare of Black Island is a BBC Books original novel written by Mike Tucker and based on the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was published on 21 September 2006, alongside The Art of Destruction and The Price of Paradise. It features the Tenth Doctor and Rose.
HellBent is a 2005 novel by Anthony McGowan. It tells the story of Connor O'Neil and his dog, who are killed by an ice cream van and sent to hell. It was received very well, despite being called "Down-right disgusting just for the sake of it".
Briar Rose is a young adult novel written by American author Jane Yolen, published in 1992. Incorporating elements of Sleeping Beauty, it was published as part of the Fairy Tale Series of novels compiled by Terri Windling. The novel won the annual Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature in 1993. It was also nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel.
The Devil's Gift is a 1984 horror film directed by Kenneth J. Berton. The film's plot is similar to that of the Stephen King short story "The Monkey".
Straight On till Morning is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Peter Collinson and starring Rita Tushingham, Shane Briant, James Bolam, Katya Wyeth and John Clive. It was made by Hammer Film Productions. The screenplay concerns a reserved young woman who finds herself attracted to a handsome stranger, unaware of his psychotic tendencies.
Fear(s) of the Dark is a 2007 French black-and-white animated horror anthology film on the subject of fear produced by Prima Linéa Productions and written and directed by several notable comic book creators and graphic designers. It was premiered at the 2007 Roma Film Festival and released in France in February 2008.
Wake is a 2008 novel by Lisa McMann centered on seventeen-year-old Janie Hannagan's involuntary power which thrusts her into others' dreams. The novel follows Janie through parts of her young adulthood, focusing mainly on the events that occur during her senior year, in which she meets an enigmatic elderly woman, and becomes involved with Cabel, a loner and purported drug-dealer at Fieldridge High School. The book is set up in a diary like form, specifying the date and time at which each event occurs. The two books that follow Wake in the trilogy are Fade and Gone. Wake debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's chapter books, and garnered several awards for young adult literature.
Maria's Lovers is a 1984 American drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and starring Nastassja Kinski, John Savage, and Robert Mitchum. The plot follows a soldier returning from World War II who marries the woman of his dreams, but he is unable to consummate his marriage, ruining the couple's chances of a shared happiness. The film is the first American feature film by Konchalovsky and opened the 41st Venice International Film Festival. Maria's Lovers also was nominated César Award for Best Foreign Film.
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" is the tenth episode of the paranormal drama television series Supernatural's third season. It was first broadcast on The CW on February 7, 2008. The narrative follows series protagonists Sam and Dean Winchester as they enter the dreamscape to rescue the comatose Bobby Singer.
Son is a 2012 young adult dystopian novel by American author Lois Lowry. The fourth and final book in The Giver Quartet, the story takes place during and after the first book in the series, The Giver. The story follows Claire, the birth mother of Gabriel, who was marked for "release" in The Giver before being taken out of the community by Jonas. Claire, obsessed with finding her son, embarks on a journey out of the community in an attempt to follow and find him. The novel explores themes of love, obligation, sacrifice, and loss. Son received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Girl Stolen is a young adult crime novel by the American author April Henry, published in 2010 by Henry Holt and Company. It follows Cheyenne, a 16-year-old girl who is blind, has pneumonia, and is accidentally kidnapped when a stranger steals her mother's car while Cheyenne is resting in the backseat.