The Giver Quartet

Last updated
The Giver Quartet
The Giver (1993)
Gathering Blue (2000)
Messenger (2004)
Son (2012)
Author Lois Lowry
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Young adult fiction
Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published1993–2012
Media typePrint (hardcover)

The Giver Quartet is a series of four books about a dystopian world by Lois Lowry. The quartet consists of The Giver (1993), Gathering Blue (2000), Messenger (2004), and Son (2012). [1] [2] The first book won the 1994 Newbery Medal and has sold more than 10 million copies. [3] [4] The story takes place in the world of The Giver. Each book has a different protagonist, but is set in the same futuristic era.

Contents

Plot

The Giver

The Giver is a 1993 American children's novel, generally for young adults or older, which is set in a society that at first presented as a utopian society but gradually appears more and more dystopian. The novel follows a boy, Jonas, in his twelfth and thirteenth years. The society has eliminated pain and strife by converting itself to "Sameness," a plan that has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of Receiver of Memory, who stores all of the past memories of the time before Sameness, in case the memories that the others lack are ever needed to aid the community leaders, or Elders, in their decisions. Jonas learns the truth about his utopian society and struggles with its weight. The Community lacks any color perception, climate variation, or terrain depth variation (such as hills and valleys); all terrain is completely flat. Sameness emphasizes the utopian qualities of the Community.

The Giver won the 1999 Newbery Medal and has sold more than 10 million copies. [5] In Australia, Canada, and the United States, it is a part of many middle schools' reading lists, but it also appeared in many challenging book lists, such as the American Library Association's list of most challenged books of the 1990s.

The novel forms a loose quartet with three other books set in the same future era: Gathering Blue (2001), Messenger (2004), and Son (2012).

Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue is a 2000 children's dystopian novella that is set in the same future time period and displays some of the same themes as The Giver.

The central character, Kira, who has a deformed leg, is orphaned and must learn to survive in a society that normally leaves the weak or disabled exposed to die in the fields. Kira's father was thought to have been taken by the Beasts while he was on a hunt before she was born. Kira's mother had died recently from a mysterious illness.

Since she is an orphan, Kira needs a reason for the Council of Edifice to keep her in the village, rather than to send her to the Field, which is certain death at the hands of the Beasts. Kira's mother did embroidery for the Council and taught Kira some of her craft. Kira's embroidery skill convinces the Council to keep her around to mend and update a beautiful robe, which shows the society's history. She begins to learn the art of dyeing threads different colors except for blue, which nobody in her community knows how to make except Annabella, Kira's mentor.

Kira also learns more about the truth of her village and the terrible secrets that it holds. She then finds her father, who tells the truth of what happened to him and about the Village he now lives on.

Messenger

Messenger takes place about eight years after The Giver and about six years after Gathering Blue.

Set in an isolated community, known simply as Village, it focuses on a boy, Matty, who serves as a message bearer through the ominous and lethal Forest that surrounds the community. This book also tells the fate of Jonas and baby Gabe from The Giver.

Son

Son follows Claire, Gabriel's birth mother, who embarks on a harrowing and dangerous journey to eventually locate Gabriel. Claire is fourteen when she has Gabriel. At the end of the book, Claire reunites with Gabriel and Kira and Jonas are married with two children named “Annabella and Matty”, to honor her two friends who passed away.

Film adaptation

A film adaptation of the first book was produced by The Weinstein Company and Walden Media. It was released on August 15, 2014, [6] and starred Jeff Bridges as The Giver, Brenton Thwaites as Jonas and Meryl Streep as the Chief Elder. [7]

Related Research Articles

Utopian and dystopian fiction are subgenres of science fiction that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality intended to appeal to readers. Dystopian fiction offers the opposite: the portrayal of a setting that completely disagrees with the author's ethos. Some novels combine both genres, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take depending on its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures. Both utopias and dystopias are commonly found in science fiction and other types of speculative fiction.

<i>The Giver</i> 1993 novel by Lois Lowry

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois Lowry</span> American writer

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.

<i>The City of Ember</i> 2003 novel by Jeanne Du Prau

The City of Ember is a post-apocalyptic novel by Jeanne DuPrau that was published in 2003. The story is about Ember, a post-apocalyptic underground city threatened by aging infrastructure and corruption. The young protagonists, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, follow clues left behind by the original builders of the City of Ember, to safety in the outside world.

<i>Gathering Blue</i> 2000 novel by Lois Lowry

Gathering Blue is a young adult-dystopian novel written by Lois Lowry and was published on September 25, 2000. A companion book to The Giver (1993), it is set in the same future time period and universe, treats some of the same themes, and is followed by Messenger (2004) and Son (2012) in The Giver Quartet.

<i>Messenger</i> (novel) 2004 novel by Lois Lowry

Messenger is a 2004 young adult dystopian novel by American author Lois Lowry, as is the third installment of The Giver Quartet, which began with the 1993 Newbery Medal-winning novel The Giver. The story takes place about six years after the events of The Giver, and the events of Gathering Blue, the preceding novel in the series. Characters from both of the previous books reappear in Messenger and give the novels a stronger continuity.

<i>Parable of the Talents</i> (novel) 1998 novel by Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Talents is a science fiction novel by the American writer Octavia E. Butler, published in 1998. It is the second in a series of two, a sequel to Parable of the Sower. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois Lenski</span> American author and illustrator (1893–1974)

Lois Lenore Lenski Covey was a Newbery Medal-winning author and illustrator of picture books and children's literature. Beginning in 1927 with her first books, Skipping Village and Jack Horner's Pie: A Book of Nursery Rhymes, Lenski published 98 books, including several posthumously. Her work includes children's picture books and illustrated chapter books, songbooks, poetry, short stories, her 1972 autobiography, Journey into Childhood, and essays about books and children's literature. Her best-known bodies of work include the "Mr. Small" series of picture books (1934–62); her "Historical" series of novels, including the Newbery Honor-winning titles Phebe Fairchild: Her Book (1936) and Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison (1941); and her "Regional" series, including Newbery Medal-winning Strawberry Girl (1945) and Children's Book Award-winning Judy's Journey (1947).

<i>Gossamer</i> (novel) Novel by Lois Lowry

Gossamer (2006) is a novel with elements of both fantasy and realism for young adults by Lois Lowry.

<i>Bloodchild and Other Stories</i> Short story collection by Octavia E. Butler

Bloodchild and Other Stories is the only collection of science fiction stories and essays written by American writer Octavia E. Butler. Each story and essay features an afterword by Butler. "Bloodchild", the title story, won the Hugo Award and Nebula Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dystopia</span> Community or society that is undesirable or frightening

A dystopia, also called a cacotopia or anti-utopia, is a community or society that is extremely bad or frightening. It is often treated as an antonym of utopia, a term that was coined by Sir Thomas More and figures as the title of his best known work, published in 1516, which created a blueprint for an ideal society with minimal crime, violence, and poverty. The relationship between utopia and dystopia is in actuality, not one simple opposition, as many utopian elements and components are found in dystopias as well, and vice versa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Sees in Color</span> American rock band

Jonas Sees In Color is an American rock band from Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, composed of members John Chester, Ryan Downing, Michael Deming and Jonathan David Owens. The band's most recent album “JSIC” was released August, 31st of 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odeya Rush</span> Israeli actress (born 1997)

Odeya Rushinek, known professionally as Odeya Rush, is an Israeli-American actress. She is known for her lead roles in The Giver (2014), Goosebumps (2015), The Bachelors (2017), Lady Bird (2017), Dumplin' (2018), Let It Snow (2019) and Dangerous Waters (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenton Thwaites</span> Australian actor (b. 1989)

Brenton Thwaites is an Australian actor. Beginning his career in his home country in 2011, he had a starring role on the series Slide and later appeared on the soap opera Home and Away. Since moving to the United States, Thwaites has had major roles in the films Blue Lagoon: The Awakening (2012), Oculus (2013), The Giver (2014), Gods of Egypt (2016), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). He starred as Dick Grayson / Robin / Nightwing in the DC Universe / HBO Max series Titans from 2018 to 2023.

<i>Blue Lagoon: The Awakening</i> 2012 television film directed by Mikael Salomon

Blue Lagoon: The Awakening is a 2012 American romantic drama television film that premiered on Lifetime on June 16, 2012. Indiana Evans and Brenton Thwaites star in the film, which is based on the 1908 novel The Blue Lagoon and its previous film adaptations.

<i>Son</i> (novel) 2012 novel by Lois Lowry

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.

<i>The Giver</i> (film) 2014 film by Phillip Noyce

The Giver is a 2014 American dystopian drama film directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Jeff Bridges, Brenton Thwaites, Odeya Rush, Meryl Streep, Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, Cameron Monaghan, Taylor Swift, and Emma Tremblay. The film is based on the 1993 young adult novel of the same name by Lois Lowry. The Giver premiered on August 11, 2014, and was released theatrically in the United States on August 15, 2014. It grossed $67 million on a $25 million budget and received a People's Choice Award nomination for "Favorite Dramatic Movie".

<i>Matched</i> trilogy Dystopian YA romance series

The Matchedtrilogy is a young adult, dystopian fiction series written by American author Ally Condie, set in a centrally governed society. The Society seems to be formed after an apocalyptical global warming event. The novel Matched was published by Dutton Penguin in November 2010 and reached number three on the Children's Chapter Books bestseller list in January. Previously working with a small, Utah-based publisher, Condie took her manuscript to Penguin Random House, after being advised to do so from her director at Deseret Book. This helped the novel reach a national audience. The Matched novel has been optioned to the Walt Disney Company for a film adaptation. Foreign rights were sold to 30 countries before publication. The second book, Crossed, was published in November 2011, and Reached, published November 2012, completed the trilogy.

References

  1. ↑ Wasserman, Robin (October 11, 2012). "The Searcher". The New York Times. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Quartet". Lois Lowry. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  3. ↑ Dunham Glassman, Molly (April 15, 1994). "Gripping 'The Giver' deserves medal as scary portrayal of 'perfect' society". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  4. ↑ Rosen, Christopher (May 22, 2014). "See Alexander Skarsgard's Poster For 'The Giver'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  5. ↑ admin (1999-11-30). "1994 Newbery Medal and Honor Books". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  6. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (September 23, 2013). "'The Giver' Film Adaptation to Hit Theaters August 2014". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  7. ↑ Bahr, Lindsey (January 23, 2014). "'The Giver': 1st Look at Jeff Bridges and Brenton Thwaites in Lois Lowry's classic". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.