Posts from the ‘Non-1001 Book Review’ Category

Non-1001 Book Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

First published: 1993
Awards: Newbery Medal in 1995
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by: Jen
Find it/Buy it here: The Giver

I realize that this will be an unpopular post because everyone I know loves this book with a passion. I’m fully prepared for all your comments to prove me wrong about this book!

The Giver is a young adult/children’s dystopian novel that was published in the early 1990s. It follows the story of a young boy, Jonas, who is living in what initially appears to be a utopian society. When Jonas is selected to become the new “Receiver of Memory” he has to reconcile his new knowledge of how things used to be with the current state of his surroundings. The Receiver of Memory is the one person in the community who must contain all the past memories (painful and joyous) of what life was like prior to their current community. Jonas learns that his utopian society exists exclusively because all emotion, color, memories, and individuality have been eradicated.

I find it hard to rate books that are so clearly intended toward children because the elements I dislike (simplicity of plot) are elements that are needed to appeal to, or be understandable for children.  The book is probably perfect for children ages 9-12. The problem is that as an adult, I felt bored. The story was just too simplistic for my adult tastes although I think as a child I would have loved the story. There’s little in the way of emotional or character development and the whole thing is just a little too cutesy for my tastes. Although young Jonas faces some difficult and heart-wrenching decisions, those decisions never really felt genuinely difficult or heart-wrenching the way it did in other young adult books I’ve read. For example, authors can write about characters feeling pain (emotional or physical) but to truly experience the pain with the characters, the author needs to do more than just say “it was painful.”

Another thing that bothers me is that nothing is ever explained. There are no details about why things are the way they are in this “utopia” or about how the people in charge (whoever they are) are able to control everything. As readers we simply have to take the author’s word for granted many times. Half the time I was shouting “why? why? it doesn’t make sense!”

Like I said earlier, I’m sure I’ll get some push-back for this review since everyone raves about this book. Lots of adults have read it and have encouraged me to read it. Unfortunately, I can’t rave about this book. I think it is a great book for young children because it raises interesting moral issues in a way that may be easy for them to understand. But, I don’t see the appeal of this book for adults. It was entertaining enough, but the lack of complexity drove me crazy. For adults at least, there are many superior books that cover the issues raised in this book in a more interesting and complex manner.

I do highly recommend this book for children. You can find it here: The Giver

Okay, so now it’s your turn to tell me why I’m wrong! What did you think about the book? Did you love it, like it, or dislike it? Why am I wrong?

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Ogawa

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
Published in: 2003
Translated from Japanese by: Stephen Snyder
Reviewed by: Jen
Rating: 5 stars
Find it here:The Housekeeper and the Professor

Every once in a while a book comes along that takes you by surprise. The Housekeeper and the Professor was one of those books for me. At only 180 pages the novel is short, simple, but emotionally touching and beautifully rendered. I picked this up because it has started to make the rounds in some of my reading circles. It was worth the buzz.

The book tells the story of a beautiful friendship between a housekeeper, her son, and a mathematics professor. In his youth, the Professor was involved in a tragic accident that resulted in his developing a form of anterograde amnesia. While he remembers events and people from prior to his accident, he is unable to encode new information. Every morning brings new introductions with the same questions. He wears a suit covered with pieces of paper to help him remember important facts. He spends his days immersed in mathematics, solving problems and sending them to various papers. When the Housekeeper is hired to take care of the Professor and his home, she and her 10 year old son become immersed in the Professor’s world of numbers. They grew to love the Professor and they learn to work around his memory deficits.

I found this to be a wonderful book. You can’t help but love the characters, especially the quirky Professor who makes math seem like the most exciting subject in the world. There are many math equations throughout the book but they are easy to follow and understand and they are integral to the emotions and events in the story. Who knew that math could be so interesting? The writing was simple and elegant but unpretentious. Not much happens in the way of plot because this is not a book about fast-paced adventures but rather one about quiet moments and meditation. I cried a little and smiled a lot. This was a special book that makes you contemplate the importance of living in the moment and appreciating the present. I highly recommend this book!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? If not, does it appeal to you? 

Want to try it for yourself? You can buy a copy here: The Housekeeper and the Professor