Gathering Blue (The Giver Quartet #2)

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Author(s)

Lois Lowry

Publisher

Houghton Mifflin Co

Genre(s)

Science Fiction

Age Range

12+

Release Date

September 25, 2000

ISBN

0618055819

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In her strongest work to date, Lois Lowry once again creates a mysterious but plausible future world. It is a society ruled by savagery and deceit that shuns and discards the weak. Left orphaned and physically flawed, young Kira faces a frightening, uncertain future. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, she struggles with ever broadening responsibilities in her quest for truth, discovering things that will change her life forever.

As she did in The Giver, Lowry challenges readers to imagine what our world could become, and what will be considered valuable. Every reader will be taken by Kira's plight and will long ponder her haunting world and the hope for the future.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

A much anticipated release

November 20, 2000

Overall rating

5.0

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Lois Lowry's books never fail to make you think. She has a subtle way of creating stories that stay with you for a long, long time. The Giver is one of those and her recently released related book, Gathering Blue, is another.

Both are tales of a future world where our modern day society is barely even a distant memory. After a great collapse (perhaps a terrible war? Ms. Lowry never says, and it never really matters), civilization begins to rebuild. One of the most important things in both books is the concept of memory and holding on to the past.

Different communities find different ways to cope with life in the world of the future. Kira, the heroine of Gathering Blue, lives in a brutish, dog-eat-dog kind of village. The lives of her people are governed by strict rules (as were the lives of the characters in The Giver) and their technological level is very low. Only food, shelter and procreation figure with any importance in their lives.

Kira was born 'damaged' and would have been left to die if her mother had not refused to let her go. Once her mother dies, she finds herself alone with only the friendship of an eight-year-old boy to sustain her. But the council takes her in because they know of her talent.

Her fingers have a life of their own when she works with thread and cloth. Much like Ms. Lowry's ability to weave complex characters and storylines, Kira can create things that no other person can.

She soon meets two others who share a similar gift: Thomas, who carves incredibly intricate pieces and Jo, a mere toddler who can sing like an angel. They are each tasked with something that will support the Singer, who appears each year to sing the song of all that has passed before.

But Kira soon discovers that all is not as it seems and that truth is a slippery thing. In the end, she makes a decision that will potentially change the entire world.

Fans of The Giver should pay close attention to the last few pages of the book for a possible glimpse at what happend to Jonas. You will, of course, have to draw your own conclusion.

Kimberly Pauley Top 50 Reviewer 393 reviews

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15 reviews

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3 stars

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1 star

Overall rating

4.2

Plot

4.1(15)

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4.0(2)

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4.5(2)

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Another Great Dystopian

June 15, 2015

Overall rating

3.3

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

4.0

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MY THOUGHTS
If you're expecting a sequel to The Giver, you will be very disappointed. The two books are completely unrelated to one another. Just think of this book has another dystopian and you will enjoy it more.

This book focuses on Kira. She's a young girl, born with a bad leg and shunned for it. When her mother dies she is kicked out of her home and left for dead. She's saved only by her talent with thread and weaving. She finds a new home, but begins to learn the truths of her village.

I couldn't like this a whole lot, just because I've read similar dystopians, same was with The Giver. I know that these got published first, but it still prevents me. Still, I found this book to be interesting. I was able to tell that something was up with the village early on, but I was still very curious to see how Kira would react. I also enjoyed the aspect of the arts. I'm an artist and while my kind of art wasn't really in here, I happen to appreciate all of the arts.

Kira is a very great main character. She was born with a defect that causes her village to see her as worthless. She is very much not worthless and actually takes a stand. I also like how close she is to her friends that she made in this book!

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I thought this was a great dystopian! Many will be disappointed by it not be a sequel to The Giver, but this is still worth the read! Lois Lowry is a wonderful writer and I will continue reading the rest of the books in this quartet.

Jessica Jackson Top 50 Reviewer 147 reviews

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amazing

October 02, 2014 (Updated: February 24, 2015)

Overall rating

4.7

Plot

4.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

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Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry is an amazing book. I would recommend this book to kids age 11-adult because this book makes you anticipate and makes you think up of many possibilities of what might happen. I think this book is full of many mysteries and just makes you want to read and read until you find out what's really happening. Kira the main character was born imperfect she was a tyke (child) with a twisted foot so she wasn't like any other tyke. She already had problems, but now she has more problems since her mom died and now people want her out of the village. She can't leave because she has no where to go and she might be taken by the beasts. So there is a trial held to see if she can stay or not, and of course she stays since she has a wonderful talent. At a young age Kira found out that her fingers move on their own to make masterpieces out of threads. She is left to live because of her talent. Kira is the weaver, Thomas her friend is a carver, and a little girl named Jo is a singer. These three play an important role in the village. Read to find out what they discover about the village and its secrets. The book is just amazing because of the plot and the writing style. The language is like how any little boy or girl would speak so it's very nice to read in child language. The plot is full of mystery like there is a puzzle each main character have to find out, but overall I loved the book. If you want to read Gathering Blue you should read the Giver first, then Gathering Blue, and then The Messenger, and lastly Son. These books are all by Lois Lowry.

Tiffany Yu Top 500 Reviewer 3 reviews

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Well-written

March 26, 2008

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

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Reader reviewed by Jo

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick and interesting summer read.I really enjoy how this author ties many of his characters together through different books and different stories. The main character is interesting as is the community in which she lives. You keep questioning yourself throughout the book. It was a great book by a great author.

a reader #1 Reviewer 19910 reviews

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Well-written

March 26, 2008

Overall rating

5.0

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5.0

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a reader #1 Reviewer 19910 reviews

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The Giver, and Yet Not The Giver

July 22, 2007

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

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N/A

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Reader reviewed by Mairi

It was the love of a mother that kept the crippled Kira from being cast out to die as a baby, but when her mother passes away the women of the village join together to bring her before the all-powerful Council to be judged. Kira expects the worst, knowing that her twisted leg makes her a burden on society, but Jamison, her appointed defender, cites her work in the weaving shed as reason to keep her alive in the service of the village.

When I first puchased this book at the age of nine of so my mother forbade me to read it- it was to horrid a story, she claimed, for my young mind. So I shelved it and read other books for a few years until, interest more or less lost, I picked it up again.

By that point I had read The Giver in detail and was old enough to see the parallels- and the utter lack of parallels-between the two stories, which gave them both meaning.

a reader #1 Reviewer 19910 reviews

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blah

April 16, 2006

Overall rating

2.0

Plot

2.0

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Reader reviewed by ellie

The book was only interesting at two parts in the book in my opinion ( when Vandara and other women were standing around Kira and when Kira's father was there and told the story of how he went blind and that the men attacked him and not the beasts). also the book was to confusing in too many spots for example when Matt spoke the the author made him say things like ett and giftie. Also, it made annabella's death seem like an accident but i am not so sure it was because she told kira "There be no beasts" and then kira told jamison and then the next day she was dead.

a reader #1 Reviewer 19910 reviews

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boring

January 11, 2006

Overall rating

1.0

Plot

1.0

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N/A

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N/A

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Reader reviewed by artemis

It is a good look at a futuristic world but the characters are flat and underdeveloped. It was very slow and boring to read. The main character isn't the saucy type. She waits for other people to fall before finally taking action. It's very predictable and nothing is ever accomplished. Don't read it. It's a waste of time.

a reader #1 Reviewer 19910 reviews

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my fav.

January 10, 2006

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

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Reader reviewed by Ashley

This is one of my favorite books. The young girl losing her mother in the beginning is tragic enough but the events that immediatly follow are no better. when she finds that she has a "special talent" as well as other ppl. this book is inspiring in many ways and the way it is written makes you believe in the character.

a reader #1 Reviewer 19910 reviews

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Captivating

January 09, 2006

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

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N/A

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Reader reviewed by two sided freek

This book, unlike Lowry's other book The Giver, is not much of a utopia but more like an idea based community. True, people you don't expect have more power than actually visible, but this community is more reliant on how the people of the community think, which is different than ideans forced on others. What I'm trying to get at is that, this book is different than others and stands out.

I'm not going to give a summary, and instead you get my views on the book. I felt this engaging book delivered a powerful message about belonging and the right thing. It also showed me that sometimes what we want most might not be the best decision.

All in all, this book is wonderful and when you read it, you always will learn something.

a reader #1 Reviewer 19910 reviews

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A must-read for fans of The Giver.

January 08, 2006

Overall rating

3.0

Plot

3.0

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N/A

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Reader reviewed by Tif

A girl named Kira is left orphaned. She has a physical defect and her fate is uncertain until the Council of Guardians recognizes her skill as a theader. With the help of companions,she unravels mysteries about her world and her own life that can reshape the future of her world.

The setting is a future human society devastated after disasters known as The Ruin. It is an interesting story; the symbolism of the blue is hope and the future. The story ends a little vaguely, as Lowry's books tend to do. It is an enjoyable read, although the perspective remains at a bit more of a distance from the characters than I would like. Also it is fairly short, at about 200 pages. A must-read for fans of The Giver.

a reader #1 Reviewer 19910 reviews