Nollaig Posted February 11, 2015 Posted February 11, 2015 I'm pretty sure that in discussion threads, spoilers are a given and people are expected to exercise caution when browsing (because it's not just a REVIEW thread, it's for actual discussion). However, I've literally never participated in a discussion thread before so I can't be sure Quote
Marie H Posted February 11, 2015 Posted February 11, 2015 I'm pretty sure that in discussion threads, spoilers are a given and people are expected to exercise caution when browsing (because it's not just a REVIEW thread, it's for actual discussion). However, I've literally never participated in a discussion thread before so I can't be sure I'm a newbie for discussions as well , so I'm sort of standing nervously, shoe-gazing . Apart than saying that it is an amazing book, there are so many aspects of it, my head is swimming with it. Where to start! I'm going to need some time to organise my brain. Quote
frankie Posted February 11, 2015 Posted February 11, 2015 I think that as this is in the group reads section and especially when all the people who've said would be taking part in the read-a-long have read the first book, it's okay to go ahead and start talking about the book and post spoilers. And I would think that that would be okay with the other books, too, as people coming in this thread will know we'll be talking about the books I'd say go ahead! Quote
muggle not Posted February 12, 2015 Posted February 12, 2015 I read The Giver last year. I just put a hold on the second book, Gathering Blue, at the library. I am #22 on the hold list but there are 11 copies of the kindle edition so I should get it soon. btw, Nollaig did a great review on her thread. Quote
Nollaig Posted February 12, 2015 Posted February 12, 2015 btw, Nollaig did a great review on her thread. Thank you so much! I won't post it here but in case anyone wants a general overview of my thoughts before the discussion proper kicks off, it's here. Quote
Athena Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I have edited this topic title to say '(Spoilers Included)' so anyone who hasn't read it and doesn't want to be spoiled, knows to stay away (since you're not using spoiler tags). I hope this is okay, if you want it changed back or changed into something different, feel free to let me know or someone else of the mod team. Happy discussing! Quote
Marie H Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 I have edited this topic title to say '(Spoilers Included)' so anyone who hasn't read it and doesn't want to be spoiled, knows to stay away (since you're not using spoiler tags). I hope this is okay, if you want it changed back or changed into something different, feel free to let me know or someone else of the mod team. Happy discussing! Oh that's good having the 'spoilers included' in the thread Athena . Well, I've been thinking a lot about The Giver, and there so many aspects of the plot, so I was going to start just one of them. At the beginning the society, and the structures of the Sameness, I thought that it was an utopia (or as close to an utopia in novels). But as Jonas begins his training as the Receiver, we discover that things are not so pleasant - the true nature of Releasing in particular, (though there was a inkling that it was very similar in present day ideas of euthanasia). The most chilling part for me was 'releasing' of the second identical twin. Did anyone feel that this was the beginnings of Sameness become a dystopia? Quote
Kylie Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 I finished reading Gathering Blue this morning. I don't remember enough of The Giver to be able to compare the two, but after reading Marie's summary above, I note that there are similarities in the plot. Gathering Blue has different characters (no Jonas), but the plot and writing style are engaging. I wish the book had been a bit longer; I feel that the world and plot could have been fleshed out a bit more (I'm sure JK Rowling could easily have written 600 pages). That said, Lowry doesn't seem to need many words to conjure up her vivid imagery. I'm reading Messenger now. This book focuses on the character of Matt from Gathering Blue. How is everyone else going? Quote
Marie H Posted February 20, 2015 Posted February 20, 2015 I'm approximately 1/3 of the way in Gathering Blue, and I am getting into it now, as it is a complete time frame and history from The Giver. Quote
Kylie Posted February 21, 2015 Posted February 21, 2015 I finished Messenger yesterday. It was very good! It tied parts of The Giver and Gathering Blue together, although I must admit that I didn't even notice because the characters went by different names and I read The Giver so long ago that I didn't recognise them several years on. I only realised when I was reading reviews afterwards. The story was quite powerful, I thought, and I spent a fair bit of time thinking about it afterwards. In Gathering Blue there was a plot point that I saw coming a ways off, but there was one in Messenger that I didn't see coming at all. I had a couple of unanswered questions at the end, but apparently these are answered nicely in The Son, which I'm really looking forward to. Quote
frankie Posted March 17, 2015 Posted March 17, 2015 (Just coming here to say I'm sorry I've not been taking part in the reading, I haven't had time to read the books ) Quote
BSchultz19 Posted March 17, 2015 Posted March 17, 2015 I didn't even know this thread existed I really liked The Giver but I don't own any of the others. I've wanted to read them though. Quote
Marie H Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I finished Gathering Blue this morning It was a good read, but not as exciting as The Giver. I've got a lot of other books that I have prioritized, so it will be a while before I will read The Messenger and Son Quote
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