Son (The Giver #4) by Lois Lowry

Son (The Giver #4) by Lois Lowry-304 pages

This is the fourth and final book in The Giver Quartet. It is the story of Claire and Gabe, her son, and how each longs for the other. It is also the story of Jonas and Kira and Village. It neatly ends the story that The Giver began. Lowry ties the story together very well in this book. I especially liked the ending. I would recommend that anyone who has read The Giver continue and read the rest of the story in Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.

Messenger (The Giver #3) by Lois Lowry

Messenger (The Giver #3) by Lois Lowry-142 pages

This is the story of Matty and how we learn of his true name. It is set six years after the events of Gathering Blue and Matty has been in Village with Seer (Kira's father, Christopher) the entire time. Village has always been a welcoming haven for those who didn't fit in at their former villages (many of their former villages discouraged or disallowed emotions/feeling or were very flawed in some way). However, Village is changing for the worse and will soon be closed to outsiders. Matty must return to his old village and convince Kira to return with him to Village and Seer. We learn of Matty's true name at the end of the book, but there are clues throughout. I am eagerly anticipating the story's end in Son, which is the fourth and last book of The Giver Quartet.

Gathering Blue (The Giver #2) by Lois Lowry

Gathering Blue (The Giver #2) by Lois Lowry-183 pages

This is the second book in The Giver Quartet. The story is about Kira, a crippled girl living in a dystopian society that diminishes those with limitations/challenges, such as Kira. However, Kira is allowed to stay and is tasked with repairing/restoring the Singer's Robe. She soon finds out the truth behind the village/society she lives in. I like this book, but not as much as The Giver.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry-171 pages

I started reading this for the dystopian challenge last month, but didn't finish it in time. I had already listened to the audiobook version, but I wanted to read it myself. It is a good, thought-provoking read. It's ideas about sameness and differences invite the reader to consider such things and what the effects might be. We ought to celebrate our differences and realize that each of us is unique, yet the same in one aspect: that we are all human beings. I'm not a big fan of the abrupt ending and not learning exactly what happens to Jonas's former community, but perhaps it is best left up to the reader's imagination. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction and being challenged to think critically. I plan to read the other three companion novels written by Lois Lowry at some point in the near future, but I have other books to read, for now.

Son by Lois Lowry

Son by Lois Lowry -- 400 pages

The fourth book in The Giver Quartet, Son bridges the gaps between the first three books and ties them all into one story.

Son starts where the first book, The Giver starts, in Jonas' community where everything is in order. When Claire was 12, turning 13, she was assigned to be a birth mother, or a vessel. She carried her product and followed the rules, but somehow something went wrong. The birth went wrong. Her job went wrong.
She was then assigned to work at a Fish Hatchery, but she did not forget the baby that she had carried and seen. When she finds him, she keeps him a secret, telling no one that he is her son, but visiting him often and breaking her heart every time.

Claire's story lasts through the first three books and continues the story of the third book, joining all of our favorite characters and answering the questions that we still had.

This was my favorite book in the series.