The Perks of Being a Book Lover discussion

The book that I have chosen this month based on the feedback that I received is going to be The Giver by Lois Lowry. :) I'd really appreciate it if y'all would take part in this, although it is obviously optional. :) Feel free to post your reviews to this thread or create your own, more specific thread about the book.

Finaly got my hands on a copy of The Giver by Lois Lowry! Can't belive that i could not find it in the local library...that's Elgin for you I guess.

Hello again, I have got about half way though the book now and the thing that strikes my is the formal language that the world is based around. As a novel for young adults, its pretty scarry. I love how the charecters in the book have a sense that they think they are free, when really they are being ruthlessly controlled. It's great that the authour has kept his writing with the main charecter childish as it adds to the beliviblity.
Is there anyone else who finds this book just a little frightening? Especaily when it talks about people being "released"?

I'm almost through, and I completely agree with you. I think that Lowry did a fantastic job with making the novel seem realistic in a way; I honestly got a bit scared around halfway through!

I'm just wondering what is meant by the term "released"?

This might be a spoiler for you, but I think that it means that they are killed by the government worker/person watching over them.

I finished a few days ago, but this book has really stuck in my mind. I was felt moved and shocked by the inforced death that Jonas bares witness to. Do you think that he is too young to be willing shown this passive violence? It also reminds me a little of Cloud Atlas when the serving girl gets killed. What does everyone think about the language used in this book?

I think that Jonas was definitely too young to watch the death, and I think that the language was used in a very great way, to make the book seem more real and almost like it was a different world, but one that we could possibly attain. The one thing that threw me off was the colors thing... I suppose that bothered me because I just can't imagine it, but I liked everything else.