It is a book review! I just finished Gathering Blue about an hour ago and I have a ton of mixed feelings that I can’t wait to share with you.
*Spoiler Alert!*
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“But it made her smile, to see it, to see how the pen formed the shapes and the shapes told a story of a name.”
― Lois Lowry, Gathering Blue
Gathering Blue
To Recap:
This is a companion novel to The Giver. But can also be read as a stand alone novel.
If you want to buy The Giver you can find them through the links below!
On to the new stuff:
We are left on a big cliffhanger at the end of The Giver but this novel takes place 3 years after and with no relation to Jonas or any other part of The Giver plot.
Characters:
Gathering Blue has 4 main characters. The book follows Kira’s journey from becoming an orphan to working on one of the villages most important garment.
Her young friend Matt is always getting into trouble with his dog but frequently visits Kira and Thomas. He is a carver who lives down the hall from Kira and does similar work.
Lastly, we have Jamison who isn’t in the novel as much as the other three but has an important role and influences Kira’s life.
Plot:
Not a lot happens in this book. It is mostly about Kira experiencing things that she could have never imagined! For example, she has a bath in her room and doesn’t understand why she can’t bathe in the stream.
Along side of that, she is also realizing things are different than she had been taught. At the beginning and end of the book she mentions how her and her mother tried to stay out of the way or to reside in the back of a crowd.
As Kira is brought to the front of the crowd or just seeing things up close, her perspective begins to change.
Setting:
This is a dystopian novel which takes place in a village where the weak are discarded and violence is common.
My thoughts:
The Good Stuff:
This was a really well written book. I was invested the entire time and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.
There were certainly some plot twists that I didn’t see coming. I appreciated that Lowry didn’t use some of the common dystopian tropes that have become predictable.
Seeing Kira grow into a confident young woman was a joy. She started as a fearful girl but found her place and made a family of her own.
The Less Good Stuff:
Not a lot happens in the novels. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing but I just kept waiting for something to happen that wasn’t just a realization Kira had.
I didn’t enjoy the ending at all. It felt rushed and bare. She was supposed to go with her father but after realizing the Singer was chained, she decided to stay to continue with her work. I mean I get it, but I wish there had been some explanation or even just conversation between the characters about it.
My Rating:
5/10
☆☆☆☆☆
If you want to buy Gathering Blue you can find it at the links below.
“Maybe it is something that artists have,” she said, liking the sound of the word she had just learned. “A special kind of magic knowledge.” ― Lois Lowry, Gathering Blue