“Now he knew that there were communities everywhere, sprinkled across the vast landscape of the known world, in which people suffered. Not always from beatings and hunger, the way he had. But from ignorance. From not knowing. From being kept from knowledge.”
- Lois Lowry, Messenger
Another book read, so many more to go. Yesterday I finished Messenger by Lois Lowry, the third book in The Giver quartet. Once again I wasn't disappointed. The book was interesting, easy to read and closely related to the previous books in the quartet. The story in Messenger happens eight years after the events in The Giver and six years after the events in Gathering Blue. The characters from The Giver and Gathering Blue reappear in Messenger, linking the novels more closely. I was especially happy to find the character named Leader who first appeared in The Giver and I've wondered ever since what happened to him.
Summary from the back cover:
"For the past six years, Matty has lived in Village and flourished under the guidance of Seer, a blind man known for his special sight. Village was once a place that welcomed newcomers, but something sinister has seeped into Village and the people have voted to close it to outsiders. Matty has been invaluable as a messenger. Now he must make one last journey through the treacherous Forest with his only weapon, a power he unexpectedly discovers within himself."
Messenger was short, only 169 pages but I didn't mind that because I'm so busy these days, I only have time to read before bed. Still, some days I had to pace myself to not finish it too fast. A good book is like a great adventure and I want it to last for a while. This adventure lasted only several nights but I'll remember it for some time.
If you haven't read any books from the quartet yet and you love thought provoking, inspirational writing, I strongly suggest you give The Giver a try. It will take you on the journey and make you question yourself, society around you and the world in general. Much recommended.
Now that Messenger is done, there is one last book in the quartet to read: The Son. I don't have this book at home so I'll have to get my hands on one sometime soon. In the mean time I'll be reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy which I've wanted to read for quite some time now.
Messenger was short, only 169 pages but I didn't mind that because I'm so busy these days, I only have time to read before bed. Still, some days I had to pace myself to not finish it too fast. A good book is like a great adventure and I want it to last for a while. This adventure lasted only several nights but I'll remember it for some time.
If you haven't read any books from the quartet yet and you love thought provoking, inspirational writing, I strongly suggest you give The Giver a try. It will take you on the journey and make you question yourself, society around you and the world in general. Much recommended.
Now that Messenger is done, there is one last book in the quartet to read: The Son. I don't have this book at home so I'll have to get my hands on one sometime soon. In the mean time I'll be reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy which I've wanted to read for quite some time now.
Namaste