The Giver

By: Lois Lowry

Narrated by: Ron Rifkin

Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve-year-old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man, the man called only the Giver, he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.

Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs.

©1993 Lois Lowry (P)1993 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, An Imprint Of Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

Newbery Medal Winner, 1994

"This is a compelling prospect for family listening. Initially Rifkin's voice seems too regional to portray the characters of this utopian/dystopian world, but he convincingly conveys the anticipation of the coming-of-age ceremony of Jonas and his friends. As the meaning of Jonas’ selection as “Receiver of Memory” unfolds, Rifkin’s characterizations become more powerful. Although the story drives the presentation, Rifkin’s juxtaposition of the young boy and the old Giver has tremendous effect. His voice for the Giver becomes increasingly weary and strained while Jonas' gains strength. Sharing this audiobook in a family or a classroom offers a valuable opportunity to respond to and discuss Lowry’s moving novel." (AudioFile magazine)

"A powerful and provocative novel." (The New York Times)
"Lowry is once again in top form...unwinding a tale fit for the most adventurous readers." (Publishers Weekly)
"The author makes real abstract concepts, such as the meaning of a life in which there are virtually no choices to be made and no experiences with deep feelings. This tightly plotted story and its believable characters will stay with readers for a long time." (School Library Journal)

The Giver

Although this book moved a bit slowly at first, it then jumped into a heart felt story showing passion and love.

Just as I remember

What made the experience of listening to The Giver the most enjoyable?

I read this book in junior high and the listen experience took me back to the days of reading this book.

What other book might you compare The Giver to and why?

If you like this book, you would love Lord of the Flies. It makes you think, what if we lived in a world like this. Would I be able to adapt?

What about Ron Rifkin’s performance did you like?

Ron Rifkin was very pleasant to listen too. He made the story very engaging.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

To preserve this book it should not be made into a film.

i love all of it

awesome book would read again
one of the best books I've ever read
( and I don't read much )
this is on my mom's account

Great dystopian story

Very interesting story. I agree with other reviews that the narrator’s voice for Jonas was a bit “whiney” but at least it distinguished his dialogue from other characters.

Great Story, but the narration was a bit painful

I had a really hard time with the narration. I feel like it hugely detracted from the wonderfully written and thought-provoking story.

1. The music....There were many extremely odd periods of music thrown in at random times. The music was almost louder than the narrator and had absolutely no reason to be there. It didn't match the storyline at all and was just plain annoying.

2. The voice given to the 12-year-old was that of a 5-year-old.

3. There were times the narrator sounded like a robot. His voice rarely matched what was actually happening or being said.

The ONLY reason that I was able to finish listening to the whole story was that I needed to finish the book so that I could help my son with his reading and understanding of it.

excellent story telling

I enjoyed the story, and the narration. I wish that they had not added the music to the story. It was hard to hear and focus on the story with such loud music.

Narration

I really enjoyed this book! it was so incredibly different than when I read it as a teen/young adult. The ending was different than I remembered or imagined it would be. I can't wait to talk about this one in book club.
I fell in love with The Giver, he reminded me of my Dad. Harsh and rough on the outside, giving, kind, sweet and tortured on the inside.

My biggest Con to this book was the narration. I enjoyed the man's voice and readings but they played music in the background at random times for no reason. I don't understand why they did that. I've read another book on Audible that did the same thing. Hated it then and hated it now. I honestly don't think there are 2 people out there who actually enjoy that music in the middle of a sentence. The music took away from the importance of each word and distracted me from the message. The performance would have been 10 times better without the random music.

This book will capture your attention!

From page one, this book captured my undivided attention. So well written, brilliantly voiced, and opened my mind. Thank you!

Awesome book

Read it when I was a kid several years ago. It's better than I even remember listening to it now. Very easy yet engaging book that has kept me occupied through my concussion.

One of the best books ever

I loved this book alot. It was so interesting. and I loved the storyline.