-
Son
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $20.90
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Number the Stars
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Blair Brown
- Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943, and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.
-
-
People of all ages will enjoy this book.
- By Angela Rhodes on 10-16-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- A Hunger Games Novel
- By: Suzanne Collins
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low.
-
-
All about the narrator
- By Dr. on 05-19-20
By: Suzanne Collins
-
Crenshaw
- By: Katherine Applegate
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent, and not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again. Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?
-
-
Life Circumstances are Different for Every Family
- By Anonymous User on 07-21-17
-
East
- By: Edith Pattou
- Narrated by: Lee Adams, Robertson Dean, Kirby Heyborne, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rose is the youngest of seven children, meant to replace her dead sister. Maybe because of that, she’s never really fit in. She’s always felt different, out of place, a restless wanderer in a family of homebodies. So when an enormous white bear mysteriously shows up and asks her to come away with him - in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family - she readily agrees. Rose travels on the bear’s broad back to a distant and empty castle, where she is nightly joined by a mysterious stranger.
-
-
Frmom an East of the Sun, West of the Moon Fan
- By Here-and-faraway on 09-17-12
By: Edith Pattou
-
The Willoughbys
- Movie Tie-in Edition
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Arte Johnson
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Soon to be a Netflix animated film starring Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski, Séan Cullen, and Ricky Gervais! Convinced they'd be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family. The Willoughbys is a turn to the hilarious from the award-winning author of The Giver and Number the Stars that will have children and parents laughing.
-
-
Unexpectedly delightful! A treasured keeper!
- By Fay on 09-03-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
The Cousins
- By: Karen M. McManus
- Narrated by: Sarah Skaer, Kate Reinders, David Garelik, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised...and curious.
-
-
Not worth the time
- By JC Carey on 12-15-20
By: Karen M. McManus
-
Number the Stars
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Blair Brown
- Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943, and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.
-
-
People of all ages will enjoy this book.
- By Angela Rhodes on 10-16-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- A Hunger Games Novel
- By: Suzanne Collins
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low.
-
-
All about the narrator
- By Dr. on 05-19-20
By: Suzanne Collins
-
Crenshaw
- By: Katherine Applegate
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent, and not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again. Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?
-
-
Life Circumstances are Different for Every Family
- By Anonymous User on 07-21-17
-
East
- By: Edith Pattou
- Narrated by: Lee Adams, Robertson Dean, Kirby Heyborne, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rose is the youngest of seven children, meant to replace her dead sister. Maybe because of that, she’s never really fit in. She’s always felt different, out of place, a restless wanderer in a family of homebodies. So when an enormous white bear mysteriously shows up and asks her to come away with him - in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family - she readily agrees. Rose travels on the bear’s broad back to a distant and empty castle, where she is nightly joined by a mysterious stranger.
-
-
Frmom an East of the Sun, West of the Moon Fan
- By Here-and-faraway on 09-17-12
By: Edith Pattou
-
The Willoughbys
- Movie Tie-in Edition
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Arte Johnson
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Soon to be a Netflix animated film starring Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski, Séan Cullen, and Ricky Gervais! Convinced they'd be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family. The Willoughbys is a turn to the hilarious from the award-winning author of The Giver and Number the Stars that will have children and parents laughing.
-
-
Unexpectedly delightful! A treasured keeper!
- By Fay on 09-03-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
The Cousins
- By: Karen M. McManus
- Narrated by: Sarah Skaer, Kate Reinders, David Garelik, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised...and curious.
-
-
Not worth the time
- By JC Carey on 12-15-20
By: Karen M. McManus
-
Little Fires Everywhere
- By: Celeste Ng
- Narrated by: Jennifer Lim
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the winding roads to the colors of the houses to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother - who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter, Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons.
-
-
Boring and Drawn Out!!!
- By M. Ryder on 10-05-17
By: Celeste Ng
-
The Maze Runner
- Maze Runner, Book 1
- By: James Dashner
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers - boys whose memories are also gone. Outside the towering stone walls that surround them is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out - and no one's ever made it through alive. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying: Remember. Survive. Run.
-
-
30 hours before the end...
- By Jan on 06-03-12
By: James Dashner
-
Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Tina Wolstencroft
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Natalie Armstrong has everything: She's smart and beautiful, has the perfect boyfriend, early acceptance to college, and a loving family. But the summer she turns 17, she finally decides to ask some unanswered questions: Who are her biological parents, and why did they give her up when she was born? These questions take her on a journey from the deep woods of Maine to the streets of New York City, from the pages of old phone books and a tattered yearbook photo to the realization that she might actually meet her biological mother face-to-face.
-
-
Wow! Well done. Highly recommend.
- By Merridith Nydam on 07-26-20
By: Lois Lowry
-
The Trials of Apollo, Book One: The Hidden Oracle
- By: Rick Riordan
- Narrated by: Robbie Daymond
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After angering his father, Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the 4,000-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus' favor. But Apollo has many enemies - gods, monsters, and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed.
-
-
Finally a good narrator
- By Michael on 05-08-16
By: Rick Riordan
-
Four
- A Divergent Collection
- By: Veronica Roth
- Narrated by: Aaron Stanford
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fans of the Divergent series by number-one New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth will be thrilled by Four: A Divergent Collection, a companion volume that includes four pre-Divergent stories told from Tobias' point of view. Listeners first encountered Tobias as "Four" in Divergent. His voice is an integral part of Allegiant. Listeners will find more of this charismatic character's backstory told from his own perspective in Four: A Divergent Collection.
-
-
Surprise!!!! THREE EXTRA stories on the audiobook!
- By Leah on 07-11-14
By: Veronica Roth
-
The City of Ember
- The First Book of Ember
- By: Jeanne DuPrau
- Narrated by: Wendy Dillon
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she's sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever! This stunning debut novel offers refreshingly clear writing and fascinating, original characters.
-
-
Good story; annoying narrator and background sound
- By Jolie B on 05-26-12
By: Jeanne DuPrau
-
The Chronicles of Narnia Complete Audio Collection
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh, Alex Jennings, Michael York, and others
- Length: 33 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For over 60 years, readers of all ages have been enchanted by the magical realms, the epic battles between good and evil, and the unforgettable creatures of Narnia. This box set includes all seven titles in The Chronicles of Narnia - The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle.
-
-
Comes without book subdivisions - chapter key below
- By Daniel on 01-07-20
By: C. S. Lewis
-
The Westing Game
- By: Ellen Raskin
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A bizarre chain of events begins when 16 unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger - and a possible murderer - to inherit his vast fortune, one thing's for sure: Sam Westing may be dead...but that won't stop him from playing one last game!
-
-
I love this story
- By Alex on 12-17-18
By: Ellen Raskin
-
Gossamer
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Anne Twomey
- Length: 2 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and imagination, two people, a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy, face their own histories and discover what they can be to one another, renewed by the strength that comes from a tiny, caring creature they will never see.
-
-
Lois Lowry master story teller
- By RICHARD BALTZ on 08-16-15
By: Lois Lowry
-
Tiger Lily
- By: Jodi Lynn Anderson
- Narrated by: Cassandra Morris
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair.... Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.
-
-
Delightful New Angle on Peter Pan
- By LCNanny on 09-17-14
-
Tuck Everlasting
- By: Natalie Babbitt
- Narrated by: Peter Thomas
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When 10-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles upon the Tuck family's disturbing secret, she is forced to come to terms with her conflicting emotions. She feels drawn to the loving, gentle, and rather eccentric Tucks, but what they tell her is too incredible to be believed. Doomed to, or blessed with, eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family tries to make Winnie understand that the terrible magic of the forest spring can never be revealed.
-
-
Not just for middle school kids... made me happy.
- By Jan on 06-04-13
By: Natalie Babbitt
-
Uglies
- Uglies, Book 1
- By: Scott Westerfeld
- Narrated by: Emily Tremaine
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tally lives in a world where your 16th birthday brings aesthetic perfection: an operation that erases all your flaws, transforming you from an "Ugly" into a "Pretty". She is on the eve of this important event and cannot wait for her life to change. As well as guaranteeing supermodel looks, life as a Pretty seems to revolve around having a good time. But then she meets Shay, who is also 15 - but with a very different outlook on life.
-
-
Deadpan narrator murders bubbly story.
- By Mrs. T on 11-09-16
By: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher's Summary
"They called her Water Claire."
When the young girl washed up on their shore, no one knew she had been a Vessel. That she had carried a Product. That it had been carved from her belly. Stolen.
Claire had had a son. She was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible. When he was taken from their community, she knew she had to follow. And so her journey began.
But here in this wind-battered village Claire is welcomed as one of their own. In the security of her new home, she is free and loved. She grows stronger. As tempted as she is by the warmth of more human kindness than she has ever known, she cannot stay. Her son is out there; a young boy by now. Claire will stop at nothing to find her child...even if it means trading her own life.
With Son, the two-time Newbery Medal - winning Lois Lowry has spun another mesmerizing tale in this thrilling and long-awaited conclusion to The Giver.
Critic Reviews
Featured Article: The 10 Best Dystopian Audiobooks with Unsettling Alternate Realities
Though the dystopian genre focuses on the world’s degeneration, these fantastical, exploratory, and poignant titles often have the power to reveal something significant about the world listeners live in now. No matter the dystopia conjured in a selection, their creators enable us to explore human nature and safely reflect on our own reality. Here are the 10 best dystopian audiobooks to transport, unsettle, and perhaps even inspire.
More from the same
What listeners say about Son
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amy
- 01-28-13
A great "build up" to a "let down"!
I have mixed thoughts on this one. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could.
I greatly appreciated how this wove the disparate strands of The Giver, Gathering Blue, and The Messenger together in a coherent way. (I particularly love The Giver.) Even so, Son stands on its own and is fully accessible to someone who hasn't read Lowry's previous works.
The first and second parts, "Before" and "Between," are hauntingly good (and very reminiscent of The Giver), painting first a dystopian society without emotion or individualism, and then contrasting that with a small but thriving community of outcasts who have created family by choice.
Unfortunately, the third section, "Beyond," takes the tale out of the realm of science fiction or even parable and transforms it into a cartoonish allegory that steals much of the meaning and thoughtfulness from the rest of the work. Suddenly the worlds and woes we've encountered aren't because of good intentions gone bad and ignorance of what could be, or even the almost-mindless tyranny of the few over the many (with, more or less, the complicity of that many), but pure "evil." The final confrontation between Gabe (Gabriel? an angel?) and the Trademaster (the fallen, exiled angel?), with its suggestion that we're willing to give away those parts of ourselves we should treasure most, has all the subtlety of a heavy brick to the head.
I was pleased that the love of a mother for her son, and of that son for his mother - loves that would have been deemed "selfish" and wrong in the world of "Before" - end up saving not only these two individuals, but also their entire community. I only wish this could've been conveyed without trading Lowry's deft touch for a sledgehammer.
Lowry's gift is raising and wrestling with difficult questions, and the first two sections of Son continue in this tradition beautifully. It's unfortunate that she ends this series with somewhat last-minute and trite answers
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jefferson
- 10-01-17
Empathy with the Devil, or 'A Mum Loves Her Child'
The final member of Lois Lowry's Giver Quartet, Son (2012), is a recapitulation of the main genres of the earlier three novels, being itself comprised of three 'books,' the first an sf dystopia like The Giver (1993), the second a post-apocalypse story like Gathering Blue (2000), and the third a Christian allegory like Messenger (2004). Son is the capstone to the Quartet, but Lowry includes in it enough backstory from the first three works to ensure that readers new to her series can understand this one on its own.
'Book One: Before' begins about a year before the events of The Giver, and depicts the appalling emotional and reproductive control that the community Elders exercise over their people. Claire is an innocent 14-year-old girl who's been assigned to be a 'Birthmother' without being told what it entails. Like all 'Productions' in the community, hers is achieved artificially. This ensures more control over reproduction and is necessary anyway because the emotion-suppressing medication everyone must take at the onset of puberty makes sexual and other love impossible. During deliveries the 'Vessels' are blindfolded to prevent them from seeing their 'Products.' Claire's difficult delivery requires her doctors to cut her belly open, and she realizes that they care more for the Product than for the Vessel. Because of such complications, Claire is decertified as Birthmother and assigned a new career in the Fish Hatchery. There is no question of her seeing her Product, because this is never done. Due to an oversight by the Elders in charge of her case, Claire does not go back on her medication and thus feels a deep loss, sadness, and loneliness. Occasionally volunteering at the Nurturing Center, she is able to spend some precious time with her Product, her boy, number 36--concealing that she is his mother. This is the best section in the novel: devastating.
'Book Two: Between' depicts Claire ending up in a small, unindustrialized fishing village, learning there about seasons, precipitation, colors, animals, illness, and love (none of which were present in her old community), resolving to find her son, and undergoing (with the guidance of a sweet, lame young man) intense physical training to become able to attempt to climb a forbidding cliff to leave the fishing village. If successful, she'll have to decide whether or not to make an appalling bargain with the satanic Trademaster from Messenger. This is the second-best section: compelling.
'Book Three: Beyond' is narrated from the point of view of 15-year-old or so Gabe in the Village of Messenger as he works on his pet project, making a boat in which to sail back to the community that Jonas rescued him from 14 or so years ago, all to find his Birthmother, who, unbeknownst to him is in Village watching him with a 'fierce, knowing intimacy.' Jonas, who can see Beyond, senses Trademaster malevolently monitoring Gabe. Will Gabe be able to mature into a sun of a son? Son, like the quartet as a whole, then, morphs away from a political or social exploration of dystopia into an allegory of human nature confronting evil while being enriched by love, especially maternal love. This is the third-best section: too obviously and easily allegorical.
Does Son bring the quartet together and conclude it satisfyingly? Yes--but I found it less ambiguous than The Giver, less absorbing than Gathering Blue, less moving than Messenger, and less tight than the previous three novels. Lowry summarizes a bit more of the first part in the second and third parts than is necessary. And like most YA (still today) her novel lacks people of color and different sexual orientations and after all ends up rather conservatively regarding gender with a Son rather than a Daughter. (Indeed, despite the presence of strong Kira in Gathering Blue and Claire here, the saviors and leaders of Lowry's quartet are male.) There are also some things that don't hold together so well. It's hard to believe that Jonas' high tech community would not have made more of an impact on the less developed communities or vice versa. Given their close relationship in The Giver, I'd expect Jonas and Gabe to be living together in Village (even if when Jonas showed up with Gabe he didn't think he was mature enough to raise a baby). Perhaps plot is overruling character here.
Mind you, Son is an ambitious, strong novel! Lowry avoids typical YA moves like romantic triangles, violent action scenes, and obvious punishments for villains. I like Gabe calming a stormy river by saying, 'I cannot kill.' I like the supernatural gifts of the main characters being less about physical strength and more about insight. (Gabe's gift is 'veering,' an extreme form of empathy.) She depicts flawed but essentially good people we care about. She excels at dramatic irony, as with Gabe's burning desire to go find his mother when she's living in Village with him.
Bernadette Dunne reads the audiobook well. Apart from doing a creepy malevolent Trademaster, she doesn't change her voice dramatically for characters of different genders or ages or cultures, but just imbues each character's voice with the appropriate emotions and agendas etc. for each moment.
Readers of the first three books MUST read this last one, and though I still think The Giver should have been left to stand alone in its austere ambiguity--I am glad to have read all of the quartet, filled as it is of limpid writing, appealing characters, moving stories, and serious themes.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mik Rittella
- 07-27-14
I don't give out 5 stars often!
What did you love best about Son?
This is the final book in the "Giver" trilogy and I don't know why I just found out about it! There are many themes in it relevant to society today but you don't have to delve deeply or use a study guide to get into this book. Great story of perseverance and love in a dystopian society that does not include vampires and werewolves. Or zombies. There are still supernatural "gifts" but they are only a small part of this story that takes place in three separate, very different communities.
What other book might you compare Son to and why?
The Handmaiden's Tale, or 1984. Big brother is trying to simplify things and make people feel safer by taking away civil and even human rights. Scary!
What does Bernadette Dunne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Her timing and intonation as she reads, along with the way she alters her voice for each character brings them to life. You hear her voice and you want to comfort Claire or shackle the Trade Master.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
This is a tough question because anything I can think of right now sounds corny. Maybe,
"In a dystopian world, love and perseverance conquer ignorance and manipulation to find and define family."
Any additional comments?
Read "The Giver" and "The Messenger" first so you get the most out of this book. Happy listening:+)
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mike
- 09-14-16
This book is phenomenal!!
I was blown away by how in depth this book went. it answered so many questions that I've had for years! although it ended ubruptly I couldn't have left it better.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Library
- 11-04-12
a bit slow-going
I can't place why this book seemed to be so draggy--I have read all the other three in the series and The Giver was so good, I was hoping for more from this. I think perhaps the author simply chose to write for a 4th grade audience and kept her vocabulary and situations at that level. There was a great deal of over-explanation and repetition that an adult reader would not appreciate, but certainly it would be good for children.
An example would be something like getting introduced to a character and a fact about him, and then in the next chapter, the same fact is repeated in an different way, like within the narrative, "She remembered that he had lost his mother as a child and therefore..." it just really seemed for younger children than her previous books so I was disappointed.
And there is a lot of suspension of disbelief --not because it takes place in an alternate society, but because certain things seem too unlikely even within that society.
The narrator has a sort of odd, cheery tone, particularly in the beginning, and it is clear she is trying to channel the freakishly happy dystopian society, so there is a reason for it, however, it was somewhat annoying to me.
I was also not satisfied with the ending as I think it was resolved very quickly and artifically. I believe Lowry is a good enough writer to be able to have made the ending more complex.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tara
- 04-03-13
Mother of Gabe...
This is the story of the mother of the baby from The Giver...confused? If you have read The Giver you won't be, if you have not you should (and the other two books; Gathering Blue and Messanger) before you read this one. I would assume it can stand alone, but it is all the much richer with the background from the other books. Vivid descriptions, raw emotions and hard choices are at the core of this book. The love of a mother can drive even an emotionally deprived girl from the Giver community to embark on a quest of epic proportions.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- KassyD
- 01-17-15
Wonderful story
I thoroughly enjoyed The Giver series. The narrator did a fabulous job. highly recommend if you liked The Giver.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ZAQ
- 10-29-12
Not a huge fan...
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I only bought this book because I had read the other three stories in this series. I would only recommend this book to someone who has read the other three, only to finish the series. Quite honestly this book did nothing for me to wrap up the original story of "The Giver" I think that this book was only written to please those people that pressured Lowery to tell us what happened to Jonas and Gabe. I became increasingly agitated with the progress of the story/ the characters: Claire took seven years to finally talk to someone about her being there; six years to gain the strength to climb a mountain; chapters talking about the climbing of the mountain in what was only a days journey, discussing every notch, nook, and cranny. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed Book One as it was detailing Claire's life, bringing us back to the community we first learned about in "The Giver".
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
Not impressed. Maybe I'm too dim witted but I have no idea the point of the Trade Master. Plus, we took forever with the journey of Claire and the ending was far to quick and easy.
Would you be willing to try another one of Bernadette Dunne’s performances?
No.
Do you think Son needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No. Everyone lived happily ever after. Although, I'd love to learn more about the Community we first learned about, certainly does not need to be anything about the three main charters, but more of its beginnings and future.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Belinda
- 10-08-12
Heavy handed predictable story
Everything seems being put together by the author conveniently. The interesting and different worlds that the author described in the previous books ended in this book with a pretty cliched fairy tale.
However, unlike the other books, this book does have a very clear end, guessing the author just run out of steam to imagine some innovative evils.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lyla
- 01-12-21
Beautiful ending to an awesome series
This was a great ending to a fantastic series. I was very happy to have experienced this and happy with the ending but I am also sad to have finished the series. That is a sign of an amazing series I do believe :) I'm very thankful I read through this series starting with the Journey of Jonas and Gabe then ending with them as well with so many twists and turns as the characters evolved and the books connected through one another using different characters points of view with ease. Really worth the reading!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Irena
- 06-15-20
Beautiful ending of the quadrilogy
Both my 13 year old daughter and I have thoroughly enjoyed this book as well as the other 3 books from the series.
More from Lois Lowry
-
The Giver
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Ron Rifkin
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
This guy's mouth makes some serious noises...
- By Nikki Cole on 07-09-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
Number the Stars
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Blair Brown
- Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943, and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.
-
-
People of all ages will enjoy this book.
- By Angela Rhodes on 10-16-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
Gathering Blue
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Katherine Borowitz
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can do. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes she is surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world and see what places exist beyond.
-
-
Hard to stop listening!
- By Stephanie on 02-14-13
By: Lois Lowry
-
Messenger
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: David Morse
- Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six years earlier, Matty had come to Village as a scrappy and devious little boy. Back then, he liked to call himself "the Fiercest of the Fierce." But since that time, Matty has grown almost into a man under the care of Seer, a blind man whose special sight had earned him the name. Now Matty hopes that he will soon be given his true name, and he hopes it will be Messenger. But strange changes are taking place in Village.
-
-
The Giver stands alone... Messenger needs...
- By Jan on 05-14-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
The Giver
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Ron Rifkin
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
This guy's mouth makes some serious noises...
- By Nikki Cole on 07-09-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
Number the Stars
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Blair Brown
- Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943, and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.
-
-
People of all ages will enjoy this book.
- By Angela Rhodes on 10-16-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
Gathering Blue
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Katherine Borowitz
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can do. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes she is surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world and see what places exist beyond.
-
-
Hard to stop listening!
- By Stephanie on 02-14-13
By: Lois Lowry
-
Messenger
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: David Morse
- Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six years earlier, Matty had come to Village as a scrappy and devious little boy. Back then, he liked to call himself "the Fiercest of the Fierce." But since that time, Matty has grown almost into a man under the care of Seer, a blind man whose special sight had earned him the name. Now Matty hopes that he will soon be given his true name, and he hopes it will be Messenger. But strange changes are taking place in Village.
-
-
The Giver stands alone... Messenger needs...
- By Jan on 05-14-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
Gooney Bird Greene
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Lee Adams
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two-time Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry introduces a new girl in class who loves being the center of attention and tells the most entertaining “absolutely true” stories. There’s never been anyone like Gooney Bird Greene at Watertower Elementary School. What other new kid comes to school wearing pajamas and cowboy boots one day and a polka-dot t-shirt and tutu on another? Gooney Bird has to sit right smack in the middle of the class because she likes to be in the middle of everything.
-
-
What A Fun Way To Learn How To Tell A Story!
- By Kindle Customer on 11-04-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
Dear America: Like the Willow Tree
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Sara Barnett
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the Fall of 1918, eleven year-old Lydia Pierce and her fourteen year-old brother, Daniel, find themselves suddenly orphaned by the Spanish flu epidemic. Their grieving uncle takes them from their home in Portland, Maine to be raised in the Shaker community, where they are separated since males and females are not permitted to live together. Lydia, a fiercely independent girl, is forced to adjust to her new life and the restrictions placed upon her all on her own.
-
-
Excellent for any age.
- By Honey-Gram on 07-06-19
By: Lois Lowry
-
The Willoughbys
- Movie Tie-in Edition
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Arte Johnson
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Soon to be a Netflix animated film starring Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski, Séan Cullen, and Ricky Gervais! Convinced they'd be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family. The Willoughbys is a turn to the hilarious from the award-winning author of The Giver and Number the Stars that will have children and parents laughing.
-
-
Unexpectedly delightful! A treasured keeper!
- By Fay on 09-03-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
Gooney Bird and the Room Mother
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Lee Adams
- Length: 1 hr and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gooney Bird Greene likes to be right smack in the middle of everything. That's why she wants to have the lead role of Squanto in her class Thanksgiving pageant. But that role will go to whoever finds someone to be the room mother. All the parents are so busy, no one can bring cupcakes to the play. Gooney Bird Greene to the rescue! She finds a room mother alright, but promises not to tell who it is until the day of the play. Now the kids are really busy getting ready for the show.
-
-
Best book in the series❤️
- By Robert Boley on 03-24-23
By: Lois Lowry
-
Gooney the Fabulous
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Lee Adams
- Length: 2 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gooney Bird Greene has a fabulous idea after her teacher reads fables to the class. The children learn that fables are stories with animal characters that teach something important. Gooney’s fabulous idea is that each student create their own fable and tell it to the class! Everyone but Nicholas is excited about their stories and costumes. Can Gooney Bird find out why Nicholas is unhappy and get him to join in the fun? Now that would be truly fabulous!
-
-
This book is amazing
- By Robert Boley on 01-19-23
By: Lois Lowry
-
Gossamer
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Anne Twomey
- Length: 2 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and imagination, two people, a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy, face their own histories and discover what they can be to one another, renewed by the strength that comes from a tiny, caring creature they will never see.
-
-
Lois Lowry master story teller
- By RICHARD BALTZ on 08-16-15
By: Lois Lowry
-
Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Tina Wolstencroft
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Natalie Armstrong has everything: She's smart and beautiful, has the perfect boyfriend, early acceptance to college, and a loving family. But the summer she turns 17, she finally decides to ask some unanswered questions: Who are her biological parents, and why did they give her up when she was born? These questions take her on a journey from the deep woods of Maine to the streets of New York City, from the pages of old phone books and a tattered yearbook photo to the realization that she might actually meet her biological mother face-to-face.
-
-
Wow! Well done. Highly recommend.
- By Merridith Nydam on 07-26-20
By: Lois Lowry
-
On the Horizon
- Memories of World War II
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Lois Lowry
- Length: 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From two-time Newbery Medalist and living legend Lois Lowry comes a moving account of the lives lost in two of WWII's most infamous events: Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima.
-
-
Beautiful and haunting
- By Kindle Customer on 02-05-23
By: Lois Lowry