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I figured The Giver by Lois Lowry was a great book to start with for the DystopYA Reading Challenge since it seems to be one of the most famous books in the genre, has been highly recommended by a number of my internet book buddies and I have always meant to read it.
As the story begins the protagonist Jonas’ community seems almost perfect; its citizens are polite to a tee, are required to talk openly about their feelings to promote emotional wellbeing and seem to be without a care in the world. Gradually more disturbing aspects of the society become apparent; citizens have very little choice over the direction their lives will take; at twelve they are assigned careers and later in life spouses. They do not give birth to their own children, but take medication to suppress their urges and apply to The Committee to be allocated children, who are born by women given the role of Birthmothers. The children never meet their true mothers or know which other children have the same Birthmother as them and each live with a sibling also not related to them by blood in their assigned family unit. Once children move out of their family homes the “parents” go and live with the Childless Adults and after that they live in The House of the Old, where the elderly are looked after, but also physically disciplined when naughty.
Despite all of this people are very content – the only complaint ever made is how hard it is to change any of the society’s rules. The source of this widespread happiness becomes clear when Jonas is chosen as the community’s new Receiver of Memory when he turns twelve and is allocated a career. The Receiver of Memory’s job is to hold all the memories of the past, spanning back prior to the establishment of the community, on the behalf of its citizens, bearing the burdensome pain of wisdom and knowledge of both the good and painful events of the past. The Receiver has this role so that when the community is faced by a problem The Committee can turn to him for advice in light of his knowledge of the past. The current Receiver, an elderly man, becomes The Giver when he begins to train Jonas in preparation for his lonely task and transmits memories to him.
Lowry’s writing is simplistic and direct perfect for younger readers. But while using a stark style Lowry manages not to lose any of the story’s appeal to adults, it almost makes the dark themes more disturbing somehow to have them presented so simply. I’ve read that its suitable for readers aged 8-years-old and up, I’m not too sure about that, as while its easy to read some of it would be a bit too disturbing for readers that age. I think I’d place it as suitable for about 12 and up. I just loved The Giver, I was loath to put it down every time life got in the way; I would have devoured it in one sitting if it has been possible.
Next on the list for the challenge, depending which book I’ve reserved becomes available first:
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry.
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
[Cross posted on http://coffeestainedpages.wordpress.com]
Lisa See contrasts sprawling filth, decadence, poverty and glamour against each other in the early chapters of Shanghai Girls, creating an often-shocking picture of Shanghai in the late 30s. “The Paris of Asia” is home to two sisters; May and Pearl, and as the book opens they are living a high life of modelling, boozing, boys, clothes and freedom. See perfectly captures both their complete acceptance of the poverty around them, and the essence of life in Shanghai during this time period, when she describes them as they depart from their rickshaw dressed in handmade, silk cheongsams, pay their shoeless, shirtless rickshaw driver and step around a dead baby on the street as they make their way to sit for a painting.
But their luck turns; soon their father sells them off into arranged marriages to pay off his gambling debts, and later the Japanese attack. The sisters journey from Shanghai, to Hong Kong, to and immigration detention centre called Angel Island, before finally meeting their husbands in America, though not unscathed.
Shanghai Girls is a gripping historical novel that spans so many interesting aspects of World history, from Japan’s attack on China, to the evolving place of Chinese in American society, rise of communism in China, the Korean War and the Red Scare in America. According to See’s afterward, while none of the novel’s main characters are real, some may recognise certain plot points as many events in the books were based on interviews with people living in Shanghai or America during the book’s time frame.
Through See’s books I have learnt about what life has been like for Chinese women in society throughout history; from the 19th century in The Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, back to the 17th century in Peony in Love and now the mid 20th century in Shanghai Girls. The novel is yet another engrossing addition to See’s works of historical fiction. Towards the end of Shanghai Girls I felt her writing became a little repetitive, but for the most part it is taut and highly engaging.
Links:
Michelle’s review of Peony in Love by Lisa See
Emily’s review of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Those who know my reading habits are probably aware I have a great love for dystopic fiction. So I am really going to try to take part in the DystopYA Reading Challenge, which I just stumbled across at Books on the Nightstand. In true totalitarian style there are a whole bunch of rules about participating in the challenge but basically I will have to read "three works of dystopic fiction that were written or published primarily for young adults" before December 31 2009 and blog about each of them. I actually haven't read any YA dystopic fiction before and three is a pretty achievable number so it sounds great to me! Although I also said I would participate in the Everything Austen Challenge and I have yet to read anything for that... I'd better get cracking!
Edit: I just found out there's another dystopic YA reading challenge at Bart's Bookshelf. Both bloggers say its ok to double up and do both so I think I will.
Speaking of dystopias, I saw The Surrogates at the movies today. It has a really interesting concept; basically humans live out their lives through robots. They spend their lives lying on a table, strapped to electronic devices that allow them to see and feel what their robots are doing, giving them the ability to control their appearances through modifying the robot and to remain safely at home at all times. Everyone in mainstream society is reliant on these surrogates, while humans against the practice live on small reservations. It's by no means a perfect film; some parts of the storyline are a bit clunky, but it's definitely worth a look.
Not a lot happens in this book so I don't have a lot to say about it. I enjoyed it though, it's very French, contains a lot of accessible philosophy and is mainly about friendship and the power of literature, film, music and art to bring people happiness.
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Review: here.
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
The first three books in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I'm hooked now and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next few I ordered from Book Depository, but I still think the TV show True Blood is better. Each book represents one series of the show, but the show has taken a lot of liberties with the series by creating lots of new sub-plots. Hmmm I don't have much else to say about the books I'm afraid, except that they're very light reading, but so full of sex, violence and drama that they're not dull. Perfect for me at the moment since my uni workload has gotten so heavy.
Currently Reading:
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
I'm about halfway through, it's really great so far. I think I might even prefer it to her other books Peony in Love and The Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
I wish I’d had the time to review Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates immediately after reading it because now, a month later, it’s nowhere near as fresh in my mind. At the beginning of the year I bought a copy after watching the movie left me in tatters, for months after that it sat untouched on my shelf because I knew it would be a heavy going experience emotionally so I was waiting for the right mood. I was right, it did turn out to be an oppressive and upsetting read. But it was definitely worth it, Yates’ writing is so beautifully crafted and he depicts the characters in such a realistic way, to the point that at times his descriptions are downright nasty.
The story revolves around the Wheelers’ tragic marriage in 1950s American suburbia. From the outside everything seems perfect; Frank is known for his cleverness, April is a beautiful housewife and together they have two young children; a boy and a girl. But they’ve both always assumed they were destined for great things and are bitter at the turns their lives have taken. They plot an escape to Paris to save themselves from a life of mediocrity, and from there things start to crumble for the Wheelers.
I’ve read a few reviews of the book and many readers seem to find all the characters completely repulsive and can’t empathise with them at all because of the abhorrent, selfish things they do. But to me they felt like real people and I can’t help but feel an incredible sympathy for them all, trapped by society, their choices and their own shortcomings and ultimately meeting a tragic end through attempting to change their lot in life. To me Revolutionary Road is a critique of 50s society, a study of a marriage and a warning against conventional gender roles and the importance of women having other options in life than getting married and starting a family. I finished it at midnight one night and felt so shaken by it I had to watch a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother in order to get to sleep. It really falls into the “books that wound and stab us” category Kafka so highly recommended.
Here are some of my favourite passages from the book:
“Our ability to measure and apportion time affords an almost endless source of comfort. “Synchronize watches at oh-six-hundred,” says the infantry captain, and each of his huddled lieutenants finds a respite from fear in the act of brining two tiny pointers into jewelled alignment while tons of heavy artillery go fluttering overhead: the prosaic, civilian looking dial of the watch has restored, however briefly, an illusion of personal control. Good, it counsels. Looking tidily up from the hairs and veins of each terribly vulnerable wrist; fine: so far, everything’s happening right on time.”
“I had this idea there was this whole world of marvellous golden people somewhere ahead of me as the seniors of Rye when I was in sixth grade; people who knew everything instinctively, who made their lives work out the way they wanted without even trying, who never had to make the best of a bad job because it never occurred to them to do anything less than perfectly the first time. Sort of heroic super-people, all of them beautiful and witty and calm and kind, and I always imagined that when I did find them I’d suddenly know that I belonged among them, that I was one of them, that I’d been meant to be one of them all along, and everything in the meantime had been a mistake; and they’d know it too. I’d be like the ugly duckling among the swans… It’s the most stupid, ruinous kind of self-deception there is, and it gets you into nothing but trouble.”
“Oh for a month or two, just for fun, it might be alright to play a game like that with a boy; but all these years! And all because, in a sentimentally lonely time long ago, she had found it easy and agreeable to believe whatever this one particular boy felt like saying, and to repay him for that pleasure by telling easy, agreeable lies of her own, until each was saying what they other one most wanted to hear – until he was saying “I love you” and she was saying “Really I mean it; you’re the most interesting person I’ve ever met.” What a subtle, treacherous thing it was to let yourself go that way!”
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Recent Comments
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Dominique said:
It's a lot of fun! Next time I'm going to clear my schedule for it though. read more
on Readathon post 2 -
Michelle said:
I see you have opted for my version of cross-posting. :P read more
on Readathon post 2 -
Kica said:
Sounds fun! Wish I had known about it before today was over! Maybe I'll remember and catch the next one,... read more
on Readathon post 2 -
Vishy said:
Hi Michelle! I just read your post about possibly leaving Vox, and have just posted my comment to it. Hope... read more
on Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Haha yeah at the time I just thought oh I'm too busy doing the readathon to blog here properly, ill... read more
on Readathon post 2