"Gathering Blue" has a similar flavor to "The Giver" but not the power. Whereas "The Giver" reminded me of "1984", "Gathering Blue" reminded me of "Planet of the Apes." Now, I'm a fan of "Planet of the Apes", mind you, but it's not the same thing.

Again, in "Gathering Blue", there is the story of an anti-utopian future society. Kira is a girl who has lost both of her parents. The book opens with her mourning her mother. Because of her deformed leg, Kira is now at risk of being killed herself as she can no longer contribute to her society made primitive after an event called the Ruin. Her unequalled skill with a needle and thread, however, keep her alive and get her close enough to the power of her society to see its secret horrors.

"Gathering Blue" is a good story. Certainly better than much of what's out there. What I like about this story even over "The Giver" is that it seems almost more real. While reading, I felt that this kind of primitive society could really develop. What it lacks is the tension and surprises of "The Giver." There is little tension in Kira's trial because we know she has to live for the story to go on. There are a couple of surprises in the last few pages but they are not a powerful as in "The Giver."

It is a risk to read a book by an author who has written one of your favorite books because it is difficult to beat the comparison. Still, "Gathering Blue" is an excellent book and well worth the read. But I would recommend "The Giver" to anyone who reads this.

69 of 71 found the following review helpful:


An important, incredibly powerful, MUST read book!  Aug 23, 2000 By K. Denny
What if all modern technology vanished? What if the daily struggle for food and shelter became the utmost priority in our world? Who would be considered of value in the society that followed? Ms. Lowry has given readers a story with all the impact of her earlier book, The Giver. Gathering Blue is also a novel set in the possible future, where insular towns and villages have developed, and contact between them is almost nonexistent. In one of these villages, the reader is introduced to a young girl named Kira. Through Kira's eyes, the reader is gradually pulled in to discover the horrifying, and entirely possible, secret of Kira's world. Gathering Blue is absolutely stunning in the concepts it presents; I'm certain that teachers will want to incorporate this powerful book into their reading curriculum. Along with Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli and Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman, Gathering Blue will be among the top contenders for next year's Newbery Award.

24 of 24 found the following review helpful:


Engrossing parable of difficult choices  Dec 31, 2002 By Gwen A Orel
Like many readers, I was completely floored by THE GIVER. I had heard Lowry interviewed on NPR, and finding myself in a bookstore not long after, thumbed through the book-- and felt absolutely compelled to buy it. Reading that book I had to look up several times to wipe away tears, and look around at all the beauties of our own world that we so often take for granted-- like the color red-- singing-- and unconditional love.

Now, GATHERING BLUE did not have that impact for me. But it's a very good example of a YA novel with a smart, kind heroine in a world that is complex, often brutish, and all to human. Where the world of THE GIVER, we gradually discover, is technologically advanced but emotionally and psychologically regimented, even soul-destroying, the catastrophes have turned the world of GATHERING BLUE to a fierce hunter-gatherer society.

It's a world where deformed people are routinely abandoned to death at birth, and where children, or "tykes," are redistributed to other families should one parent die, where parenting is full of shouts and slaps (but also, we see in glimpses, some kisses and handholding) and where those who can't contribute or work in an obvious fashion are ruthlessly discarded.

For all that, however, it's a world more familiar to the reader than the world of THE GIVER, and somehow, a friendlier place. Perhaps because family units, however bickering, do exist, or because of the presence of a mischievous child named MATT who even has a pet dog, this world's harshness is less shocking. Everyone in the world is brought up with it, knows about, no secrets there.

There are secrets, however. Kira is accused by a Vandara, a woman who wants her land (Kira's cottage was burned after her mother's death from illness), but instead of being kicked out of the community, Kira is promoted to weaver/designer-- she has an unearthly talent for it. As in the world of THE GIVER, there are traces of magic in this universe. She is taken to live in "the edifice"-- a cathedral that has survived more or less intact from the war. Unlike the GIVER, there are clues that this is definitely our world. In the song the singer recites each year at the Gathering, which tells the story of mankind, he lists some names of places that exist no more-- and if you read carefully it's obvious that they are Bogota, Baltimore and Toronto. There is also clearly a cross in the Edifice. Nobody remembers what it signifies, but everyone remembers that it's important.

As in THE GIVER, however, being promoted for your talented is a mixed blessing. Just as in that world, having a talent is something that people in power find alluring, and the people in power, even when seemingly protective and kind, may not have your best interests at heart, or be telling you the truth.

The title refers to the search for woad, the plant that Kira could use to make blue threads-- blue is a color her own township no longer knows how to make.

Despite some startling revelations Kira makes a hard choice to work to improve her own society rather than choose a path that would be kinder to her and her crippled status. This is a great example for kids and for all of us.

I really liked this book and found a lot in it to ponder. It didn't sock me in the stomach like THE GIVER-- overall it was a more conventional dystopia-- but I enjoyed reading it. Oddly however some of the brutishness and coldness seemed harder to believe in-- I have trouble believing a society so clearly human would be able to resist forging stronger bonds of love and friendship than this society seems to. While it's true that in the middle ages people were more used to death, for example, it's also true from every piece of literature we have from every society everywhere that the altruistic impulse is very strong, as is the parental urge, and it's hard to believe that Kira's loving mother would have been as unusual as all that.

But these are quibbles. This is a worthy successor to THE GIVER. It's different and less timeless--I'd recommend the GIVER to everyone, whether or not they read YA or science fiction-- but I'd probably be more selective in recommending this. But it works quite well as a sort of fairy tale/parable. And I loved the reference to Jonas (not named) at the end. He appears to be in a neighboring town.

I'm guessing that Jonas' town, the one he escaped from, is the worst of all the societies in Lowry's futureworld. Looking forward to the sequel which will tie them all together.

Someone compared THE GIVER to 1984, and this book to PLANET OF THE APES. Actually I'd say in impact if THE GIVER were PLANET OF THE APES (and it's hard to remember now but the ending of that movie was a huge sucker punch) than this book is more like BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES. Less shocking, less horrifying, but still very, very interesting, and a quick read with an interesting heroine.

15 of 15 found the following review helpful:


"Gathering blue" in the society overruled with greyness...  Nov 02, 2010 By Julia Shpak
Who can gather the bluest of the blue in the place that is full of greyness, dark envy, and greed?

Kira, a crippled young weaver with an extraordinary skill at the art of embroidery, lives in a medieval-like, primitive, technology-free village full of casual cruelty and brutality. Her father was conveniently killed by "beasts", and her mother got sick and passed away, leaving Kira unprotected in this community. But instead of being cast to the beasts, the society's Council of Guardians installs her as a caretaker of the Singer's robe, a ceremonial garment embroidered with the scenes of human history and used at the annual Gathering.

Many dark secrets and hidden agendas unravel before Kira as she works on restoration of Singer's robe and learns how to prepare dyes from her teacher Annabella. But the only color that her society has no knowledge of - is blue.

The blue is the color Kira needs to restore the scenes of the past on the Singer's robe and to continue working on the scenes of the future. Kira needs to "gather blue", gather all her courage to shape the future by following her art, trusting what it "tells" her in its mysterious ways, trusting into the better future for her people.

Julia Shpak
Author of "Power of Plentiful Wisdom". Available on Amazon.


18 of 19 found the following review helpful:


Lois Lowry and Gathering Blue  Nov 09, 2000 By Jennifer Hamrick
The Giver was my favorite book until I read Gathering Blue! This new book by Lowry is as intriguing as The Giver, and gives the reader more to think about. Science fiction is not my favorite genre, but these books are definitely an exception. Kira, the main character, is a likeable, compassionate young woman who is saved from death because of her talent for embroidery which she had learned from her mother. Matt, her friend is enjoyable in his naivity, but he definitly becomes a valuable friend. Thomas, the Carver, is interesting because of his artistry and background being so similar to Kira's. The theme of the artist as the predictor of the future is an interesting theme. This book explores the value that artist's bring to society, as well as, the importance of community and of love among humans. The idea of the artist being controlled by the state is interesting because of the many struggles our country has against/for censorship in the arts. I would recommend this book to young adults as well as adults.

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