i had to read the giver as a book club book, and i heard so many rave reviews on the book, so i had high expectations.  but i agree, the book really fell flat.

speaking from the wrting aspect of this review, i think you might not want to include so much information about the story because by the end of your explanation it would've been confusing for someone who didn't read the book ("whats a 'release'?") yeah. but it was written very well.

I think that the giver was a book that the author wanted to make people open their eyes. I read it in my class, and my teacher and i disagreed on alot of the subjects. i think that the way he adressed ti issues he wanted to expose was interesting, but all those subject are not really appriate for all ages.

the giver had alot of nasty things in it that made me sick. i didnt sleep well, after the release of the twin, and when me and my mother talked about it. i then knew that that happens in the world today.

I didn't like the Giver either! Not the worst book I've ever read, I'd say, but definitely a disappointment. The plot and setting were interesting but Lois Lowry didn't use them as well as he could have, which is a pity. The ending isn't very satisfying either. Open endings are fine sometimes, but in this case the author gave no indication that Jonas's job was finished or succesful, and it makes the story seem a bit useless.

The Giver is not very thought-provoking, unless you are an english teacher who is the type to make your class find a deep signification to each chapter. I think it was meant to be thought-provoking, but Lois Lowry did not dig deep enough for it to be so. It is somehow poignant at times, but Lowry doesn't use it to his advantage as much as he could have.

It's a good book to study in, say, 4th grade. 

Personally, I have to say I disagree with you. I thought The Giver was a very captivating book. Some of the significant plot points were perplexing, and the very end left me completely lost, but the overall story was impressive.

It was not the best book I've ever read (it probably would not be on my Top 10 list), but it was obviously better than the book Anthem, another story of the same general concept as The Giver. Both are stories of a dystopian society in which one person breaks away and becomes knowledgable on the aspects of the content life we live every day. But ultimately, The Giver was just better-written and the story just draws your attention more. Anthem was an utter disappointment, and the portayal of the society seemed more like a tyranny-type government than what the author intended.

I know plenty of people from school who do not really like The Giver, but I'd have to say I am not one of them.

Personally, I thought that The Giver was thought provoking. Depressing at times, but thought provoking.

The way Lois Lowry wrote it was well done, but the idea-the plot-of The Giver was what I found most interesting. 

Simply because it was something new for me, it would be 3.5 stars on a scale of 1-5.