[review] Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

After the death of her mother leaves her an orphan, Kira returns from mourning to find the only home she’s ever known is gone. Considered a drain on her small community because of a birth defect, the women of the clan want to leave her to the beasts. Will her strange knowledge of weaving save her?

Do you know that feel classic books have? That kind of timelessness and universal truth-ness that makes it so easy to settle in, to relate, to enjoy? Gathering Blue is that kind of book. A gentler precursor to the female-led dystopian novels that have currently saturated the YA field, Lowry’s novel will sweep you into a world cloaked with secrets and barely veiled violence.

Kira as a protagonist is amazing to me because there is very little that is particularly spectacular about her. She does what she needs to survive. She’s practical. She does not tend to question her surroundings too much nor is she particularly brave or strong. However, she accomplishes amazing things. She is full of compassion despite rarely witnessing that particular character trait. She lives with the daily pain of being an outcast and of her birth defect, a “twisted” leg, but she does not complain and she does what she needs to in order to accomplish her tasks. She’s a beautifully constructed character, and I would love the opportunity to watch her continue to develop.

The story itself is fairly simple. Seasoned readers are sure to pick up on any possible twists early on, but despite that I enjoyed the story. It was soothing in a way that is difficult to describe. I found myself being completely entangled in the story, in the setting, and in its characters. I’m finding this to be something more rare the more I read, and I can only assume that Lowry is some sort of word magician. No matter how long it’s been since I’ve picked up The Giver, I’m glad I decided to continue with this companion novel.

Don’t just take my word for it!

“While I didn’t get the answers I was looking for, I still found the book to be enjoyable.” – Jules’ Book Reviews

“And it was all that I expected but nothing that made me go OMG. ” – Boarding with Books

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