Saturday, January 07, 2006

Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry

Somewhere in the distant future, Kira (who has always been an outcast in her village because of a bad leg) must find a new future when her mother suddenly dies. Miraculously, not only does she find a means to support herself, but it as as the honored embroiderer of the Singer's gown that he wears each year to sing the history of the people. But as Kira becomes more familiar with the new world she is in, she also begins to suspect that things are not quite as they seem.

This interesting piece of fantasy, deep with metaphors, is a companion to Lowry's The Giver. It's an original and fully-developed world that we get to see, so fans of fantasy literature will like it. I'm not much of a fan myself, but moreover, I tend to find the style (which is written in a rather distant 1st-person narrative) hard to relate to. There are characters and they do interesting things, but you never quite end up caring what they are doing.

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