My husband often accuses me of ignoring the many book recommendations he's given to me.  And justifiably so.  It's not that I don't appreciate his suggestions or that I don't want to experience a book that he's enjoyed—it's just that we like very different kinds of books.  You've no doubt noticed that I'm a fiction kind of girl.  I read for entertainment, so I generally shy away from anything that's too deep.  As I like to tell my husband, if I have to re-read every sentence five times before I understand it, I'm out. 

One of my husband's very favorite books is The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis.  He's been urging me to give it a go for a long time, reassuring me that it's more readable than many of the tomes he likes to consume.  Ironically enough, it wasn't until it was selected as the next pick for my book club that I finally gave it a chance.  And you know what?  The hubs was right.  It's a worthwhile read.  Do I count it as a favorite of mine?  No, but that's okay.  I'm glad I read it and took the time to ponder Lewis' thoughts.

The allegorical story in The Great Divorce is told by a man who dreams he gets on a bus and takes an incredible journey through Heaven and Hell.  He converses with his fellow passengers, meets a variety of supernatural beings, and has his mind opened to some surprising truths about life, death, human nature, and good vs. evil. 

I know a good deal of Lewis' ruminations went straight over my head, so I'm not going to even pretend that I understand The Great Divorce.  I did, however, enjoy "meeting" the different bus riders, each of whom represents a different type of person—the proud, the faithless, the fearful, etc.  When my husband asked me which of them I most identified with, I replied, "Um, all of them?"  I saw portions of myself in each of their weaknesses, which definitely provided food for thought.  I also appreciated Lewis' ideas on letting go of "earthly" concepts like fairness, justification, quarrels, etc. as I, too, feel that such things do not exist in heaven.  

(Readalikes:  Besides The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the only other thing I've read by C.S. Lewis is The Screwtape Letters.  It's similar to The Great Divorce, I think.)

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

To the FTC, with love:  The Great Divorce is from my personal library.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  Although this review will not contain spoilers from Son, it may inadvertently spoil plot surprises from The Giver, Gathering Blue, or Messenger.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

No one in the community knows who she is or from whence she came.  They only know that she washed up on their shore one day, with no knowledge of her life before.  Except for her name—Claire—the girl knows nothing of herself.  Then, vague memories start floating through her mind.  It's only then that Claire recalls the place of her birth—a bland, colorless world devoid of affection and personal choice.  A place where children are Assigned a duty which they must fulfill.  Even if it means becoming pregnant at 14 years old with a baby who will be given to an appropriate family, never to be known by his Birthmother.  As a Vessel, Claire should have borne the infant and forgotten him, moved on with her life.  But, even now, she can't forget her son.  She'd give anything—anything—to see him again.

The road to Gabriel is an impossible one.  It will require everything Claire has—and more.  Can she make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love or will she, finally, allow herself to let go of the son she's never forgotten?  

Son, the final installment in The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry, ties up a lot of unanswered questions from the first three books in the series.  It is, however, Claire's story.  She's a courageous young heroine, one whose desperate plight the reader can't help but care about.  As Claire fights to see her son again, we can't help but ponder the questions Lowry's been forcing us to ask all throughout this series, questions about freedom, personal choice, imagination, consequences, pain, and passion.  It's a satisfying finale about the fierceness of a mother's love, the war between good and evil, and the beauty that exists in the world even in the midst of pain.    

(Readalikes:  The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger by Lois Lowry)

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(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for Messenger by Lois Lowry, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from The Giver and Gathering Blue.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Village used to be a peaceful place, a place that welcomed outcasts into its fold.  No more.  A strange wind is blowing through the once utopian town, bringing with it the stink of greed, envy, and suspicion.  When the decision is made to close Village to outsiders, Matty panics.  If no one is allowed in, the blind, old Seer will never get to visit with the beloved daughter with whom he's only recently been reunited.  Matty cannot allow the kind old man to have is heart broken again.  He must traverse the deadly Forest to bring Kira home to her father—before it's too late.

As if to prove just how different things have become, Forest has grown hostile even to Matty, who's always been able to move through it safely.  Without that special ability, he may not be able to make it through to Kira.  He cares too much for the Seer not to at least try.  Armed only with a peculiar gift that he's only beginning to understand, Matty must make a perilous journey in order to help his friend, and his community, heal.  Will he reach Kira in time?  Will he even make it out of Forest alive?  

Readers who felt frustrated with the open endings of the first two books in Lois Lowry's unsettling dystopian series will be happy to know that Messenger, the third volume, connects at least a few dots.  We finally learn what happened to Jonas and Gabe, as well as Seer and other characters from the previous books.  Really, though, this is Matty's story.  Brave and loyal, he's an easy hero for which to root.  Allegorical in nature (as are all of The Giver books), Messenger is a cautionary tale about what happens to people (and communities) when the evils of the world are allowed overcome their better natures.  As always, I can't help but find Biblical parallels in Lowry's stories—Matty could be seen as Adam leaving the Garden of Eden or even a type of Christ.  The best part about this series is probably the fact that Lowry leaves it all open to the reader's interpretation.  Regardless of which lessons you find for yourself in Messenger, it's a compelling read.  If you loved The Giver, you definitely don't want to miss it. 

(Readalikes:  The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Son by Lois Lowry)

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