I remember reading this novel and absolutely loving it. But since I had read it so long ago, a couple of months ago I re-read it. Surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly) I loved it just as much the second time around as I did the first time. Also, the fact that I am about 8 years older than I was when I first read it makes it a little surprising that I still enjoyed it, but I digress. This novel is so good, but so sad. It is amazing to read about a fictional culture that is so different from ours and very jaw-dropping. When the reader begins to make the same discoveries that Jonas is making about his own society, we discover that it is not all it has cracked up to be. Lois Lowry does an amazing job conveying emotions, which is why I think I love this novel so much. I love the relationship between Jonas and Gabriel and how much deeper their relationship goes than their relationship with any other human being (except Jonas with the Giver, of course). I would recommend this novel to anyone and everyone. It is so moving, and so incredibly eye-opening and really makes the reader think about what their own society is doing that they may be oblivious to, and how it affects their own life.