I had mixed reactions to this book. I found the simple language jarring with the dark, complicated messages--but this is a children's book and Lowry did a masterful job in reducing some very complicated concepts to language and situations that children can understand. Life reduced to the simple needs of food, shelter, nurture, and occupation is not much of a life. Existing is not living, but living also involves pain and loss. My only pet peeve (and the reason I didn't give it five stars) is the use of what looks like magic (the mysterious abilities of the Giver) to accomplish the plot goals, when most of the book is probable.