Orphaned, crippled, unable to perform the physical labor necessary to survive on her own, and unlikely ever to be married, Kira faces daunting odds and probable death in the days following her mother’s mysterious illness. To her surprise, a defender stands up for her; she is placed under the guardianship of the community council and given materials and a commission for the practice of the needlework that is her one skill and joy. She soon learns that she is not the only young artist who has been taken into the compound upon being orphaned.
The next months are filled with a great deal of learning and painstaking work in preparation for the annual Gathering, as well as the discovery of startling information about events of the past and accidental insights into the future that is planned for the artisans in training. Unexpectedly given an opportunity to alter her circumstances, Kira for the first time has the power to make a decision that will determine her life’s direction.
A companion volume to The Giver, Gathering Blue is set in a rather primitive settlement, in stark contrast to the earlier book’s well-ordered, sanitized society; affording an examination of similar issues from a very different perspective.
Becka's Book Review 