I wish I could say that the title of this post means that they have started shooting the film of THE GIVER. Not so.
It only means that this morning a film crew arrived and set up shop in my living room:
and then filmed an interview with me for Weston Woods, which will make it available along with a video of my book "Crow Call."
So it was a busy morning, followed by lunch with two women friends, and now I'm about to go out to dinner at a wonderful Cambridge restaurant called Oleana, a combined birthday celebration for me and my friend Alan Jacobson---both of us with March birthdays (an amazing number of friends have March birthdays. Someday I should have a big March party and invite them all)
A phone call this afternoon from poet/anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins, inviting me down to Florida, where he lives, next October---yes, there's a catch; I have to make a speech---but it will be a fun event and good to see Lee again.
And a lot of scheduling today for trips to Seattle, Raleigh, Miami, Tampa next month (New York, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati in May)---who would have dreamed that a solitary profession would involve so much un-solitariness?!
Speaking of March 3rd, today is the day my son Grey was born in Key West, Florida, in 1959. Hard to believe that if he were alive he would be 51 years old! To me he will always be 36, the age at which he died. Here he is at 17:
A beautiful boy. A wonderful son.
Oh wow! I wished The Giver would be made into a film. I already can picture the film starting off as black and white and then slowly becoming filled with colour as Jonas' life changes . . .
You know, The Giver does remind me a lot on Pleasantville . . .
Posted by: Tara | March 03, 2010 at 04:35 PM
A beautiful writer. A wonderful mom. Thank you for sharing.
Posted by: Portia Pennington | March 04, 2010 at 08:12 PM
Indianapolis in May? Is it a public event or a private engagement? I'd love to come meet you if you are doing a reading/signing!
Posted by: Shawnie | March 07, 2010 at 10:03 AM
OMG! The Giver would be a great movie! Thay should! Mabeye I'll make a home movie of The Giver, but that would be awsome to see it be a motion picture!Hay, I just finished Reading the Giver and I was wondering what it ment? post it if you know.
Posted by: Kinsey A | March 07, 2010 at 12:55 PM
about Indianapolis: I believe I will be doing a signing at a bookstore there in May. Watch "Upcoming Engagements" on my website and I will post details there as soon as I know them.
Posted by: Lois Lowry | March 07, 2010 at 03:56 PM
Just curious - has there ever been talk of making The Giver into a film? It could be a wonderful movie!
I hope you had some time to enjoy your special memories of your son this week.
Posted by: Erika Parker Price | March 08, 2010 at 01:17 PM
The rights to THE GIVER are in the hands of movie producers and they have been trying to get it put together for quite a long time! When/if it happens --- well, fingers crossed. No way to know.
Posted by: Lois Lowry | March 08, 2010 at 01:41 PM
Speaking of movies and books...
Took my daughter and two of her friends to see the new "Alice" with Johnny Depp (contributing to the 1.some -million it made this weekend)
The movie was very well made, it amazes me the state-of-the- art of movie making. The special effects are dazzling. Johnny Depp his usual crazy/good.
Of course, I ruined it for me by not letting go. I looked over at the kids. They were sitting back mesmerized, not even blinking, frozen-like, in some sort of trance. Then realized the entire theatre was in a trance.
When we got out, I asked the kids: so, what did you think...
"Cool" was their unanimous answer. And that was that!
Not what I imagined when reading Alice in Wonderland ... but loud and mesmerizing.
Cheers!
Posted by: ojimenez | March 08, 2010 at 01:41 PM
We just watched Pleasantville in a class last week, and it reminded me a lot of The Giver. Not so much the style- very different angles of the plot- but very similar storylines and overall themes.
Posted by: Taylor Deane | March 11, 2010 at 02:47 PM
Just out of curiostity why didn't you name the community? and was your son an insperation to your book The Giver?
Posted by: Holly | March 16, 2010 at 01:34 PM
Ms. Lowry,
I just finished reading The Giver (a great read) and am very excited to see it being turned into a movie.
BUT - PLEASE, PLEASE don't give the film-makers absolute creative control. We wouldn't want to have a repeat of Tales from Earthsea, and many other wonderful tales that were destroyed because the authors gave the film-makers complete freedom to manipulate the plot.
Posted by: MZLweasel | April 09, 2010 at 09:02 PM
@Holly
I don't think the community needed a name. The community was the community, and a name would have only complicated things.
She could have called it anything she wanted, but a rose by any other name would smell as sweet :D
Names are pretty, but what function do they add? Identity? For an individual, that would be fine, but for a town? Does it need a name?
Posted by: MZLweasel | April 09, 2010 at 09:05 PM