The Giver

Kelly Waters on Amazon summarizes the books as: "Jonas lives in a "perfect" world where war, disease, and suffering have all been eradicated. Everything is in order; everything is under control. The people have no worries or cares. The Community strives for "sameness," in which everyone and everything are the same and equal. To help the Community function as a cohesive unit, each member is assigned a position in society. When Jonas turns twelve, the Community selects him to be the new "Receiver of Memories." Only the "Giver" knows the truth and memories of the past, and now he must

pass these memories on to Jonas."

It was an amazing book - it was so unique when it was released. It poses several interesting questions that one could debate for hours. All in all, I say:READ IT
The movie does a good job, in my opinion, of capturing the essence of the book. You CANNOT get hung up picking out every single detail that isn't exactly like the book. With a book you have access to inner thoughts and you can use your imagination. With a movie they are limited with what they can present. 

Bridges (True Grit) does an excellent job as the Giver. Streep (Doubt) is the Elder. Skarsgard (True Blood) is the father. Holmes (Dawson's Creek) is the mother. Thwaites (Maleficent) is Jonas. All in all, I say: SEE IT