• Divergent

  • By: Veronica Roth
  • Narrated by: Emma Galvin
  • Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (37,828 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Divergent  By  cover art

Divergent

By: Veronica Roth
Narrated by: Emma Galvin
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.67

Buy for $22.67

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Editorial reviews

It is a very rare thing to witness the beginning of a writer’s career and know without a doubt that the first little book is going to launch a worldwide craze, a la J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer. Such is the terrifying yet enviable position of Veronica Roth, who sold this debut novel to a HarperCollins imprint before she even finished college. She also sold the film rights to Summit Entertainment, owner of the Twilight film saga, on the strength of pre-publication buzz alone. The first in a planned series, Divergent is beyond question the best thing to happen to young adult literature in a very long time. More realistic than Harry Potter and less moony-eyed than Twilight, Roth has crafted a world and a protagonist that are easily engrossing and definitely worthy of our long-term attention.

Part of the credit for such charm belongs to narrator Emma Galvin, herself somewhat a newcomer. The young upstart has already garnered praise for her interpretations of Winter’s Bone, the first book spin-off from the Glee television series, and Stephenie Meyer’s recent novella. Galvin is genuinely edgy and emotive, not a trace of sugar to be found in the dialogue or her rendering of it. She captures the bold but conflicted spirit of the main character, Tris, with convincing personality and a real sensibility for the fast-pacing learning curve into which Tris launches the year she turns 16. After being raised in a clan whose primary characteristic is its devotion to selflessness, Tris defects, choosing a life of bravery from among the five factions that comprise her dystopic Chicago. She must pledge the faction, and go through several rounds of training eliminations before becoming a true Dauntless.

Tris is a complex, down-to-earth character with a lot of soul searching to do in a clan where hobbies include jumping from moving trains and tossing knives at small objects resting on the heads of friends, and there are no second chances. Veronica Roth has built a remarkable situation with strong potential for a longevity that will remain fresher than the sum of its parts, and Emma Galvin has this bull of a new series firmly by the horns. This book is confidently going places far beyond the fanatical mindlessness of young adult marketing, and in a hot minute, grownups will not have to feel one iota of shame for having fallen in love with it alongside their less discerning teenagers. Megan Volpert

Publisher's summary

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue - Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is - she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are - and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves.... or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series - dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

©2011 Veronica Roth (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Though Galvin’s narration is concentrated on giving Tris the perfect voice, she never neglects the secondary characters. Poignant moments with Tris’s mother and Four, her leader and love, are subtly nuanced to let listeners hear the terror Tris often hides.... listeners will hold their breath waiting to see if she can survive the day." ( AudioFile)

Featured Article: The Best Young Adult Audiobooks to Listen to as a Grown Woman


For some reason, a lot of people equate "growing up" with "growing serious." But while interests may change over time, age does not have to be the deciding factor in what games you play, what movies you watch, or what books you enjoy. The young adult audiobooks on this list are truly timeless: grownup listeners can relate to YA classics in a whole new way or find new favorites among more recent offerings.

More from the same

What listeners say about Divergent

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    21,925
  • 4 Stars
    10,472
  • 3 Stars
    3,911
  • 2 Stars
    989
  • 1 Stars
    531
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    20,619
  • 4 Stars
    8,977
  • 3 Stars
    3,012
  • 2 Stars
    584
  • 1 Stars
    314
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    19,405
  • 4 Stars
    8,988
  • 3 Stars
    3,699
  • 2 Stars
    1,030
  • 1 Stars
    572

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

wonderful

Any additional comments?

a great trip into a different world. an adventure and well worth the listen. it also has a great moive (but listen or read first)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining but Sometimes Grating

I really did enjoy this book and the performance, but it wasn't something I could listen to all at once.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ki
  • 12-18-13

Strong reading, heady concept

If you could sum up Divergent in three words, what would they be?

Gritty, thought-provoking

What was one of the most memorable moments of Divergent?

Fear landscapes are an awesome concept. There's a lot of unique humanity-technology mashups in this story.

What does Emma Galvin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Emma's voice has a gritty quality to it that distinguishes Tris from other teen reading heroines; she's a lot less whiny, more decisive, and asks better questions. The narrator's job is to convey that, and Emma Glavin nails it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No; this is why it gets only 4 stars for story instead of 5. I like for books to really arrest me, and although I did keep listening, I never felt wholly transported into the world.

Any additional comments?

I love, love, LOVE that this story does not involve a love triangle. So refreshing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A thought-provoking adventure

The thrills of a superhero story, the profoundness of a legend, the drama of a saga..... Yet it maintains the meaning of a parable, the tenderness of a teenage girl's heart, and the depth of timeless philosophy. Triss (the protagonist) really draws you in as she tells her tale. By letting you hear her innermost thoughts as she tries to figure out how the world works, and who she is within it, you find yourself doing the same thing - and as Triss challenges herself to accept her own non-conventionality in order to become the best person she possibly can, you end up doing that too in your own life in the present - yet you don't feel like you are pushing yourself; you just feel like you're enjoying an exciting story. I could not put this down! It's been a long time since I got hooked on a series, but I'm on the verge of starting the next one as soon as I finish typing this review!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

AMAZING

If you could sum up Divergent in three words, what would they be?

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING

What other book might you compare Divergent to and why?

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING

Have you listened to any of Emma Galvin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING

Any additional comments?

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Exciting and intriguing

I enjoyed this story overall because it had action, psychological and ethical dilemmas, and pretty good character development. I didn't love the narrator. She sounded like she was sleepy sometimes, but she wasn't bad or annoying. The ending threw me. I'm not sure if it was meant to have a sequel or if it just ended abruptly.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book

What was one of the most memorable moments of Divergent?

The sci fi aspect of this book brings a social commentary on our world, and the tendency of humans to group themselves into cliques, that judge others by how different they are from the 'rest' of the people not like them.
That is why I loved this book.
It is a very grown up concept that adults and young adults are challenged by, when they read this book.
It races along at a fast clip, and is engaging and suspenseful the whole time

Which character – as performed by Emma Galvin – was your favorite?

Trice is my favorite, though Four is almost tied

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, did not ever want to stop

Any additional comments?

Cannot wait to start the next in series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book! Very thrilling!

The narrator did an amazing job and the book did not disappoint! I will be listening to the rest of the series for sure!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

People thought I was crazy

I couldn’t stop listening to this book it made me feel so many emotions funny sad confused angry guilty proud I feel like these people are part of me now I have nothing bad to say about this book I even cried of sadness because it was over and then my friend told me there where 2 more books and I was overjoyed I recommend this book for everyone (over 12)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

Great plot and and worded great!! I love the movie and I love the characters! I love how they made up all of these groups!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!