• Divergent

  • By: Veronica Roth
  • Narrated by: Emma Galvin
  • Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (37,747 ratings)

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Divergent  By  cover art

Divergent

By: Veronica Roth
Narrated by: Emma Galvin
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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)

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What listeners say about Divergent

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    21,870
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  • 3 Stars
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Favorite book of 2011! Great for Hunger Games fans

Fantastic sorry. Great characters. Fascinating world. Gripping plot. Get this!

If you liked Hunger Games, Trudi Caravan books, Fire by Kristin Cashore, or Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, and/or Ready Player One, we may share tastes in audiobooks. And if we do, you will LOVE this book more than many of those!!!

Flat out my favorite book I downloaded in 2011. An excellent entry in this genre!

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17 people found this helpful

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

Better at the end

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Pick up the pace. The book was so slow! But the end got interesting.

Has Divergent turned you off from other books in this genre?

Almost

Any additional comments?

This book is NOT like The Hunger Games!!!

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome!

I downloaded Divergent after a friend said it was as good as The Hunger Games (which I loved). I have to say, I like it better! Get it, you'll have a hard time turning it off.

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16 people found this helpful

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

You Won't Regret It. I Promise.

I have literally read hundreds of YA novels but very few of them is as good as Divergent. This book kept me awake the whole night and is the reason for my unfinished work. If you have a hard time believing, just go to amazon and check out the ratings for yourself. Almost anyone that read it, Loved it.
I personally thought this book is absolutely Fantastic! Though it is undoubtedly a science fiction novel, there is some romance involved as well. Which just adds up to the book. Cause unlike most silly, cheesy and unrealistic romance novels I read so often, romance, I feel, is a necessity in order to better emphasizes the characters and flaws of Tris.
The author uses a lot of metaphor to reflect lives in the real world. This book is about priorities, choices and beliefs. It also reminds us what human beings are capable of doing when thrown in tough situations. And of course this book is not Hunger Games. If it were, then there would not be anything special about it. They are both Excellent in their own unique ways. This book is an Origin that's worth reading. It's definitely a 2011 must-read.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Strong characters, Intense, fantastic

If you're looking for a story with an admirable, complicated, and fascinating young heroine, this book has it. It reminded me of the first time I listened to book one of Hunger Games, though this is certainly unique on its own. Also, the narrator is one of the best I've encountered in the YA section of audible. Wonderful pacing. Easy to listen to. As far as audiobooks go, Emma Galvin and Veronica Roth have made a masterpiece.

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15 people found this helpful

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

Fantastic

This story is one of my favorites. I could not stop listening.Veronica Roth has created a captivating adventure laced with convincingly realistic characters. Beatrice, the character who's viewpoint this story is written from, is what I would consider the perfect portrayal of all the conflicting angles clashing and welding inside a young woman. The mental and physical frustrations Beatrice faces are nothing short of real.
The only downfall I could find to this story is that many of the gun references were actually inaccurate. As a firearms instructor and competitor who puts about 4,000 rounds down range per year, it was a mild irritation. However, I did not let it get in the way of my enjoyment of "Divergent". Emma Galvin narrates this book beautifully.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

This is a well-written (young-adult) dystopian action-adventure that I feel is compelling for readers of all ages. Any "romantic" scenes between the main characters are sweet and age-appropriate (as far as the "target" audience). The narrator does a great job at the same time as she conveys the heart-racing scenes without a lot of extreme emotion..she is rather stoic but as you go through the story you realize that that is the girl's nature. The main characters are compelling and will win you over during the course of the story. I also like a story that leaves enough loose ends that it could certainly be continued as a saga or series but does not leave you with an extreme cliff-hanger, (while you wait How long? for the next installment) and that is the case with this adventure.

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

Not The Hunger Games

This is a weak story. The story line is fascinating, but the book never delivers. The characters are not well developed, way too one dimensional. The action is not plausible. Granted this is SF, but even then the reader must feel that this could really happen. Trish takes a bullet in the shoulder, and about the only problem it causes her is some pain as she continues to perform amazingly. Doesn't work that way.

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13 people found this helpful

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

Mythical approach it all the way!

I did a full analysis of the book with a mythological approach :3 at least I see it haha

check it out at "Perks of being a Scarlet Reader"

Google the blog! I beat you can find interesting the archetypal hero and journey that the main character of the book undergoes! about the narration is just great! the voice is just the correct one and the narration in general makes this audio book worth buying!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Couldnt do it. what a rip.

Would you try another book from Veronica Roth and/or Emma Galvin?

I wouldn't read another one of them or even finish this one. Hope the movie is better

Would you ever listen to anything by Veronica Roth again?

Maybe with a different performer

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She sounded like a snotty know it all 14 year old. I couldn't liste

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. It's so much like Hunger Games, but far less creative. I trusted the hunddreds of great reviews, but even the premise was immature and not thought through.

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12 people found this helpful