Divergent

By: Veronica Roth

Narrated by: Emma Galvin

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

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)

WOW - I was surprised

What did you love best about Divergent?

Constant action! After being a huge Clive Cussler fan for years this book ranks right up there with the best of them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Triss - Duh!

What about Emma Galvin’s performance did you like?

Excellent!

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

No but I wish I could have!

Any additional comments?

As a 40 year old man I bought this only because my 16 year old daughter loved it and it was on sale at the time. I couldn't wait to get back to this book each time. It really kept my interest and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

liked it

I liked the book and the narrator. will be using audible again for future books

Excellent!

This book leaves you wanting more after each chapter. The plot has unexpected twists and turns.

It was just OK

Seeing all the flowing reviews I decide to give this a try. While the story was interesting enough to keep my attention most of the way, I felt that Tris and her relationship with Four was a bit juvenile. And the dialogue being laughable at times. But I will probably keep reading on to the next book hoping that it will get better, because there is potential here.

Very well done!

Excellent original story, and finally an age appropriate narrator. Galvin's voice is perfect. Other YA books with mature adult narrators, take note.

Can't wait for more from Roth

Roth can write, which is such a nice dose of fresh air. Haven't gotten to Hunger Games yet, so I can't compare and contrast the two. Roth's phrasing during the opening mirror scene between Beatrice and her mother grabbed me right away. Her phrasing and approach to her characters reminds me George R.R. Martin. Martin and Roth treat her readers like adults and there isn't always a happy ending with characters, and death is not always how we expect it.

The story was quite engaging, I literally had to sit down and stop to listen to hear how the scene with Christina hanging on over the river was going to play out, same with Albert, Tris, and the knifes. Is there a certain level of formula to the story? sure. But it's young adult and fiction. Even one of my favorite series, Dresden Files, gets quite formulaic. But at the end of the day, it's about the characters. And I do want to know what happens with Tris and the others, even the despicable characters. Hope Roth pulls this series off. If she does, she goes to #3 on my fav fiction writer list under Jim Butcher, with George R.R. Martin at the top.

Narrator was fantastic with this story. Onto the next book in the series.

Interesting... Starts Out Dry and Gets Better...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I am not particularly a fan of teen fiction... since I am out of my teens, and the perspective tends to be limited... I recall trying to read Harry Potter and watch Twilight and skimming 50 Shades, then feeling bored, irritated or bewildered by the notoriety.

My friends would most likely not read this... or listen to it while doing chores and other things... so I would not recommend it. At most, I would give it a C+.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I liked that it is supposedly based in Chicago. That's local, so hearing some street names and references to Millennium Park and the Bean made it funny...

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The vocal performance was a little too consistently-paced. It was almost monotone just a couple octaves up than normal... if that makes sense.

Could you see Divergent being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

The plot is too short and simple to be dragged out into a series of episodes. It would entail making these simple characters a lot more 3D and then generating backstories.... they aren't interesting enough for me to care at this point. The protagonist is not particularly likeable... so I did not really care what happened to her.

Any additional comments?

Maybe I am comparing this too much to the Hunger Games, but this was bland in comparison. No strong evocative scenes or characters... I didn't really care about Katniss much but I did admire some of her characteristics and self reflection. Trice is very one-dimensional and simplistic... but then maybe most teenagers are, and this is an accurate peek. Yawn.

Enjoyable Story

I did enjoy this, although I had no idea what it would be about before I read it. I didn't read up anything about it prior to reading it. It was an enjoyable story though when i think back about what happened, I realized not much happened.

If dull at first, the preformance picks up

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to a friend because it held my attention so much that I finished it in less than 2 days. The action and adventure weren't overpowered by the love story. Plenty of people got shot which is just fine by me. And I was only embarrassed for the characters once. No biggie

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tris, the heroine, was obviously my favorite. She was strong and brave and had a healthy concern for what was right and wrong. She didn't whimper or always need the male love interest to swoop in and come to the rescue. Tho she did too much crying for my taste. Still, not a deal braker

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I have a hard time really connecting to any audio book. So no, no tears or deeply moving moments. I still recommend this book very highly

Any additional comments?

Emma did a good job narrating. It was a little dull at the beginning, maybe a little monotone. But that may have been an illustration of how boring life was for the main character at first. Then when the exciting parts come Emma does a good job to tell you the story with emotion, but not distract you if you are really in the story. It picks up in the last half of the book. Give this one a try. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Outstanding

Very good. Can’t wait to listen to the next book. Lot of action and a good plot.