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)

Clearly written for teenagers!

What did you like best about Divergent? What did you like least?

The premise of the story. (liked)
Obvious, immature "love story" (dislike)

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

There is really nothing "wrong" with the story. It is just written more at a youth level than that of an adult.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes

Did Divergent inspire you to do anything?

No. Other than I probably will NOT go see the movie.

Any additional comments?

I very much enjoyed "The Hunger Games" trilogy and thought this would be similar. Hunger Games was clearly written with a more mature audience in mind.

Hunger Games knock-off (and not a good one)

Read from January 01 to 13, 2014

Story: 3 stars
Narrator: 3.5 stars


This book starts with a bang but, unfortunately, ends with a whimper. At first, I was captivated by this newish image of a future dystopia where castes are determined not by social standing but by personality type. Tris's journey from Abnegation (the ruling Amish-lite caste) into Dauntless (the daredevil/militaristic caste) was fascinating at first as she learned about life outside of the small world in which she'd been raised. The idea of a drug that could be injected and create hallucinations (simulations) that another person could observe---and that a computer could record---had the potential for great plot development.

And then . . . training started. And it went on and on and on and on ad nauseam until I got to the point about 2/3 of the way in that I wondered aloud if any of what had happened so far was going anywhere, or if the whole series would be one contrived "action" (a.k.a., training) scene after another.

This book didn't work for me as an action/adventure/suspense story the way The Hunger Games did, because the whole book was focused on the training exercises that got very repetitive very fast. And then there are Tris's Mary-Sue like tendencies. She's special. She's better than everyone else. But of course that means that the baddies must be out to get her. There were also aspects to her personality that emerge after she's in Dauntless that I didn't like: the thrill seeking, the self-centeredness, the way she lays blame on everyone else when her relationships get strained because of her own actions but she never reflects on how she might need to change or what she needs to do, beyond "pretending to be vulnerable" to fix those relationships. Up until the very end, after the initiation ceremony, everything that happens to her is contrived not to move a plot forward but merely to create conflict between Tris and the other initiates. And that got very old and annoying.

This book also did not work for me as a romance. There was no relationship building that happened between Tris and Four. Sure, he was described as enigmatic and HOT, but he has almost nothing redeeming to his characterization, especially with the way he treats her occasionally (bordering on abusive) and very little, if any, actual personality. The sexy-time scenes were awkward---but not in the way they were meant to be. There's no intellectual connection between them to lead me to believe there is long-term potential. It comes across as a very self-centered teen crush that will fizzle and die quickly.

The movie was just as bad as, if not worse than, the book. So at least now I can skip the rest of the series without worrying that I'm missing out. I'm just not that interested or invested in this world or the characters that inhabit it.

I love this book

:):):):):):):):):)s is great to read and every informative you can really get abbitced to this book and it's series.

Awoke the adrenaline junkie in me

Smooth narration that effortlessly flows with the action. The themes of facing your fears, over coming fear, and being brave while doing dangerous stunts made me want to go out side and do something extreme.

I Couldn't Stop Listening.

I think the title says it all. I'm a big fan of dystopian fiction. Books like 1984 or The Hunger Games are high on my list of favorites. I am sure this book is near the top of the list. Between the brilliant writing and the jaw dropping performance, I could not stop listening to this book!

interesting and exciting

sounds like the future is now..exciting tale , well read and it will continue cant wait to read the next installment

Good but not great

I loved the movie, but not so much the book. The narrator sounds like a 12 year old, and therefore, was hard for me to invision Trish as being tough.

Better than the film

You get more background and it makes the characters more relateable, more "real." It makes you feel like you're really with them.

Amazing book

I loved this book it was amazing I started listening to it 3 days ago and I have already finished it. I definitely recommend this book for people who like post apocalyptic books it’s amazing.

Really good

i loved it i just think it’s long and i little bit to much sexual talk but enough to enjoy

8.5 out of 10