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)

Book and movie are really close

If you like the movie and are hoping the book reveals a lot the movie may have missed then this book probably isn't worth it.

Captivating

I was drawn into the story from the beginning through the end. Well written and the performance was great.

Gripping story!

Can’t wait to hear the rest of the series!! Performance brought the book to life!

Well written book, great narrator.

I have fallen in love with Tobias, grew to hate particular characters and really root on Tris. I love this story, the plot, theme, everything . This is a book that is hard to turn off. The narrator has great inflection, and the description of all factions are fun. I think I would’ve chosen abnegation, and it’s fun(ish) to think about where I would stand in this world .

Captivating book!

The reader captures the book so well, keeping you engaged the entire time! Excellent writing!

Great narration choice for Tris!

Love this series so much. I truly enjoyed every moment of the story. So immersive.

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!

YA Dystopia I Can Get Behind

THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE AUDIOBOOK

Brief Description

Beatrice Prior lives in a dystopian version of Chicago (which is cut off from the rest of the world for unstated reasons) and populated by five factions. All citizens are born into a faction and, at age 16, can choose a faction according to their personality and interests. Although born into Abnegation (who value selflessness), Beatrice has always struggled with the tenets of her faction. She finds herself drawn to the Dauntless (who value courage). [The other factions are Erudite (who value learning), Candor (who value honesty) and Amity (who value peace).] As her choosing ceremony draws near, Beatrice has an unusual result during her aptitude test (which helps identify the faction that best suits you). She is Divergent—a result that she is warned not to reveal to anyone. After choosing Dauntless, Beatrice (who rechristens herself Tris) finds herself in a strange new world—where proving your bravery and courage seems to take a backseat to sadism and cruelty. With the help of a sympathetic instructor named Four, Tris tries to make sense of her new faction, the uncomfortable things that are happening around her, her feelings for Four, and the discontent that is rumbling under the surface of a world she always felt was placid and safe.

My Thoughts

As you might suspect, this is the first book of a planned trilogy, and Roth does a good job of getting the series off to a running start. I dug the whole faction thing for some reason and liked that Roth didn’t feel she had to explain everything right off the bat. In addition, the relationship between Four and Tris felt believable and wasn’t too whiny. The book is pretty violent, and though it isn’t quite Hunger Games brutal, it is up there. People die or experience really nasty “accidents.” If you’re a fan of YA dystopia, this was one of the better ones I’ve read, and I look forward to the next installment, Insurgent.

About the Narration

Emma Galvin did the narration and she was a good fit. She sounded like a teenage girl who had some backbone yet was still filled with uncertainty (just like Tris).

Wow Wow Wow

What did you love best about Divergent?

The emotions and the way the writer painted such a amazing picture in my mind with the words she wrote. It was almost like I could feel the fear when it was present and the passion as well and everything in between

What did you like best about this story?

Tris and her battle with herself over who she truly was and wanted for herself in life. Also the passion between her and Four.

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

Tris

Any additional comments?

I can not wait for the other two books to come out. If either are even close to what this one was they will be amazing.

First-Person present-tense Y.A. dystopian...

Of all the first-person, present-tense, Y.A. dystopian novels with female narrators, Divergent scores right up there with The Hunger Games and Matched. In fact, I would describe it as a cross between the two, with many of the strengths of both.

The one thing Divergent has that I felt both The Hunger Games and Matched lacked was a male love interest I could REALLY get into. I was prepared for my immediate crush to be relegated to the sidelines...and then he wasn't! Veronica Roth's writing is clean and doesn't distract from the story, while still being elegant.

Triss was a wonderful heroine - not as jaded and cold as Katniss, and not as good or innocent as Cassia. She's a great balance of brave, strong, and selfish. She's tough without having to resort to being a tom-boy.

I'm really curious about what will happen in the second and third books. I've got my fingers crossed for this series, hoping it will be like Hunger Games with a more satisfying ending.