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)

Slightly Differently Spun Hunger Games

Pretty cool book for young adults especially young girls who loved Hunger Games and want more of the same. I couldn't pull myself to give this 4 stars because although it was entertaining enough it just seemed like a slightly different version of Hunger Games. Also I'm not incredibly interested in reading the next one, but I could see how a teenager might be.

I am Brave.

It has been many years since I fell asleep listening to an audio book that I couldn't stop listening to and this was a complete surprise. Roths characters were amazingly real and Galvins voice bringing them to life was incredible. Though 15 years out of being 16, I could feel, no, Live, the fear, bravery and excitement of the characters journey every step of the way. After nearly 11 solid hours of listening, I find myself wishing for May 1 and hoping that Insurgent (the second book) will be in audio form then too.

A new take on sci-fi-triologies

Would you consider the audio edition of Divergent to be better than the print version?

I have not read the printed-verson due to my reduced vision. The audio-verson is addictive because the narrator takes you into the world.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Divergent?

Everything from chapter six. If I spill it it would ruin your listening experience.

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

Not before this book.

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

Yes! I started listening to it of random. My friend asked me to check it out. I love L.O.V.E. this brilliant work. I liked the first "The Hunger games" book, but still I feel this author is closer to her readers in age. Which is maybe why it takes you in, without the same youth book feeling as the "Hunger games" Yes "Hunger games fans loves this work because it does contain: A future story,selection,divisions,training resulting in death etc.

It does contain a better more honest love-story.

Any additional comments?

This is a book adults should not miss out on! I wanted to give four stars because I usually give either one or five stars. I hoped to give something in the middle, but this is too amazing.

Amazing book

What made the experience of listening to Divergent the most enjoyable?

Kept me wanting to hear more

What other book might you compare Divergent to and why?

Hunger games compared to this book because it focused on kids and the changes they face at a certain stage in their life

Any additional comments?

Loved this book and can't wait for the next one to come out!!

Favorites

This is one of my favorite books but the narrator Emma Galvin is without any doubt the best her voice and the way she brings emotion to the story I love it, she is by far my favorite narrator of all the books I have and at this time number over 105 books the ones Emma narrated some I had never even heard of I only got them because she is the narrator I don't believe that I would have enjoyed them as much if anyone else had been the narrator Emma's voice is just in trancing the Divergent stories are truly very good I read the books myself before the movies ever come out but the story comes to life for me with Emma's voice.

Pleasantly Surprised

The book was well written and held my interest. Unpredictable at times, unlike most sci-fi books.

Couldn't Stop Listening.

Would you consider the audio edition of Divergent to be better than the print version?

I am a college student so I have very little time to read for pleasure so I got the audiobook so that I would be able to enjoy the book. So for the audiobook was more convenient than the print version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Divergent?

I think the most memorable moment for me was when Al committed suicide. That was a really emotionally charged part of the story.

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

I really love Tris. I know she's the main character but I really enjoyed her strength. I hate that it took so long for her to realize her feelings for Four (Tobias).

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

I didn't really have an extreme reaction to this book until the war at the end when Tris lost both of her parents. I cried a little bit.

Any additional comments?

Very interesting book and it is a great read. I definitely recommend if you are into young adult fiction and drama.

In the Style of "Hunger Games" and just as good

When I first listened to this book, I would have sworn it was written by the same author as "The Hunger Games." Although the story is very different, the style and characters are developed in a way that is much like "The Hunger Games." I was really glad to find another series that I enjoyed this much. While listening, you will move through a number of different emotions, but all of them will lead you to conclude that this is a great book. It is as much a commentary on society as it is a novel and I highly recommend the entire series.

Great for lovelorn teens, not so for grownups

Many reviews compare Divergent favorably to Hunger Games. There are certain aspects of both stories that are similar, but Divergent is a mere shadow of the stories told in the Hunger Games trilogy.

My first complaint is my fault more than anything - Divergent is sold as a YA book and it's geared toward young women in particular, so the romantic aspects of the story are far more front-and-center than I would have preferred. The aforementioned reviews and comparisons to Hunger Games swayed me, but I definitely do not share some of the enthusiastic reviews and I would not place Divergent in the same category as its trilogy cousin.

BTW, I'm a 49-year old male, so I'm clearly not in the intended demographic. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Hunger Games, et al, in part because the world the characters inhabited was so well described (and the romance was nicely handled). Not so in Divergent - I felt many times that I wanted to understand more about how the world ended up as sketched out, but precious little was forthcoming.

Every time the protagonist, Tris, became all woozy with her love interest leaning close or touching her face sending jolts of teen electricity through her, I wanted to skip ahead. As noted, I realize I'm not the audience the author is aiming at, but the sophomoric descriptions of these encounters weren't even that interesting. I barely even got the sense that the romantic elements were driving Tris in any way besides hormones. If the story had none of these moments, it would have not only held up fine, but probably would have been improved.

The story felt as if it is missing a chapter. When the climactic moment passes, there's almost no easing Tris back into her new life - we're simply told everything's different now, with the implication being we'll have to read the next book to understand how. I would have really appreciated even a short chapter that swept things up a bit after the messy adventure ended and gave me some sense of where Tris was going next.

The narrator, Emma Galvin, does a decent job, though she tends to be rather one-note throughout. There were only a couple of times that I had the sense that she was truly into the story and inhabiting the characters. Most of the time she was a good reader, but nothing more.

Loved it!

Would you consider the audio edition of Divergent to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version. I'm a busy working mom and it would take me forever to get through a series if I had to read it myself :(

Who was your favorite character and why?

Four. Complex character that leaves you wondering what his story really is.

Any additional comments?

Listened to this book every chance I got - in the car, while cleaning, in the shower...everywhere.