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)

I love and bravery

I loved the story and can’t wait to read the next in the series! Thanks to the amazing writer behind the scenes.

Amazing story, amazing voice acting.

The story is amazing. I do not think it could ever get old. There is a perfect mix of action and romance. The performance of the actress makes the story come to life and gives listeners a reason to come back for more, hour after hour.

Have read, re-read and listened to this so many times. I love this series

Storyline is great. All the tension, confusion, beautiful moments and the messiness show what it is to be human. And I like that the narrator doesn’t force her voice to try to drop lower than her register to do the male voices. Just her tone and inflection change was enough to portray the different characters.

Super YA

Poor rip off of The Hunger Games. More YA then I can I put up with.

Best book for teenage romance!

When I read this book in high school, I found it! I read through this like a rocketship because it related to me if I were in a apocalyptic faction world. But now listening to the audiobook it brings it to life. Man, this is one of the best series for teen books to read. Now that I’m older it’s still holds up to the hype and I’m glad I purchased it. Now it’s on too INSURGENT!

I loved this book! It's NOT the Hunger Games

I almost didn't get this book due to all the reviews that compared it to the Hunger Games. Thankfully I didn't think it was anything like HG. Yes it's a YA book about a Dystopian society with a female lead, but to me that's where the similarities end.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the Hunger Games too but I didn't want to listen to another cheap rip-off.
I thought the story was interesting, fast paced, unique, well written and thought provoking. I was also happy to learn it didn't involve another love triangle. (thank you Veronica Roth)
I'm looking forward to the 2nd and 3rd book in this series.

Emma Galvin is fantastic

My to-read pile is astronomically high. In fact, it takes up a whole bookshelf at home. Funny thing about accepting books for review, oftentimes your own books tend to get less priority. Now that I've taken to listen to audiobooks in my driving and walking time, however, I find that I'm actually able to get to some of the books I've heard so much about and experience them for myself. DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth was such a book.

DIVERGENT popped to the top of my list after a friend finished reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer and was looking for another post-apocalyptic type dystopian. Everything we could find suggested trying DIVERGENT next. I thought the cover looked pretty (you know me) so I suggested it to my friend. A few days later she had finished DIVERGENT and the second in the trilogy Insurgent and just wouldn't stop raving about it. I sighed and traded an Audible credit in for the book mainly to get my friend off my case.

Holy buckets! DIVERGENT is an excellent read/listen!

Beatrice Prior has just turned 16 and as such will get to take part in the Choosing Day - the day that she chooses a faction to spend the rest of her life in. There are five factions (learning about them is half the fun of the first part of the book), each with their own guiding principles. Beatrice starts as Abnegation - a selfless faction who believe in viewing and doing for others before themselves. But, is Beatrice really Abnegation? Can she spend the rest of her life living selflessly, never thinking about herself, and always putting the needs of others first?

DIVERGENT follows Beatrice as she struggles to make a decision, makes that decision, and then struggles through the consequences that her decision entails. While this is all happening, Beatrice learns that her perfect society may not be as perfect as it claims. Something dangerous is approaching and it seems to be tied to the Divergent.

I'll have to admit, I came into DIVERGENT expecting a light read with some neat dystopian elements. I was surprised by how real Roth made the story. Beatrice's emotions are the real emotions I would expect from a girl in her situation, with her actions staying fairly true to the actions I would expect her to take. Just because this is a young adult novel doesn't mean that Roth spares us the pain and difficulties that come from living in parts of this society. She doesn't glaze over the terrors that some of the characters have to live through, instead putting them out in the open and letting us experience the world right along side Beatrice. This is probably the one thing I loved most about DIVERGENT.

With some great action sequences, a fantastic storyline, and really good drama and tension, DIVERGENT is an excellent read for anyone looking to escape for a while. This won't be a walk in the park, but I can pretty much guarantee that once you've finished it, you'll be clamoring for the next book in the series.

Great Book to Follow Hunger Games

I stumbled upon The Hunger Games trilogy last year, reluctantly read the first book despite the genre being one I generally don't tend towards but fell in love. It felt different and I was open to something different. I searched for recommendations on the next book to read and the lovers of The Hunger Games consistently recommended Divergent. They were right! I read it in less than a week and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't a regurgitation of The Hunger Games but something else fresh and new. I'm wondering if I'm now a true convert to this YA dystopian genre. Next up: Uglies.

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.

Sensational, Grabs, and Make you demand more

The premise of this fabulous novel is that after some post apocalyptic rearrangement of civilization, the survivors divide into five groups: abnegation, amity, candor, dauntless and erudite. Each group has an express purpose to server the common good in contrast to the way the current world is organized: nation state, religion, etc. And, so it has been for decades since the demise. Unlike Hunger games, this novel is not gruesome and is more about the transformation of the mind -- the mind of the heroine. Galvin does an excellent job in character development in general and Trice in particular.

Roth Beatrice (Trice) relays her hopes, fears, dreams and acts in descriptive first person which make the story come alive. Emma Galvin does A superb job in narration.

Roth creates a believable world with characters forcing you to ask insightful questions and deal with emotions that you can connect with. Who do you trust, why, what is the meaning of friendship? Love? Family? How does our past shape those around us. The metaphor in this book relates directly to us today. There is no doubt -- listen to this book, you WILL not be able to stop!