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)

Love it

Love it it was a great story . I would most def recommend it to any one who likes futuristic . Love

Loved it . . . but . . .

Would you listen to Divergent again? Why?

The voice actress was amazing and the story was well written. Very fast read. BUT I'm worried about the rest of the series. I've heard from so many people that the third book is a let down. I loved this so much that I'm afraid to keep going.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Four for sure! I found myself near skimming to get to scenes with him.

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

No, but I liked her voice, pace, and inflection.

love it!

I love this series, and the narrator did a pretty great job! I can get swept away in this series over and over and still enjoy it as much as I did the first time.

Thank Goodness there wasn't a Love Triangle

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

I already have! If you like any sort of YA fiction or dystopian societies, this book is really great! And the best part is, there's not a love triangle so you do not have to team up! Woo! I loved the strength of the girl protagonist as well as her ability to realize that this war is not about her. Although it feels she will play a significant part, I'm glad she is not the "special" one. There are a few things that are flawed though, like the fact this is all happening in one city. What happened to the others? That's what I'm really curious about, I hope the next book explains it well enough.

What other book might you compare Divergent to and why?

Everyone has the need to compare any dystopian literature to The Hunger Games, but in all honesty this one really isn't like it. If anything I would say it is a more well written Matched. Like Matched, there is a special ceremony at 16 (choosing versus matching) and the people are sorted into different ranks in society. However, while Matches falls into the cliches of romance with dystopian society second, Divergent's romance does not interfere with the main focus of the story.

What does Emma Galvin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really liked Emma Galvin's reading of this book. She spoke words clear and concise, and I enjoyed her other voices for other characters. All in all a good reader.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

This would be a hard book to film adaptation (although I am aware they are already working on it), but my tag line would be:

Faction before blood.

Any additional comments?

Divergent is a really intense story with a different kind of female protagonist. In a YA world full of girls who are surrounded by boys, Tris is used to being a loner and has a hard time believing she can even have friends due to her selfless personality. I really liked the world Divergent created, and I hope it keeps up its fast tempo in the next book of the series, Insurgent. My only qualm with the book is the fact that this all seems to be happening in one city. What's happened to the world outside the city?? I have a feeling Insurgent may cover that ground now that they're heading out to the farms in Amity. That's going to be a really hard subject to explain though, and I fear that the reasoning may not be good enough for me unless all of the US is dead from nuclear explosion. Other than that though, the book is fascinating and has some good insight on human nature. Really liked it!

Captivating coming-of-age tale

Roth introduces us to a completely different society through the experiences of a teen-aged girl, who is becoming an adult within it.

Tris (or Beatrice, as her parents named her) grew up as Abnegation, the faction that values selflessness above all. She chooses Dauntless (the faction that values bravery) as the faction where she will live.

To assist the 16-year-olds to make this choice, the society requires a faction test, a guided total-emerson experience, in which the subjects make a number of decisions that indicate the faction they are most closely aligned with. The results are secret, for the teen's use only. But the teen's choice of faction is public, in a Choosing ceremony, after which the teens are whisked off by their chosen faction, perhaps never to see their friends and family again.

Tris' results are mixed. She tests out as Divergent, something she is warned to tell no one. If she is found out, she will be killed. The story takes her from her decision, on a journey to find out who and what she is, and what's wrong with her society.

Roth's narrative is fast-paced, her characters complex. She paints just enough environment around the action to make a complete picture in the reader's mind. She is descriptive without being florid. Based on the first book, I recommend this series for both teens and adults.

Emma Gavin has a bright, energetic, youthful voice which is perfect for Tris. As an audiobook, you can close your eyes, and let the story carry you away.

Captivating Book, A must Read!!

Veronica Roth is an excellent writer, love the story. Reminded me of a bit of Hunger Games but very different. Main character is very likable. Once you get all the different fractions/regions is easier to understand. Looking forward to the next book in the series and the relationship with Six continue.

Loved this book more than the others

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

It was very exciting and fast-paced, which I really love in Audiobooks. I never wanted to unplug.

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

My extreme reaction was never unplugging from it! It never slows down, so I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.

I just wish the other books in the series were as good in terms of story as this first book - they keep up the excitement but I felt like I was being lead through a maze if the person leading me kept changing their mind and suddenly switching to a different direction. Dizzying and not so great in terms of narrative.

Not what I expected; but still incredibly good!

I was actually dragged to the movie theatre by a friend to watch the movie, and that same evening I didn't go home until I had a copy of the book. Very enjoyable book; interesting story and concept, it wasn't a mushy-gooey love story, it was just right. Unfortunately for me, having seen the movie before reading the book did affect my interpretation of the story, and I found myself comparing the book to the movie a lot (and usually it's the opposite!) Other than that, it was a great book, definitely the best in the trilogy.

Fantastic narrator

Any additional comments?

I actually read these back they first came out, so this is a re-read for me and I already loved the books. Emma Galvin is amazing at narrating this. I just listened to the Hunger Games trilogy and is narrated so horribly, that, if I hadn't already read those too, I would have hated them. So, the great choice in narrating for this series is making all the difference.

Love, Love. LOVED it!

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

I think the narrator was really well chosen for this book. Tris is a younger character and her voice fits perfectly and doesn't struggle with sounding whiny (which many narrators do when trying to sound like a young character). I think the Emma Galvin did an amazing job with the narration and made the book even more enjoyable then it would have been for me if I read a paper version. She does a really great job of expressing Tris's strength as well as her vulnerability with her voice. The story itself is pretty amazing as well. I couldn't stop listening. It's a really engaging story. I'll be buying the second novel today.

Any additional comments?

You won't regret picking this book.