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 didnt hate it...the ending saved it for me....

If you could sum up Divergent in three words, what would they be?

Intriguing, long, scary

What was one of the most memorable moments of Divergent?

I really only liked the last part of this book...this story could have been told in a shorter tale....but I bet #2 is going to be really good...

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

I am not fond of Emma Galvin's narration style....but its not bad...I will say Tris...

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Mom to the rescue...very sad...

Any additional comments?

I wasn't sure I would want to continue on with this series until the ending 3 hours of this book...it is very drawn out...and this is a ridiculous society...if this ever really happened to us, we would be in big trouble....gave the book 4 stars, but really feel its 3.5....I do feel book 2 will be great!

Very entertaining series

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

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy, or general sci fy with a strong female lead character. I listened to the first two books in one weekend, and my wife enjoyed them right along with me.

What other book might you compare Divergent to and why?

The Hunger Games trilogy

What about Emma Galvin’s performance did you like?

Great characterizations, clear voice, easily listened to.

Lack Luster, but great for a first time author

I didn't love or hate this book. It was sufficient- a worthy first book but nothing to write home about.

Fantastic Read!

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

I stumbled upon this as a well kept secret in the children's lit section. Let it be a secret no more!!! It was a fantastic book! The second book is due out May 1.
It is described as a

Very engrossing, well written young adult sci-fi

I loved Divergent - the story line was fantastic, and for those that love a good paranormal romance (but with excellent writing and narration) this book is for you. I hope there is a second novel!!

Fantastic dystopian story! Must listen!

If you could sum up Divergent in three words, what would they be?

Original, impressive, excellent

What did you like best about this story?

Storyline

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

Emma Galvin brings Tris alive in this original work

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Four recognized Tris even though he was under the simulation

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for the last book!

Dystopia fans, prepare to be diverted!

I gobbled this up. "Divergent" completely diverted me! The author has a way of drawing you in. Everything Beatrice sees or does is real right from the beginning. The structure of the society was very interesting, and you could picture Chicago and all its changes vividly. Good details in this one!

Fast-paced, exciting, even a little sexy. I can see why this one has made such a splash! It's not deep but it was a lot of fun to read. I'm very excited to get to the next book, and I hope the author can keep up with her story!

The narrator is superb. She voiced Beatrice perfectly, sounding just the right age and catching all the right inflections.

The one place I hold back praise is...the math. The numbers involved in certain things are way off kilter. The numbers of people around and in the city, the numbers of people it takes to run the jobs in the city and the in the factions, the numbers of people amassed at certain times during the book... Those simply make no sense with the *tiny* number of people vying to become faction members along with Beatrice. Also, you can't look to closely at the timeline. Certain types of training, muscle building, and healing happen in a flash. I'm trying hard not to give away any spoilers, but try not to think about the arithmatic.

I see this compared to The Hunger Games trilogy all the time. Yes, they're both in the same genre (and who knew dystopia would become such a popular genre all of a sudden?). As it happens I thought they were both great. I found the Hunger Games technically superior and more wrenching, but doing side-by-side comparisons does injustice to both books. Don't go in comparing this to anything, just take it on its own terms! I will say is I found "Divergent" to be more strongly aimed at young adults. A number of adults have mentioned they tried it even though they don't care for YA novels, and they weren't in love. I'm not surprised. This isn't one of those novels written for adults that happen to contain teenagers, it's really YA. I'm an adult who loved it, but I'm very open to reading books aimed at any age group.

Highly recommended for dystopia fans, and lovers of fast and fun YA fiction!

A Must Read, Thrilling

Someone post a review stating "If you like The Hunger Games you'll like these books." I was unsure but he was right. It's not simply a regurgitated verson of the same story, it's a completely different story w/NO love triangle! Thank you. I still rate the Hunger Games as my favorite book triligoy, as well as book made to movie. We'll see what happens once Divergent is out in Nov. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm not a YA even though this book is in the YA catagory. Both of my teenage boys have read the first 2 books because I enjoyed it so much. I also have my sister and niece reading it as well. You won't be disappointed.

Why This Book Ruined YA Dystopian Novels

The first time I read this book, I was 13/14 and still deeply obsessed with books like The Hunger Games. I got it on here simply because I wanted to relive that experience, hoping to hold onto that bit of my childhood naivety. Boy, was that a mistake.

I cannot stress how boring this book is. The author drones on and on and is so repetitive that I considered taking a shot every time the word “say/says” was used or every time the protagonist — Tris — pulled that “I’m not like the other girls” trope, but I quickly realized that would result in an early death. Tris is absolutely stagnant as a character, so completely bland that it was a struggle to get through. To the narrators credit, she did her absolute best with the material at hand — which was not much to work with. The lack of contractions makes it feel like this was written by a teenager desperately trying to fill in the essay word requirement. Furthermore, the frequent use of “say/says” is basically the first ultimate sin of writing — something I literally learned in the 6th grade.

The love interest, Four, is such a stereotypical Brooding But Soft Male trope that’s overused in YA writing as it is. I can’t even remember a single personality trait of his that wasn’t achingly reminiscent of Edward Cullen.

Not to mention the fact that assigning people at age 16 to a particular personality trait is yet another overused YA trope, as if the author was trying to combine the sorting of Hogwarts Houses with the districts from The Hunger Games.

I can only really recommend this book to children, but even THATS a stretch with its very mild and yet again repetitive “violence”. Really only use one of your free credits to purchase this book, because it isn’t worth the money.

Not great

It has some nice ideas. But it's overloaded with 16-year-old-girl-drama slices. First sex, "Why did you choose me, I'm ugly", and other scenes like that. Barely managed to not return it a few times (that's something rare for me).