• Divergent

  • By: Veronica Roth
  • Narrated by: Emma Galvin
  • Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (37,744 ratings)

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Divergent  By  cover art

Divergent

By: Veronica Roth
Narrated by: Emma Galvin
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Editorial reviews

It is a very rare thing to witness the beginning of a writer’s career and know without a doubt that the first little book is going to launch a worldwide craze, a la J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer. Such is the terrifying yet enviable position of Veronica Roth, who sold this debut novel to a HarperCollins imprint before she even finished college. She also sold the film rights to Summit Entertainment, owner of the Twilight film saga, on the strength of pre-publication buzz alone. The first in a planned series, Divergent is beyond question the best thing to happen to young adult literature in a very long time. More realistic than Harry Potter and less moony-eyed than Twilight, Roth has crafted a world and a protagonist that are easily engrossing and definitely worthy of our long-term attention.

Part of the credit for such charm belongs to narrator Emma Galvin, herself somewhat a newcomer. The young upstart has already garnered praise for her interpretations of Winter’s Bone, the first book spin-off from the Glee television series, and Stephenie Meyer’s recent novella. Galvin is genuinely edgy and emotive, not a trace of sugar to be found in the dialogue or her rendering of it. She captures the bold but conflicted spirit of the main character, Tris, with convincing personality and a real sensibility for the fast-pacing learning curve into which Tris launches the year she turns 16. After being raised in a clan whose primary characteristic is its devotion to selflessness, Tris defects, choosing a life of bravery from among the five factions that comprise her dystopic Chicago. She must pledge the faction, and go through several rounds of training eliminations before becoming a true Dauntless.

Tris is a complex, down-to-earth character with a lot of soul searching to do in a clan where hobbies include jumping from moving trains and tossing knives at small objects resting on the heads of friends, and there are no second chances. Veronica Roth has built a remarkable situation with strong potential for a longevity that will remain fresher than the sum of its parts, and Emma Galvin has this bull of a new series firmly by the horns. This book is confidently going places far beyond the fanatical mindlessness of young adult marketing, and in a hot minute, grownups will not have to feel one iota of shame for having fallen in love with it alongside their less discerning teenagers. Megan Volpert

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)

Featured Article: Excellent Dystopian Listens Like The Hunger Games


The popularity of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games trilogy and its film adaptations has paved the way for so many great dystopian books and series in YA, imagining harrowing worlds where teens must fight for survival and define what life means to them. The enduring popularity of the series has proven that dystopian stories and the sometimes-dark futures they imagine are endlessly fascinating to our imaginations.

What listeners say about Divergent

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It's not for me. Loved it anyway.

Closet 50-year old-white-male fan here. The only reason I did not give it five stars is because there's a little too much teenage lip-meeting, hand-holding and waist-caressing going on for my taste. But the overall premise and storytelling is great. I devoured the second book right after I cruised through this one. Want. Third. Book. Now.

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325 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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169 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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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.

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89 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Another Dystopian YA Entry

The world is divided into personality-type factions and at age 16, Triss must choose to stay in her family's sector, or venture on her own path. Action-centered drama unfolds with teen love story and fight to save the world. Not as good as the Hunger Games, but better than "Matched," by Condie.

Narrator, Emma Galvin is fantastic. Sounds 16, has confident, strong voice and nice inflection with changing tone.

In Comparison with other Dystopian YA Novels:
Hunger Games: A
Divergent: B- (action)
Matched: C- (girly)
The Giver: D (creepy)

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85 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very much enjoyed this!

While simply perusing the website I found this gem. I can see why there are so many positive reviews for this book because it was done exceptionally well if you’re into this genre. This book is simply a darker version of “The Hunger Games” if you ask me with a stronger female lead.

The similarities between this book and “The Hunger Games” are startling I must say. The narrator did justice to the title itself and coupled with the story had you gripping the edge. There are some parts of this book that literally gets your mouth to drop and your eyes to widen. Also, when the action picks up, the action really picks up and the author creates such interesting imageries that left me quite impressed. This is just a fun listen if you ask me, with the right combination of poignant moments and fun, light moments.

If you enjoyed "The Hunger Games" or books within that genre you will simply love this book... if you didn't enjoy "The Hunger Games" though, I suggest you pass on this on.

OF NOTE: I listened to this book just AFTER I listened to “Einstein’s Relativity” (which I thought was just plain painful to listen to) so my review might be a bit skewered (positively) because the thought of that other book is fresh in my mind….

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77 people found this helpful

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Another great young adult book

I'm not sure what it says about me as a 32-year-old, but I have really enjoyed quite a few young adult books in the last few years. This is another one that's worth the read no matter what age you are. I always love to see a strong female lead and this book fits the bill. I've read a lot of dystopian books, but this one still manages to be unique.

The book reminds me of the Hunger Games series in many ways, but the book is different enough that it's not derivative. If you read the Hunger Games and liked it, just go ahead and get this one, you'll almost certainly like it, too. I can't wait for future installments of the series to come out.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Ender's Game meets The Hunger Games...

...…but way better than both. This book was recommended to me by a fellow editor shortly after I finished The Hunger Games series, and I was skeptical. Could I deal with another YA dystopian fiction? Will this teen protagonist waver and worry and be as clueless as the last one? As it turns out, I COULD deal with it, and our heroine, Tris, is one that I’d prefer to have on my side when the government finally takes over.

Apart from the obligatory love story (Yeah I know: it’s YA, I should have expected it), Divergent is a solid dystopian adventure story. There is a lot of action and violence, which keeps things interesting. Tris is generally a good person who sometimes lets her emotions take over, which strikes a good balance. My favorite thing about her is that when she sees a problem, she acts; she has a lot of courage, and she’s not afraid to put it on display.

The world they inhabit (a divided, worn-down Chicago of the future) is very interesting and well-drawn, though a lot is left mysterious, which I'm sure is all set-up for the remaining books in the trilogy. The narrator is good, but she could have been a bit more dynamic in terms of voicing different characters. I thought this was a great first entry in the series, and I’m looking forward to starting the sequel soon.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Need a Hunger Games fix?

What did you love best about Divergent?

I'm a middle school teacher, and I chose this book because I had seen some of my students reading it. Soon I was gripped by all that Tris and her friends were going through, guessing some plot turns, surprised by others, but so involved that I had scarcely finished Divergent before I had to purchase the sequel (Insurgent). Like Hunger Games, it has a female protagonist who must prove herself as a fighter, who is wracked with strong emotions, who must cope with the changes that come because of love, and who is in the middle of a world ripe for revolution.

I found Tris to be likeable, complex, and believable, and the situation her society is in more interesting than the one in Katniss' world because the evil is more insidious. It is easy to see why the enemy leader believes in a particular cause and why the various forces choose as they do.

Sometimes, I grew a little weary of the problems that could have been easily solved if people had not kept secrets from one another, but the world Tris grew up in has trained her to accept the idea of dangerous secrets. I also found the way the different elements of society were leveraging power to be a compelling plot element.

What other book might you compare Divergent to and why?

I think anyone who liked Hunger Games should be all over this series as their next fix. However, I actually l liked this better than Hunger Games in many ways. There are more interesting characters, and the various elements of society are less black and white in their motivations and alliances. The puzzles Tris must solve is complex and so are her strategies for solving them.

Although there is violence and some of it is very cruel, I found it less disturbing than some of the Hunger Games violence, which was often sadistic and bizarre.

What about Emma Galvin’s performance did you like?

I found her completely believable and engaging. Tris being a relatively small girl, she needed a voice with some child-like elements, but Galvin was also believable as Tris developed into a leader.

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

I did not want to stop listening! The minute it was over, I bought the sequel.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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I am not a YA fan; I am not a YA fan; I am not a Y

Dang, when will I ever learn. I am just Not a fan of YA books. Twilight had to be good, right? Look at all the kudos. Hunger Games had to be good right? Divergent had to be ... well not for me. NONE OF IT!!!

I'M A GROWN UP NOW!!!

Robert, stop reading these books.

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Couldn't Put It Down

This was an awesome book. I stayed up way too late listening to this book and plowed through quickly. There never seemed to be down time or slow moving part of the book.

Many people compare it to The Hunger Games and I can understand why: Strong female lead, dystopian setting, a single forced choice that changes the life of main character, combat and quarrel. If you enjoyed the first book of The Hunger Games it is worth picking this book up.

I have nothing but praise for the narrator, she did an excellent job and was a good choice for this novel.

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