Divergent

By: Veronica Roth

Narrated by: Emma Galvin

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

She turns to the future in a world that’s falling apart.

For 16-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.

Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead….

A debut novel that will leave you breathless.

©2012 Veronica Roth (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

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)

Good, but rushed at the end.

Bit too rushed at the end. The sudden change in atmosphere is a bit too sharp and fast. But overall good.

Interesting concept but...

Where does Divergent rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Divergent is actually an interesting book. In particular the concept, however the series overall is extremely disappointing.

Has Divergent turned you off from other books in this genre?

I read the Hunger game series years before this series and this series is lacking in comparison. I enjoyed the concept/idea of this book, but be warned this is a trilogy.

What about Emma Galvin’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed her reading of the book(s) Pity the series overall is so lacking.

Any additional comments?

The first book is great. The second book is also pretty good. I hated the third book and not because of it's ending. I just could not finish the book. So for me this series would get 1 star. The only reason I know about "the gasp" ending is because someone it work asked me if that's why I didn't finish it. For anyone who enjoys a good, solid, well written ending to a series this series is not for you.

He said, she said, I said SCREAM

Would you try another book from Veronica Roth and/or Emma Galvin?

Yes I enjoyed reading the book and Emma Galvin is a great narrator

If you’ve listened to books by Veronica Roth before, how does this one compare?

Ok, honestly I thought I was going to throw my phone to the ground if I heard 'He said' 'I said' 'she said' one more time. It was doing my head in and I some how put up with it throughout the next two books

Did Emma Galvin do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, the differences where there

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes

Easy reading

I purchased this book as I had seen the film, and it did not disappoint.
The screenplay remained true to the book. It was easy to read but descriptive and engrossing. Listed as a book for teenagers, I found it enjoyable in the lack of adult themes. With an open mind, give it a try.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Fantastic book

Where does Divergent rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

in line with Hunger games and The Host

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

She is a fantastic narrator, no silly voices

Any additional comments?

Give it a go, you will soon be enthralled.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great for a teenager

I loved the concept of the book - absolutely brilliant! I enjoyed the characters but from an adult perspective it seemed too simple and lacked the complexity that could have made it so much more believable. It all seemed weird that an instructor falls for a child - a bit uncomfortable for an adult male to read in the last third of the book. Military structure and societal structure seems too unbelievable too but good enough to listen, and finish the text. It probably didn't help that I'd completed commando training, and listened to the book only to verify before allowing my child to read it! Needless to say this text is not suitable for a ten year old highly able reader. I do wish books had an age appropriate rating.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Took me three days cover to cover:)

Oh gosh I get that many may criticise it for being very basically written but as a sixteen year old myself I found it was engaging and easy to listen to throughout. The film is pretty boring in comparison and it still escapes me why they wouldn't develop the relationship between tobias and tris as much as there is in the book, and there is a lot more. Well over all I'm very very happy and can't wait to buy the rest of the series which I heard aren't as great of but I will hope anyway haha

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Good

This is a good book, but I found myself very tens through it at times, do think I will read the next book. Wendy

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Lover of dystopia

So yes, it's a little like The Hunger Games, Uglies, Matched etc... but only in the same way that Pride and Prejudice is a little like Sense and Sensibility. Dystopian novels have become some of the most popular novels recently, and with the success of the big ones like The Hunger Games being transformed into high budget cinema I think it puts people off seeing dystopian novels as good literature. But in truth they make for such a great story because it's true escapism. The world is nothing like ours and there's always a complex political issue overriding all the smaller concepts of friendship, acceptance and usually a perfectly cheesy love story.

This book has all that. And I love it. Pure escapism. So what if the story isn't 'new'. Can't wait to read the next one...

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Getting too old for this...

This was always going to bring comparisons to the Hunger Games, and it does just enough to set its world apart. However reading the Hunger games in my early twenties and experiencing this closer to thirty makes the writing of these kind of books feel a lot more naive than I remember. Probably great for a teen but only just enjoyable for my taste now.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Brilliant!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as well as the rest of the trilogy, and I was surprised that there wasn't too much of a difference from the movie.
As a lover of sci-fi books, and movies, it was nice to read something that was slightly different from the norm. Comparable to Hunger Games, you can easily find the links between the "world" and factions described in the book with reality.
I felt an instant connection with Tris and the pull between that of the introvert vs the dare devil side of her.
Although there is the common theme of "teen in love" running through the story, the rest is real and gritty.
A really great read, and fantastic trilogy!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not living up to the hype

Maybe it's just not to my taste but even the film was work for me. This is just not as good as the hunger games. I haven't moved on with this series and have no intention of doing so. It didn't grip me and i found the story dragged itself out in the places you wanted less and was too quick in the areas you wanted to know more. Many others think this is an excellent book, but for me, only ok.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fascinating!

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

This audio book was performed beautifully, really bringing the characters to life and lends to the listener really getting into the story and the characters on an emotional level, something not as easily accomplished with a print version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Divergent?

I think most people would go for the climax to the book ( I won't give it away if you haven't read it!), but honestly I couldn't pick one moment. The introduction to the characters, watching their stories unfold, how bonds are made and enemies are created before the main event, was equally as gripping to listen too.

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

Emma Galvin's performance of Divergant, and the other books in the series, was truly spectacular. For me personally, she is one of my favourite voice actors of any audio book. She has clearly thought through all of the characters and really gets into it, making it all that more compelling a read for the listener.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Well there is a film that has been recreated already (which I would also highly recommend) and that uses 'What Makes You Different, Makes You Dangerous'. I think that perfectly sums it up.

Any additional comments?

If you love any kind of romance story, you'll love this. This was my first kind of 'action/adventure' read and was completely unsure of it when I started, but now I'm completely hooked! Definitely give it a listen!

3 of 4 people found this review helpful