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)

Another YA yawn

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I blame myself for not reading reviews (I prefer not to be biased by them and go in blind) as I didn't know this was a hunger games knock off YA love story about a girl in a dystopian society. I enjoy dystopian stories as it is fun to imagine society very differently but there were problems with how the premise was written out, I found myself frequently asking questions of the author in my head and not getting any information. The story needed more fleshing out as far as the society goes to be more believable.

What was most disappointing about Veronica Roth’s story?

I blame the author for not editing better. The terminology for weapons is totally wrong and it would have taken a tiny bit of effort to get it right. Every time the protagonist "clicks a bullet in the gun" I cringe, it's so bad. With some better editing this would have been much better. The word generic firearm term "gun" is frequently used where pistol or rifle would have helped the action and painted a picture better. Again I blame the editor not the author.

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

The book was voiced well, I enjoyed listening to Emma Galvin.

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

No

Any additional comments?

The basic story needed more fleshing out. How could children not be more curious about their parents choosing and initiation? I find the premise hard to follow. I enjoyed the Hunger Games so it's not the genre that I find fault with. Bad bad editing.

Not Another Dystopian Young Adult Novel...!

Why, yes, it is! Somewhat similar to The Hunger Games in that young people are trained to be superior physical beings and often must fight each other for supremacy, the first book in this trilogy spends much of its time on the training regimen facing Tris, an "initiate" into the "Dauntless" faction. In Roth's world, humans are split into five different factions, according to aptitude tests they take when they're sixteen. At the "Choosing" ceremony, they may select whatever faction they want. Tris' tests show her to be "divergent," meaning she has several different factions to her personality. Born into "Abnegation," the selfless faction that now runs the government, she opts to leave them and become a Dauntless.

The Dauntless are just that and training is not the easiest for the initiates. Tris finds comfort in friendships with some other initiates and finds herself bullied by others. She also experiences love for the first time in the person of Four, the training master of Dauntless.

But, what is all this training for? Tris soon finds out when she happens upon a plot betwen the "Erudite" faction and the Dauntless. Will she be able to stop it?

I love this book

I love this book and I love how Emma Galvin reads this book is really felt like I was there

Senior Citizen loved the book

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

Although I am on medicare, I did love both the movie and the book. Am I already senile?

Amazing

It was the BEST😍😍I could say it's the best book I've read in a long time.😍😍it will surprise you 😍😍

It's one of THOSE books

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

This is one of those books. The one you devour in a day, tell your friend to read, and hope it wasn't just the tasty chocolate you were eating at the time that caused it to seem so darn amazing. But then your friend finishes it and you completely geek out together on how fantastic it was so you continue to recommend it even more enthusiastically to the rest of your friends. Eventually all your friends have read it and geeked out, then you find out....they're making a movie! Yep, one of those books. If you haven't read/listened to it yet, you should.


Content Concerns? Although many young adult novels contain drugs, sex, self-abuse, swearing, etc., this book contains none of that.
I would selectively recommend this to avid readers from 13 to 15.
And I would highly recommend this for any reader (reluctant or avid ) from 16-25.

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

I feel she softened Triss' character a bit, in a good way, from how I would have read it.

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

Mere pure enthusiastic excitement.

THANK YOU MRS ROTH FOR KEEPING THE SAME NARRATOR

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

I love this story, and the fact that they keep the same narrator only made it that much more enjoyable. I read the books 1st and listening to them was just as amazing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tris...Tobias....Tris....Tobias...hard to say, I like each for different reasons....

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

Her emotion

Any additional comments?

I WISH ALL SERIES WOULD TAKE A HINT FROM THIS SERIES AND KEEP THE SAME NARRATOR!

Exciting!

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

It is a fast paced, very exciting and fun listen :-)

What was one of the most memorable moments of Divergent?

The Fear Landscape

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

No. 1st one and I liked it.

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

How many fears do you have?

Loved this book!

Divergent is easily the best book in this series. I highly recommend it for anyone who also enjoys books like Harry Potter or Hunger Games.

Holy Raven!

This book was soooooooo good! My daughter got me the hard copy for Christmas and it was so good listening to it. I fist heard the narrator in Short Second Life of Bree Tanner and she was so good at it. When I saw that she was narrating this one, I had to listen and I was NOT disappointed! I can't wait to listen to the other books and find more from Emma.