Divergent (Divergent, #1) in Reading with Style

Feb 06, 2012 Lindsay rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5stars, ya, lmaiangowi-s-150-for-2012, read-in-2012, reread, read-in-2016

First read Feb14/12 to Feb18/12. Library edition.

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Nov 23, 2011 Emilia rated it did not like it

Shelves: dystopian

I had really been looking forward to reading this book. I have read nothing but good reviews and the premise of the book sounded compelling. Plus I heard the book compared to The Hunger Games, which should have made me wary, but actually made me want to read it more. I need to learn to ignore the hype. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in the book.

Beatrice lives in a "dystopian" Chicago and is a member of one of five factions, Abnegation (selflessness). There was a great war and after the w
I had really been looking forward to reading this book. I have read nothing but good reviews and the premise of the book sounded compelling. Plus I heard the book compared to The Hunger Games, which should have made me wary, but actually made me want to read it more. I need to learn to ignore the hype. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in the book.

Beatrice lives in a "dystopian" Chicago and is a member of one of five factions, Abnegation (selflessness). There was a great war and after the war, the citizens of Chicago decided to split into five factions. The factions based on a trait that the members deemed important for humanity. So there is one for bravery, one for peace, one for selflessness, one for intelligence and lastly one for honesty. Beatrice finds herself to be Divergent, after she undergoes the "sorting" test, which means she shows traits for more than one faction. She chooses to be in Dauntless, however. Ok, so I was intrigued! This seemed like an interesting dystopia and I wondered what Roth would do with it.

Unfortunately, the world building was not very strong. I was first very frustrated by the portrayal of the different factions. They were so horribly stereotypical, especially Dauntless (bravery). Wearing black? Tattoos? Piercings? Guns? Jumping out of trains? Jumping off buildings? UGH! These do not make someone brave! The Dauntless seemed more interested in being cruel and tough rather than being brave. I realized that Roth was trying to make some sort of point, but it still frustrated me nonetheless. Oh and the Abnegation only wearing grey? UGH to that, too! I was happy when Four/Tobias finally made the connection between being selfless and being brave. More connections could have been made in the beginning between the utopian idea of having 5 factions and the dystopian reality. I figured out the dystopia before Beatrice was able to and her lack of any awareness until the end was frustrating. As she supposedly is Erudite (intelligence) as well, that seemed like something she could have picked up on sooner.

I also find it very hard to believe that any group of people would collectively decide to divide in factions NOT based on family ties. This was the hardest part of the world for me to believe. NO WAY would (most) people agree to abandon their families for living in these factions. Also, it was hinted at that something lay beyond the walls, and I wanted to know more about the world.

As for the characters and plot, the world building frustrated me so much that I could barely get through the book and the plot felt a little thin to me. I wasn't very engaged by the book until Beatrice figured out that her mother had been in Dauntless. The latter half of the book was better with Tris making connections between the reality versus the ideal of the factions. I felt frustrated that this connection wasn't made until later. Maybe it was a device to show how Tris grows through the book and starts to question her world, but it didn't really seem that way to me. I also felt some of the side characters like Peter and Eric were cruel with no explanation on how they came to be so cruel. Maybe jealousy? Jeannine on the other hand, while she was one of the main villains, had reasons behind her cruelty. I did appreciate that Roth is not afraid to kill off characters, however. I was a little surprised, but it is a crapsack world where anyone can die.

As for the romance, I'm tired of girl falling for mysterious boy with a troubled past. Oh and he was also conveniently Divergent, too. Luckily the romance didn't take over the book, but still, I'm of the opinion that there doesn't need to be a romance.

Overall, I would give the book 1 stars, maybe 2ish, because I do want to read the next one, to find out what happens. ...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Jenifer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, dystopian, 2013-read

Why did I wait so long to read this YA novel? Maybe I was overwhelmed by all the YA dystopian literature that has bombarded the bookscene after the success of The Hunger Games? Maybe I was afraid it would be just one more YA novel that was too simple to be truly enjoyable? I'm not sure what my reasons for waiting were...but I am glad that I finally read Divergent. I loved it. With an easy to read style, well paced plot and fascinating characters, Divergent is one of those novels that keeps your ...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Erin (NY) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, books-i-own, ya, read-in-2013, dystopian

Wow! This book is amazing! The society she wrote about is really interesting! The main characters are very complex and likable.

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Oct 05, 2011 Tien rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia, young-adult, snakes-ladders

Aw, this is really hard for me to review...

I find that when most reviews rant and rave about the book, the less excited I get about reading it. With the upcoming Hunger Games movie though, I wanted to read something in similar line (ie. dystopia). I liked it but I don't love it - that makes me sad :(

I liked Roth's descriptive ways (I don't have the book in front of me now but when I do, I'll update this review with a quote). And I really liked the suspense involved for the Aptitude test, in find ...more

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