Delirium (Delirium, #1) in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Jun 05, 2011 Naomi rated it liked it

The first half of this book bored me to tears & I was thinking i'd probably end up giving it a one star rating then half way through it started picking up so I then thought hmmmmm maybe a two star rating. By the end of the book (with tears in my eyes may i add) it has been kicked up to three stars. I am now looking forward to reading the next in the series because I refuse to believe Alex won't be in it! I love him!!!! He was by far my favourite character & the sacrifice he made was wonderful bu ...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Deitre rated it really liked it · review of another edition

With an original story plot unlike any I’ve ever read, Delirium, by Lauren Oliver, offers readers a unique story about love. The tragedy, the creation and the devastation of love, along with the determination to make love last. Lena is the heroine, grieving the death of her mother. Longing for the day to come where she will be cured from “deliria,” a disease that spreads quickly through the minds and bodies of those that are not cured. A disease, that could even cause death and can be triggered With an original story plot unlike any I’ve ever read, Delirium, by Lauren Oliver, offers readers a unique story about love. The tragedy, the creation and the devastation of love, along with the determination to make love last. Lena is the heroine, grieving the death of her mother. Longing for the day to come where she will be cured from “deliria,” a disease that spreads quickly through the minds and bodies of those that are not cured. A disease, that could even cause death and can be triggered by the slightest touch or glance from one person to another.

In Portland, we find a city that is now controlled by the government, lives mapped out by the government, and under constant watch by those who regulate the city. Aiming to keep its citizens safe from “deliria.” In the beginning we find that Lena welcomes the day that she will be cured, hoping that she will be able to live the normal life that all the cured citizens of Portland talk so fondly of. But sometimes plans change, even when we least expect it. Even when we are not looking for that glimpse of the unexpected, the unexpected shows up. “Deliria” shows its face, in a form that Lena, can not resist. So now she must choose. Is the pain worth it? Is the pain worth him?

Lauren Oliver’s creative approach to each chapter beginning, gives the reader the opportunity to visualize just how different Lena’s world is viewed from our present day. The textbook excerpts and prose tell a mini-story of Lena’s sheltered life under the total control of the government. In conclusion, it is always my hope for a book to grab me in the first few chapters. In this case, that did not happen. The beginning was more of a lesson on Lena’s world that was showcased a bit slowly. However, once a new character joins the scene, everything changes, and I couldn’t stop living in Lena’s world, through the well written words of Delirium. Book 2, Pandemonium is on the horizon. I’ll be sure to set a side several hours in a row to reenter Lena’s world.
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Feb 20, 2011 Megan rated it really liked it

Shelves: dystopian-challenge-2011

I met Lauren Oliver at her signing event in Columbus, Ohio earlier this month and I have to say, she is a remarkable person whose "voice" is SO clear in her books. Lauren sounds, in person, just like her book read. She's funny, thought provoking and insightful. I loved every minute of her event, especially getting to hear her read from Delirium. I would like to believe that hearing the words from the mouth of their creator made Lena's voice that much clearer and real for me. If you ever get the I met Lauren Oliver at her signing event in Columbus, Ohio earlier this month and I have to say, she is a remarkable person whose "voice" is SO clear in her books. Lauren sounds, in person, just like her book read. She's funny, thought provoking and insightful. I loved every minute of her event, especially getting to hear her read from Delirium. I would like to believe that hearing the words from the mouth of their creator made Lena's voice that much clearer and real for me. If you ever get the chance to go to one of Lauren's signings/events- GO! You will be glad you did! She is so real and just generally awesome. She doesn't get snarky and borderline rude when answering questions. I want to believe that that is just the way she is and not merely that she hasn't been around as along as some YA authors. Her answers to questions were heartfelt and thought out but she was honest when she didn't have an answer to give. You can find out more about Lauren and her books on her Website, on Twitter and on Facebook. Delirium is Lauren's second book. Her debut novel, Before I Fall, was released last year to great acclaim. Delirium is the first book in a trilogy, Pandemonium will be the second book- due out early in 2012.

The world of Delirium is both familiar and strange. It felt so weird to think of love as a disease that you could catch or to know that the government would pick your spouse for you and tell you how many kids to have. To most of us, that world seems very unreal. But the truth is that there are places in the world where how many kids you have is the government's business. Where you live in fear that something you say could get you killed. Government can and sometimes does become that controlling so it isn't so far fetched to think of a place like the one where Lena lives existing in the not so distant future. In this world, Love or the Deliria, as they call it, can be cured with a simple procedure that every citizen gets at the age of 18. At first, Lena wants nothing more than to be cured so that she can be matched with her mate and get on with her adult life. But in the 95 days before her procedure is scheduled to occur, she does something that she NEVER wanted/expected to do, she falls in love with Alex. I have to say that I find Lena a little annoying because she's so anti-love at first but it is GREAT to see her learn and grow and really start to question the world she lives in. Alex is a great guy and a great character who really embodies love as an emotion that we humans need to have to function properly- not love as a disease (which admit it, sounds freaking creepy!). The thing that stuck out to me about the love as a disease scenario (and the news clip that Lauren says fed into this idea around the time that she wrote Delirium) is that humans are primates. Social animals. We need to have strong emotional ties to others to be happy and to function in society. Oddly enough, elephants are this way too. If an elephant is separated from their herd, they will freak out and do anything to get to the others. Elephants need the feelings of safety and contentment that they feel in the herd to be able to function normally. A point my husband brought up is that parents MUST love their kids or something WILL happen to the children. If you didn't love your children, would you take proper care of them? I would think not- honestly. Civilization and primate infant rearing require a serious vested interest in the infant or you'd be just like a number of animals that give birth and hope that the offspring make it. Mammals in general care for young because they MUST. To have a strong new generation, you need to bond with the baby and care about feeding it. A mammal baby would not do well without milk. Basically, to sum up my biology jibber jabber, it seems really unlikely to me that this society would work for very long- even with brain washing everyone with a book of rules on behavior and parenting. So I wonder how long they have lasted this way and when the system will, inevitably fail.

Delirium was an amazing book that really made me think. The characters are real and likable. The entire book was outstanding and interesting. My only issue was the killer ending. Were trying to give me a panic attack, Lauren Oliver? But the cliffhanger ending only served to make me want to continue with Pandemonium. I would recommend this for older teens and up due to the dystopian nature of the book. If I, at 28 and a college grad, get headaches trying to deal with the politics of it- a 13 year old shouldn't be able to get it either. (And if they do, don't tell me. You'll only make me feel worse!) Go read Delirium now, people! You'll be glad you did!
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Jan 08, 2011 Once rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What a concept Lauren Oliver gives us in Delirium. A world in which Love is now a disease and feared by all. You can say love is the equivalent of Cancer now in our world or maybe even worse. At around the age of 18 you are set for your procedure to cure you from Amor Deliria Nervosa. Delirium did start off a bit slow for me, but I understand why. It was building up to the part where it just Hook, Line and Sinker you's and all you want to do is turn the pages at a blinding speed. The world that ...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Shari rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, best-of-2011, read-in-2011

Truthfully, I LOVED this book. In fact it only has a little competition for the number one spot on my most loved books of 2011. At the beginning of each chapter are these quotes that show you just how hard the government is trying to brainwash the people. Here are two... "The most dangerous sicknesses are those that make us believe we are well" -Proverbs 42, The book of Shhh or Ex rememdium salvae. "From the cure, salvation" -Printed on all American currency. Lena starts off as this very timid g ...more

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