Divergent (Divergent, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Jun 09, 2011 D.G. rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: sucked, young-adult, audiobook, reviewed, dystopia

A Ludicrous Premise or Why Dystopia Authors Should Use A Thing Called Logic

(This review is both long and has some spoilers so read at your own risk.)

This book is a sort of a Hunger Games wannabe but with less violence and a really silly premise that doesn’t make any sense.

In this society, people are divided in groups based on personality traits. The author doesn’t even mention why Chicagoans abandoned one of the tenets of American society (personal liberty) to become a cluster of group-thinks wh A Ludicrous Premise or Why Dystopia Authors Should Use A Thing Called Logic

(This review is both long and has some spoilers so read at your own risk.)

This book is a sort of a Hunger Games wannabe but with less violence and a really silly premise that doesn’t make any sense.

In this society, people are divided in groups based on personality traits. The author doesn’t even mention why Chicagoans abandoned one of the tenets of American society (personal liberty) to become a cluster of group-thinks where each person has an aptitude for only ONE out of FIVE paths. And because all 16-year olds know without a doubt what they want to do for the rest of their lives, each person must choose their faction at that age without the possibility of going back. You must agree that this framework tops the U.S. Constitution so it’s no wonder this people picked it.

The book is YA so it’s not a surprise which faction Tris (the main character) chooses. I mean, do you think teenagers want to read about somebody doing charity, being peaceful, studying or telling the truth all the time? Yeah, right. What follows is a series of really stupid stunts, all executed in the name of ‘bravery.’ In real life, most of these kids would have been dead in days but in the book, they continually perform very dangerous feats in a lawless environment where criminal acts are not reported because “I don’t want them to think I’m afraid of them.” And these are the people who are supposed to protect others! Following this line of thinking, Police Academy recruits should be allowed to maim and terrorize each other just to prove how brave they are.

The author is from the ‘say one thing, but show another’ school of characterization. Tris is said to be brave, smart and selfless but her actions show her as judgmental, proud, calculating, petulant, whiny, petty and obtuse. She calls somebody who cries weak, she’s always afraid of what others would think of her, she can’t forgive and when she does she has a reason behind it, and never figures out on her own which faction Four came from, even though there are almost neon signs pointing at the right faction.

One of the most disturbing things I find about this story is the main character’s disdain for the Erudite, which is the faction tied to books and learning. All over the book there are subtle digs about how learning is suspect: “Valuing knowledge above all else results in a lust for power, and that leads men into dark and empty places” Or “now [Erudite] pursue knowledge and ingenuity with greedy hearts.” Tris even does her own version of book burning when she throws the Erudite articles into the Chasm. As you can see, our main character is quite a gal!

At the same time, the plot cast suspicions on the Abnegation, implying they are not as nice as they seem. So basically the book is telling us to mistrust both those that value knowledge and those that help others. If the point of the book was to reveal that people are self-interested, I’m sorry to inform you Ms. Roth, but we knew that already. Adam Smith wrote about it in The Wealth of Nations and our whole economic system (capitalism) is based on that.

The villains are of the mustache twirling variety with plans of - you guessed it - world (or at least Chicago) domination. They are eeevil, eeevil with no redeeming features. The goal of their dastardly plot is “to work towards a world in which people live in wealth, comfort and prosperity.” But wait…that doesn’t sound so bad! What’s the problem with being well off? That is, until Tris asks “At whose expense? All that wealth doesn’t come from nowhere.” And the villains disclose that their master plan centers in the subjugation of other factions!! Doesn't everybody know that to be rich, you have to trample on somebody? It doesn’t have anything to do with productivity or creating a product or service that other people want and will pay you for it. Wealth is a zero-sum game and the only way for people to be rich is to stick it to somebody else. (Clearly, Ms. Roth didn’t take Economics 101 when she was in college.)

One of the few good things I found about the book is that sex is addressed (which is a big problem I have with YA) and Four is an interesting character. But that’s about it.

The narration is below average. The narrator can’t do different voices so when more than one person is talking, it’s very difficult to know who’s speaking. At least the book is pretty much all internal monologues with relatively few conversations so I was able to follow what was going on.

Overall, an ordinary dystopia read with a ludicrous premise. I’m sorry for Four, but I’m not willing to read the sequel just to see what happens to him. ...more

33 likes · Like · see review

Sep 03, 2011 Marla rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, zz-team-2013-challenge-wild-blue-d, girl-power, award-winner, challenged, with-reservations, adventure, romance, fantasy, zz-2013

4.5 stars. Thrilling book...lots of elements...adventure, danger, romance, competition, enemies, family, friendship, betrayal. Great to read a popular YA book that is not overrated. I admire Tris and I would be attracted to Four.

I'm not a dystopian fan, but I'm so glad I read this book for a group book of the month. Divergent is criticized for not being a true dystopian book, maybe that's why I liked it, ha, ha.

This book should've made me cry, but it didn't, so something was missing and this is ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 07, 2013 Sue rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, series, natalie-bk-club, dystopian

This book started out slow for me and I felt at the beginning that I had been there and read all this before. I was 150 pages in and if I hadn't been reading this for my book club, I probably would have gotten sidetracked and put it down in favor of something else. But I stuck with it because a friend said I would like it. And it turns out I did. A lot. The sense of deja vu sprang from the sense of YA dystopian books having some similar features and I hadn't found anything yet that made Divergen ...more

Like · see review

May 30, 2011 AWBookGirl rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Veronica Roth’s debut novel, Divergent, is one I started hearing a buzz about months ago, when the Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) were making their way to bloggers I follow. When the book arrived a few weeks ago, I tore it open and started reading. In forty-five minutes, I had read the first ten chapters. In less than twenty-four hours, I had finished the book.

Set in a dystopian Chicago, the city is now divided into five factions. Each faction serves its purpose in society. At sixteen, citizens un ...more

Like · see review

Apr 15, 2014 Krissy rated it liked it

Shelves: buddy-read, audiobook, read-before-2015, scarred-nerdy-imperfect-heroes, imperfect-heroine, virginal-hero, abuse

Decent

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 07, 2015 Avigail rated it really liked it

Shelves: physical-book, 2015

This story grabs you on page ONE! Divergent introduces readers to a world where society is divided into factions. The world building leaves a vivid image, the plot keeps readers on their toes it keeps you guessing but reveals enough though the story that you don't get frustrated with the plot. You, as the reader, become one with the world, engaged by Beatrice, aka Tris. Her voice resonates within us, any reader whether male/female can relate to her inner "emotional" struggles, as well as, her ph ...more

Like · see review

Aug 06, 2013 Meredith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

It's not wholly original but it took all of my favorite elements from The Giver Quartet and the Hunger Games trilogy and made itself into something that could possibly be my new favorite dystopian series. Can't wait to read the next one :) ...more

Like · see review