Divergent 00 - Introduction

[Zeljka]

A young adult novel set in dystopian Chicago, about society divided into five different "virtue" factions, Divergent by Veronica Roth quickly became a hit, being received well both by the target reading audience and by the critics. This month we are going to see the first installment of the series on our big screens too.

The plan was to read the book in three weeks, in order to catch up with the movie, but if you do not manage to read it that fast (I know I might be a tad slower), do not worry. Discussions are always open :)

The book has 39 chapters, so division wasn't that difficult:

Divergent 01 - Chapters 01-13 (Week One)
Divergent 02 - Chapters 14-26 (Week Two)
Divergent 03 - Chapters 27-39 and Conclusion (Week Three)
Divergent 04 - The Movie and the Comparisons (Week Four)

Please avoid spoilers in this introductory post. There shouldn't be spoilers of the chapters coming after those that are the topic of the above mentioned posts either.

So, are you excited for the upcoming movie? Have you already read the book? If you have, will you read it again just to refresh the memory before the movie? If not, will you read it now, because of the movie or because you wanted to read it anyway?

Some say first impression means a lot. Check the description of this book -- did you like it on your first glance? What do you think of it now in comparison with other young adult novels on the market, especially with some of them that are already filmed?

[Jonathan]

When I first heard about the book I thought it was just a Hunger Games knock off and then I read it and very much enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to seeing how the film turns out

As far as how the book compares in its genre? Well, personally I think of it as like the Hunger Games. Very entertaining/fast paced reading but not quite as skilfully put together as some other books I like. There's The Knife of Never Letting Go and Revenge of the Witch for instance - each of which will be getting films!

[Heidi]

Jonathan wrote: "When I first heard about the book I thought it was just a Hunger Games knock off and then I read it and very much enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to seeing how the film turns out

As far as how the..."

I agree Jonathan. My youngest sister suggested this book and I was wary that it would be too much like the Hunger Games trilogy. I read the first two books within two days. I'm excited about the movie, but a little nervous that they won't do the book justice.

I did like this book at first glance. I love distopian novels, and it sounded really good!I think a lot of young adult fiction have similar themes nowadays. I'm excited to see how you all feel about the book!

[Eve]

Am I the only one who wasn't blown away by Divergent? I really wanted to give this book a chance, but after reading it I stand by my first impression -- yet another Hunger Games knock-off trying to ride the dystopian craze train. I understand there are only so many original themes, but Divergent was poorly written, the heroine was not someone I could get myself to like, much less root for, and the pacing did not lend itself to a plot that had some sense of imminent danger. IMHO, nothing else really compares to Hunger Games aside from Battle Royale, but I digress... I'm still willing to give the movie a chance and hope it's better crafted than the book. On another note, I'm more excited about James Dashner's The Maze Runner and Michael Grant's Gone.

[Teresa]

I read Divergent but did not feel compelled to read the rest of the trilogy the way I did with Hunger Games. Have you read Neal Shusterman's Unwind series? I really liked them as they are written with actual news stories interspersed between chapters. He raises all kinds of morality issues which could make for great discussion topics for book clubs.

[Eve]

Yes! I'm reading Unwind right now!!! So far, so good. Abortion, religion, terrorism, so many thought-provoking issues more grappling than "Which faction should I choose? By the way, Four looks really hot..."

[LINDA]

Amazing book, i truly enjoyed it, i had a hard time putting it down. Read as book of the month and glad it was chosen. I intend to finish this series and hopefully get to go see the movie also.. A must read :)

[Jonathan]

I read Unwind and liked the ideas, but not the delivery as much. That said it's all about my personal preference. I have to agree that the Maze Runner trailer looks spectacular!

[Carly]

I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait to see the movie!!

[Alana]

I agree with Jonathan, I expected it to be just like the Hunger Games, and in a lot of ways it is, but it's better put together and more believable. I ended up reading it for an in-person group and really enjoyed it. The rest of the series is for another discussion, but I did enjoy this one :)

[Elena]

I heard about the movie first, then realized it was made after a book... the book seemed like another verison of Hunger Games, but I decided to give it a shot. It was pretty good... Not amazing, but I liked it... Full review