Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Divergent by Veronica Roth

ONE CHOICE
decides your friends

ONE CHOICE
defines your beliefs

ONE CHOICE
determines your loyalties - forever

ONE CHOICE
can transform you

These are the words that appear on the back of my copy of Divergent.  The power of ONE CHOICE is what attracted me to Roth's story.  Of course, all the hype surrounding the upcoming movie release is what motivated me to pick up this one sooner rather than later.  In short, I'm glad I did.

Roth propels us into her world of factions:  Abgenation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite.  Beatrice lives in Abgenation and has been raised to serve others and to be selfless in all she does.  At the age of sixteen, she is approaching the Choosing Ceremony with her peers; she will get to make the choice of continuing to live a selfless life or to choose a different path altogether.  One thing is certain . . . her life is about to drastically change.

Roth has created a truly fascinating world, divided into characteristics or values that we all feel to be important to the success of our lives.  The difference is she breaks it down, focusing on each value individually via the assigned faction.  The hunger for knowledge is separate from selflessness.  The pursuit of happiness and peace stands apart from truth and honesty.  And, bravery stands alone.  I was enthralled by this story from the beginning on a multitude of levels . . . the concept of factions, the seemingly simple ways to break down desirable human characteristics, and Beatrice's coming-of-age story.  I cannot wait to see where Roth goes in the rest of the trilogy.

I could continue to talk details of Divergent, but I will leave you with one quick summary . . . Divergent is truly that - a different kind of story and one that leaves you pondering.  It is one that you want to read, maybe even for a book club!

Have you entered the world of Roth's factions?  What are your thoughts about Beatrice's path?

8 comments:

  1. I give it gold stars for world building, but I thought the writing was a little juvenile. I liked this one but not enough to read the other in the trilogy.

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    1. Ti ... I have had a number of people compare it to The Hunger Games in my conversations about the book. For me, I can't compare the two because I am a HUGE fan of THG. But, the world building in this one is fascinating to me, especially considering that psychology is my educational background. I am curious enough to keep reading at some point!

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  2. I read and enjoyed this -- I was very much in the mood for a page-turner when I picked it up, and it fit the bill perfectly! -- and then read its sequel because I had it to hand, but I haven't read the third one, and I'm okay with it. I didn't think it was as good as a lot of the other YA dystopian fiction that's showed up in the last few years, Hunger Games certainly included.

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    1. Jenny @ Reading the End ... I definitely intend to keep reading through the trilogy, but I don't have the others on hand. I might see if the library has a copy or get myself a copy eventually. I'm curious enough at this point! (And, I'm a HUGE fan of The Hunger Games!)

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  3. I don't really have any desire to see this, but I may see the movie if my daughter wants to - unless she goes with her friends.

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    1. Carol ... What do you not have any desire? What turns you off from it?

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  4. I actually need to read this series. I know - I have NOT read it yet. SO sad. I will though... soon.

    www.thebrokenshelf.com

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    1. Johannah ... I am behind on this series too! I'm glad I'm not the only one! I hope to read the last two of the trilogy very soon!

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