Divergent

I guess the best thing I can say about Divergent is that it's not quite as dumb as I thought it would be. In conclusion, not everyone is only Brave, Smart, Kind, Selfless OR Honest, it's just that everyone agrees that only one of those choices is the highest priority, except for Mary Sue Tris (and Her mother, her boyfriend and a bunch of other random people) who wants to be selfless and brave. Also, these are very narrowly defined, so if you want to be Selfless, you have to be so selfless that you don't even look at yourself in a mirror or wear anything other than gray and if you want to be brave you have to engage in physical combat, live in a compound built of precarious ledges, jump on to moving trains and get tattoos. There is no other way to be brave. Also, apparently society fractured this way to prevent violence and murder never exists anymore because...reasons.

So, yes, super dumb premise. I did like the idea of people self-segregating into value-based societies that are more important than vertical relationships, though. It was kind of fun to explore and I wish it had been filled out a little more to discuss in parallel the way that the internet and class distinction is segregating people by political belief in actual real life.

Also, the book was readable and fast-paced, even though kind of nothing happened. But I won't be moving on to the next book (unless I also find that for $2 at the used bookstore): I found none of the characters to be more than caricatures and I don't have a lot of faith that the world building isn't going to sucl.

This book popped up as a recommendation when I was looking into Keira Cass's Selection novels. The promise that it would be similar to The Hunger Games, the promise of a 2014 movie release of the book and a series of books to follow this one meant I was intrigued enough to give it a try.

The story is based in a Dystopian society where people are split into 5 ‘factions', Erudite are those who love knowledge and learning, Candor those who seek truth and honesty, Amity are those who seek peace, Abnigation those who value selflessness and Dauntless who value bravery. On their 16th birthday children take a test to establish to which faction they will belong and choose either that in which they were raised or they can transfer to another which a test shows they are more suited to.

The heroine of this novel Beatrice is found to be one of a special few who are classed as ‘Divergent' and therefore not suited to just one faction but could fit many. She has to choose whether to stay with her Abnigation family or leave them behind for a new life. It is a fantastic concept and once I'd got to grips with what each faction stood for and the language of the book I was utterly hooked.

Beatrice's choice leads us on an adventure where she has to fight for survival, all the time hiding her Divergent status as she is warned it can bring danger to her. She meets Four who helps her to learn more about her new life and she finds herself falling in love.

I was utterly gripped by this book, it was easily able to hold it's own against The Hunger Games and should translate really well to the big screen. It had excitement, emotion and lots of action and a great cliff hanger ending to lead us forward to book 2 & 3. I fully expect this book to shoot back into the book charts upon release of the movie so why not jump the crowd and read it ahead of the movie as it is absolutely awesome.

This has to be a new record for me. I don't think I've ever disliked the first hundred pages of a book so much and then loved the rest.

As this is my first foray into the current YA lit world (I've read Harry Potter and Twilight, but those are both so mainstream and kind of five years ago, it doesn't count to me), I had a lot to get used to. And I'm also not quite buying this “dystopia” trend. This world, while oppressive in some ways, doesn't really seem dystopian, but rather another way of doing things. You might as well call any other major modern city a dystopia, which you could probably make an argument for. I'll have to read more of these books do see how I feel about this genre.

The obvious flaw here is the world building. That anyone could think that separating a society by virtues they wish to uphold will somehow cure the world of conflict is ludicrous. Not to mention as the focus of the story shifted from Abnegation to Dauntless, the characterization of the so-called faction of bravery and action was absurd. Of course, this turns out to be a plot point, but it did not change the fact that it was extremely unsettling that unchecked aggression and competition was masquerading as courage. The Dauntless faction would have had to deal with uprisings left and right with the way they treated young people - feeding their hostility but not teaching them any discipline. That's a point-by-point checklist for a nuclear-level disaster. The implosion of this set-up was inevitable.

What got me though was the characters. I adore Tris. She's almost like a teenage Ellen Ripley, and that is not a name I throw around lightly, Ripley is my freaking hero. Tris' approach to the world is freakishly focused, she possesses a fiery stoicism that makes it riveting to read through her voice. It seems to me that she wasn't really attracted to the Dauntless faction because she's a thrill seeker who wants to spend her days jumping off buildings and freight trains; she joined Dauntless because she is a freight train, barreling forward blindly and in desperate need of direction. Dauntless doesn't give it to her, as said they don't give anyone anything other than a lot of emotional scars. She finds it within the situation, her status as Divergent, and her relationships with the people around her.

Speaking of which, the romance was pretty well done, though it did feel a little excessive after a while. I should mention that when it comes to romance I am somewhere between a sociopath and a 12-year-old. When I read about people kissing I want to run away flailing and screeching “Ewww.” So my view is slanted, obviously (Though the last book I reviewed had plenty of sex and human contact, and I was more than fine with it. It probably had to do with the fact that it involved adults). But Four and Tris' relationship does progress quite nicely, they have chemistry and a connection, but I do feel that it was a little weird that two people that are so incredibly guarded would become so intimate so quickly (emotionally intimate, of course, god get your head of the gutter). I even gushed a little bit at their first kiss, even though I was watching Se7en (Ha, seven fears) at the time and thus found myself saying “Awww” just as Kevin Spacey was getting shot in the head. It was oddly poetic.

Then, of course, there's the action and plot, which while predictable was very enjoyable. I figured out Four's identity and the big bad's plan pretty far off, so I did get a little impatient that Tris wasn't keeping up. And the villains are not particularly complex, they're ugly and maniacal and might as well be twirling their mustaches. But it was a lot of fun, there were moments where I got nervous, one point I even gasped out loud. I don't really know if Roth is very good at writing action sequences (you do not learn how to aim a gun that fast, I'm sorry), but she does know how to ratchet up suspense and keep you interested.

So I'm looking forward to the next book, though mostly for the characters (I really want to see more of Caleb, and possibly if Peter had more to him than evil), as I don't know where Roth is going to take this world that is already paper thin.

Paasvakantie! Geen school voor de kinderen! Er was een vriendin van Zelie in huis, en plots was er besloten om naar een film te gaan, en wel Divergent.

Ik had de naam al vaag gehoord, maar geen idee waar het over ging. “Iets met science fiction”, werd mij verzekerd, dus hey, waarom niet, dacht ik.

Het begon goed in de cinema, met een soort voorfilmpje voor Divergent zélf, net voor de film. Ik probeer zoveel mogelijk voorfilms te vermijden, dus ik zat daar met mijn ogen dicht en mijn vingers in mijn oren – proper, ongetwijfeld.

Afijn. De film bleek een soort kruising tussen Logan's Run en Hunger Games en dergelijke te zijn. Niet per se slecht, niet per se goed, maar wel intrigerend genoeg om mij zin te geven om het vervolg te weten te komen, en dus om het boek van de film te lezen en dan de vervolgen op het boek van de film.

Neen, ik heb niet veel nodig, neen.

En dus: Divergent, het boek. Dat blijkt onduidelijker en verwarder te zijn dan de film. Ik vond het boek minder goed dan de film, ja.

Niet omdat de film zo uitstekend goed is, maar omdat ik het boek gewoon niet goed vond. Spijtig.

Divergent speelt zich af in één stad, ergens in een onbestemde periode na een onbestemde catastrofe, en het is duidelijk dat er een soort sociaal experiment aan de gang is. Mensen worden opgedeeld in facties: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless en Erudite, op basis van een test en eigen keuze. De grote meerderheid van de mensen passen exact in zo'n factie (ze zijn zelfopofferend, vredelievend, radikaal eerlijk, avontuurlijk of intelligent), het hoofdpersonage –uiteraard– past niet in één vakje, is “divergent”, een gevaar, tralala.

Ik snap wel dat het een boek voor tieners is, maar het had er toch een béétje minder vingerdik op mogen liggen.

Hoofdpersonage Beatrice (Tris) gaat van Abnegation naar Dauntless (in een soort sorting hat-ceremonie), blijkt na een tijdje natuurlijk uitstekend te zijn in al wat ze doet, wordt verliefd, spannende avonturen, zucht, geeuw.

De film steekt er tenminste nog een beetje Matrix-achtigs in, met simulaties waar Tris de simulatie om zich heen buigt, maar in het boek gaat het er gewoon om dat ze weet dat ze in een simulatie zit, en dat haar hartslag dus naar beneden gaat, en da's al waar de test op wacht. Ik ben geen fan van mevrouw Roths schrijfstijl, maar daar nog helemaal naast: ik ben een beetje allergisch aan slecht uitgedachte werelden.

Het materiaal, in het bijzonder de wapens en de hoogtechnologische dingen, kunnen duidelijk niet gemaakt zijn in enkel die ene stad. Het aantal inwoners is véél te klein voor een samenleving zoals omschreven. Het sociale experiment kan duidelijk alleen overleven als er ergens een Big Brother is die het leidt, de potentie voor chaos is daar veel te groot voor, en de manier waarop de macht verdeeld is, is totaal het tegengestelde van wat een mens zou verwachten. En er is een enorme muur rond de hele stad, dat alleen al is voldoende om al vanaf het eerste boek (of de film) te wéten dat we buiten die muur gaan kijken.

Het leest als een inderhaast uitgevonden wereldje, zonder geschiedenis, zonder bestaansreden, zonder maatschappij. Die Dauntless, waar het overgrote deel van het boek zich afspeelt, lijkt op niet veel meer dan een straatbende die bezigheidstherapiegewijs rondlummelt op trams. Ja, er wordt ons wel gezégd dat ze “de orde handhaven”, maar het is absoluut onduidelijk waar er conflict zou kunnen zijn in het ideale wereldje.

Ugh, tegenstekelijk slecht. En zo prekerig! Hopen dat het vervolg beter is.

Am somewhat surprised that this book was voted Goodreads' favourite book of 2011. Only somewhat, since it serves to confirm my suspicion that the Goodreads community population is heavily skewed towards teenage girls.

The plot is paper-thin, the writing is mediocre, and the romance is... girlish. None of it was boring - I read this book in one day, but no part of it strikes me as being particularly good, either. Therefore, 2 stars.

I was hooked from page one. No, there wasn't any crazy action sequence, but there didn't need to be. From the very first words, Roth crafts an engaging dystopian world that is just similar enough to be recognizable as once our own.

In Roth's rendition, Chicago has been split into five factions based on certain traits its people consider most important: Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), Abnegation (the selfless) and Dauntless (the brave). In world were “faction before blood” is the rule, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose between her Abnegation family, or where she feels she truly belongs.

So she makes a choice, renames herself Tris and plunges into a fiercely competitive initiation well beyond anything she could have prepared for.

Divergent is exciting and chock full of action and memorable characters. I loved watching Tris grow, I drooled over a certain mysterious someone from the first line of his introduction and I was left itching for a sequel.

My only regret in picking up Divergent is that I read it too quickly. Definitely give it a try. You won't regret it.

I think this is a 1 1/2. The whole story is pretty formulaic and poorly written, there is virtually no world building, and there was no sense of urgency or reader investment in the plot. I was recommendinig this as part of my dystopian list but I think I'll leave it off in favor of stronger stories like Maze Runner or Blood Red Road.

Oh my God oh my God oh my God. This has been the best book I have read in 2012, no lie. I feel like I'm the last person to read this but oh my God I really have no words right now.

I accidentally read a few spoilers but nonetheless I was not expecting the ending AT ALL. I actually had to stop reading the book halfway and give it a two day break to catch my breath. But oh this was so good. I can't even. Omg.

Some parts of the book did feel a bit off, where the paragraphs don't seem to fit, but otherwise - a utterly amazing read.

My friend bought this book for me last year telling me I'd love it. I tried to read it before the movie came out last year, but after reading The Maze Runner, Hunger Games and Legend I was burnt out on the future world scenario.

Fast forward to December 2014. The movie is now being played on HBO. As one of the only channels we get, I knew I'd end up watching it. I felt bad leaving the book to just sit there watching the abridged version. An hour into the movie, I realize I have somewhere to be. No!! I was really getting into it! It wasn't on when I got home, but I couldn't wait. I picked up the book and began my journey.

The first day I read 100 pages. It was mostly recap of what I had already seen. It was so far really good, even though I couldn't keep the factions straight. I kept going. The action scenes were intense. The ferris wheel, the Hancock, the simulations, the moment with Peter and Al. I'm not sure if it was the author's writing or my familiarity with Chicago, but I felt like I was there. The moments with Four had me hooked. I figured out his story early but I still wanted to know more.

The ending took me by surprise and seemed rushed to me. I'd have liked to see it carry over into the next book. I was also I little disappointed at the lack of characterization with her parents. There was so much potential there. A few extra pages with them would have been nice, but dystopia novels are a lot like Disney. They hate parents.

I also have to say that the last scene between Tris and Four felt like I was back reading Twilight. Yes, I had to say that. It sticks in my head and left a bad taste in my mouth. Aside from that and a little extra character development, I really really liked this. I flew through it and have already started the second book. I hope to catch the rest of the first movie between chapters.

This was pretty bad. Like some poorly edited love child of the Hunger Games and The Giver, Divergent rails on topics like dystopia, free will, and forcing young folk into life changing situations. But I love the aforementioned two books, and Divergent is a bit like when two beautiful people have an ugly baby. The baby itself is probably just fine looking, but doesn't compare to the source material. The whole book revolved around the idea that people's nature divides them into factions. Fine, I can go along with that. Then one of the factions is completely irrelevant and mentioned twice in the entire book.

That being said, I could not stop reading this. Why? I have no flipping clue. I'll probably read the sequels too.

Before I chose Dauntless...I felt assured of my long lifespan, if nothing else. Now there are no reassurances except that where I go, I go because I choose to.

This was actually a reread for me, in anticipation of Allegiant. I enjoyed it a lot more than the first time. I can't wait to read the entire trilogy. Which is kind of funny because, initially, I didn't want to continue with this series, but some spoiler about Allegiant convinced me to pick this up again.

It could have been the fact that I read it at a late hour and it followed two pretty bad books, but I just didn't pay attention to the plot holes regarding the world building that bothered me in the past. The first time I read this, the factions didn't sit well with me and I also disliked Tris very much. This time, I actually liked the concept of the factions. I just took that world as it was and stopped trying to nit pick about inconsistencies. I was also less harsh on Tris, because I saw a side of her I didn't see the first time.

In 2012, I thought that Tris was mostly a judgmental, impulsive, annoying little girl, but now I understand why she seemed like that. First of all, she's an isolated teenager, and secondly she was raised in a community where she didn't fit in. Which make her pretty confused. But I saw that she acknowledged that fact and she felt guilty about it, which made her look more humane. I liked that even though she needed to free herself from Abnegation she took its positive teachings with her. She couldn't let go of the things she learned from her parents and her community, which was a good thing. She was pretty impulsive, but also fearless. She didn't mope around or constantly complain like most YA heroines do, which I also appreciated.

I enjoyed mostly all of the other characters, as well. Each of one of them added something to the story.I was quite saddened by some of their deaths. Also, the dose of action was in just the right amount.

But there was one thing that didn't convince me the first time and didn't convince me now: the romance and the love interest. I was really displeased with it. I know it's a very unpopular opinion, but I didn't like Four. I get why they ended up together. They both had secrets and this made them feel they could relate to each other. But I still didn't like it. To me, Four never really dealt with this past and this made him very angsty and weak, in comparison to Tris. I would have preferred to see Tris with Uriah, maybe. Or even better, in no relationship at all.

Overall, I had fun with this book. I'm really curious to know how the factions were born and what's next on the Erudite agenda. Though I'm pretty upset the author chose them as the villains in the book. It could be sending the wrong message to all the young readers. Let's hope it's not the case.

This book started out slow. I think I felt that way because I don't understand why the factions really formed. How that would seem beneficial to a society. And I thought Tris's choice to join Dauntless seemed rash and didn't make sense to me either. But the rest of the book was good and the ending was great. Loved the romance in the book. It felt real, so much more than any other teen book I've read lately, and for once there was no love triangle! I am a big fan of that. I liked Tris too. She was stupid at times but overall a good heroine.

*4.5 STARS.(Review originally posted here at Fictionally Inclined.)Quick back story (and, thanks to Phineas and Ferb, I now always think of Doofenshmirtz any time I hear that term, LOL). A couple weeks ago, I had one of those moments when I finished an incredible book - [b:Outlander 10964 Outlander (Outlander, #1) Diana Gabaldon http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1304187141s/10964.jpg 2489796] in this case - and I had no idea what to read next. I knew my next book would have to be amazing, too, but I couldn't decide what I wanted to read because nothing seemed quite right. But then my roommate had a horse show, and I went to support her. However, she only rode for the total of about an hour in the course of a 5-hour show. Thankfully, I'd had the foresight to bring along a book (because, well, that's just what I do). It was Divergent. OH MY GOSH. I read about fifteen pages before she started, and after that, the second she was done in any of her sections, I made a dive-bomb back to my book. I could barely tear myself away. I attempted to read it while I was walking back to the room after the show, but it was raining and I didn't want to mess up the pages. I finished it quickly, wrote down the quotes I'd noted, and handed it off to Lynne, who then proceeded to read it all that night as well. We frequently pass books back and forth, but we haven't both read the same copy of the same book on the same day since [b:The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer 8591107 The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1) Michelle Hodkin http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327885944s/8591107.jpg 13460686]. (For the record, Divergent was even better and just as addicting!)There were so many things I loved about Divergent. The first was the creativity behind the world itself. There were five factions, kind of like the Harry Potter houses, each focusing strongly on one trait. However, the people were crazy strict about it. The reasoning behind the forming of the factions was interesting and made sense as to which traits were chosen. I also liked the names of the factions; they fit really well with their connected traits. The details of the world were incredible, particularly in the faction Beatrice chose. The descriptions really sparked my imagination, and I could see all these incredible things. Roth did a great job with that.The second thing I loved was how incredibly riveting it was! The characters, chemistry, and circumstances all combined and begged you to stay in the story. I liked the unpredictability of it. Sure, there were foreseeable moments, but there were some interesting twists I was not expecting. A couple of those broke my heart a little bit, but it's still something I can appreciate in a story.As for the characters, the cast of characters in Divergent was large, yet not. The “main” secondary characters were fairly easy to keep straight after they were all introduced, especially because they were all so different. Tris was interesting, and I liked her! And then there was Four. Excuse me while I swoon. Loved him! The chemistry between the two of them was great (and it produced some great quotes, which you will see momentarily). Their relationship progressed a little too quickly and didn't have enough subtleties for my taste, and I feel like they suffered a little for it. But then, I'm weird and like my fictional relationships to have some crazy long build-up. I still loved them, though.I felt like I was the very last person in the YA-reading world to read Divergent, but I'm actually not! I've seen several people “currently reading” it, and a couple people mentioned they haven't read it yet, either. If you fit into that category, I would encourage you to read it! After all, what are you waiting for? The second book is officially here! Or, in my case, will either be here after 105 people from the library finish reading it, or I cave and buy it. Whichever comes first.Quotes:(Apparently, EVERY SINGLE quote I saved was about Tris's reaction to Four. Whoops! Guess you can tell where my mind was... Honestly, though, who's actually surprised?)❝When he stops in front of me, my insides twist like someone's stirring them with a fork.❞❝Something about him makes me feel like I am about to fall. Or turn to liquid. Or burst into flames.❞❝I feel my heartbeat everywhere, even in my toes.❞❝Sometimes I see him as just another person, and sometimes I feel the sight of him in my gut, like a deep ache.❞

Another dystrophia type novel I recommend. I find Tris, being a 16 year old girl, is complex and likable. She has trouble making decisions, reading people and situations in the beginning but it is understandable. These are life changing decisions and there is no turning back. She finds and learns to trust her inner strength. Four is another good hard to read character. The author does good on the teenage romance factor without the angst. Love the cover art. I wish there was more world building but that the problem with first person, you only get the one view. The end of the book left a lot of questions but I'm sure the author will reveal a bigger view of the world, it's look and characters in the next novel. A good start to a trilogy.

I'm obsessed with this book. Therefore, it gets five stars because anything less just feels wrong. I know, I know, I know, that the dystopian backstory of society dividing into five factions is a little hard to believe, BUT I'm very good at just going with it. I like the “what if” society was like “this” quandary and I think you have to be in that mindset to enjoy the book. If you're a die hard critic that tears apart the minutiae of detail in an action movie (“well that's not realistic, reversing the polarity is impossible”) then this book probably isn't for you. Moving on. I won't go into much detail since my book club is reading this at the moment and I don't want to spoil anything, but I love these characters and I kind of wish my life was a little bit more dauntless. The book covers a lot of problems that teenagers face - wanting a life different than your parents or just being different than your family/society expects, abuse and fear, first love, fears of failing, etc. I thought the romance was much better than other YA books I've read. The first Hunger Games had me rolling my eyes A LOT over the Peeta/Katniss story, and Twilight is just plain unhealthy. There were times I wanted to shake Tris by the shoulders and yell “WHY can't you see what he's doing!” She has a few moments that are obviously slow on the uptake, but I appreciate that she's just a tough female heroine who doesn't want the guy to see her as weak. Oh, and when she thinks he's going macho asshole she doesn't swoon. She gets mad. YAY! Anyway, I found a lot of things to love in this book and I can only guess that quite a few people will be running to the tattoo parlor if the series explodes with the movie release in March. Now I'm off to buy Insurgent!

I read this book yeaaaaaaaaaaars ago and I decided to reread it in 2021. I did really enjoy my reread of Divergent. I have always liked the first book in the Divergent series. It was fun, it was exciting and it can be a bit scary for younger readers. I always recommend this book to my first and second year students, they always love it!

I really like Tris and Tobias in book one. Tris has overcome a lot of stuff in her life and she has to deal with her own anxieties and the troubles of being Divergent.

Gostei muito do livro, pois comecei a ler e tinha serias dificuldades em deixá-lo de lado pra viver a vida real.
Mas achei tão perturbado quanto The Hunger Games. A ideia de ter que decidir seu futuro aos 16 anos e ficar longe de sua família, além de enfrentar seus maiores medos do a fim de tornar-se mais forte.. É um pouco bizarro.
Gosteu da ideia proposta, embora tenha achado muitos estereotipada cada facção, como se para que você seja audacioso você tenha que fazer tatuagens ou piercings; mas se você for altruísta ou fraco ou qualquer outra coisa não o seja permitido ter uma tatuagem, porque isso é vandalismo... Enfim! E! Como me esquecer disso: primeira vez que o par romântico, o “muso” da série, não me encanta. Tobias Four é um filé maaaaas não surte efeito que dobra o estômago da mulherada (como Will Herondale ou Ren). Uma pena, pois o moço É escultural.

Sobre a leitura total a única coisa que lamento é não ter sentido aquele desejo por continuar lendo os demais livros. Meio que... Se terminasse nesse, estaria okay.
Mas terminarei a trilogia pois quero saber o que mais tem para mostrar.
Agora, só espero que o filme não decepcione.