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Divergent

Book 1 in the series:Divergent

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The novel 'Divergent' by Veronica Roth is set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago where society is divided into five factions based on different personality traits. The story follows Beatrice Prior as she makes the life-changing decision to switch factions from Abnegation to Dauntless, leading to a series of challenges and adventures. The book is a mix of dystopian elements, a coming-of-age story, and a romantic subplot between Beatrice and her instructor, Four Tobias. Despite some opinions critiquing the writing style and character development, the book is praised for its fast-paced plot, engaging world-building, and the strong, independent female protagonist.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, with Tris as a strong protagonist. Four serves as a compelling love interest, while secondary characters contribute depth but some villains remain one-dimensional.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is straightforward and engaging, using first-person present tense to convey Tris's thoughts and vivid descriptions during action sequences.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot follows Beatrice Prior, who must choose her faction in a dystopian Chicago divided by virtues. After discovering she is Divergent, she joins Dauntless and navigates a dangerous initiation, leading to conflicts and uncovering a conspiracy that threatens her society.

Setting:

The setting is a dystopian future Chicago, divided by factions which influence the society and its inhabitants.

Pacing:

The pacing is quick, maintaining reader engagement through fast action and suspense, especially during initiation trials and climax.
THERE IS ONE mirror in my house. It is behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs. Our faction allows me to stand in front of it on the second day of every third month, the day my mother cuts my h...

Notes:

The author, Veronica Roth, wrote Divergent while she was a college student.
Divergent features a dystopian version of Chicago divided into five factions: Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Candor, and Amity, each representing a specific virtue.
The initiation process for Dauntless involves brutal training that tests physical and psychological limits.
Characters can be classified as 'Divergent' if they show traits from multiple factions, which is rare and dangerous in this society.
The story explores themes of identity, choice, and the flaws in societal structures based solely on singular virtues.
Tris Prior, the protagonist, struggles to understand her Divergent identity while navigating her initiation and relationships within the Dauntless faction.
The relationship between Tris and Four (Tobias) is well-developed, avoiding the typical insta-love trope common in YA novels.
Divergent has been adapted into a film that features major Hollywood actors, enhancing its popularity further.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Divergent contains triggers such as violence, death, and themes of self-harm and mental abuse, which may be concerning to some readers.

Has Romance?

The romantic tension between Tris and Four captures a significant part of the narrative, though it does not overshadow the main plot.

From The Publisher:

This first book in Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent series of books is the novel the inspired the major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet. This dystopian series set in a futuristic Chicago has captured the hearts of millions of teen and adult readers.

Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Maze Runner series, Divergent and its sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant, are the gripping story of a dystopian world transformed by courage, self-sacrifice, and love. Fans of the Divergent movie will find the book packed with just as much emotional depth and exhilarating action as the film, all told in beautiful, rich language.

One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions.

Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.

Ratings (447)

Incredible (68)
Loved It (174)
Liked It (112)
It Was OK (60)
Did Not Like (28)
Hated It (5)

Reader Stats (600):

Read It (482)
Currently Reading (3)
Want To Read (58)
Did Not Finish (8)
Not Interested (49)

13 comment(s)

Loved It
2 weeks

I have known about this book ever since it came out in 2011 but never felt compelled enough to read it. Think I had grown tired of the dystopian stories as it was very popular back in the day. Decided to give it ago now and I was pleasantly surprised. It had slight teenage nostalgia feel to it and I found it to be an engaging story. Will probably continue on with it. I think it's also thinks it's one of the most rated book I've read on Goodreads up to date

 
Liked It
2 weeks

It was ok

 
Incredible
1 month

I thought this book was fantastic! For starters, I'm a sucker for plots that involve people being sorted by their personalities. I always spend an inordinate amount of time trying to decide which group I would be a part of. It's like sorority rush - only in book form. (For the record, I was never a member of a sorority because I could never decide which one worked best for me. While reading this book, I was equally bad at determining my faction -- Candor? Abnegation? Dauntless? Amity? Erudite? Screw it. I'd probably end up being one of the factionless street people.)

I liked the author's writing a lot - very clear, expressive - and then I would remember that she is only 22, which made me feel slightly depressed.

I found that reading about Tris made me feel slightly more brave than I do in my regular life. It was like a roller coaster ride, day at the beach, and first kiss all at once.

 
Incredible
1 month

Containing elements of The Hunger Games, this high paced dystopian novel carried my interest throughout the entire piece. My only quibble is that Tris, our heroine, is not nearly as bright as one might hope, since it takes her longer to figure out what I had already deduced a hundred pages or so before her.

That being said, I found the world Roth creates fascinating and eagerly await the sequel next year.

 
Loved It
1 month

Seriously fantastic! Fast-paced, a page-turner right up to the end, and full of thought-provoking ideas. My e-copy is full highlighted passages. I thought that it really violent for a YA novel, more so even than the Hunger Games series, but it worked for the story that was being told. I'd suggest providing supervision and support to YAs reading this as a way to help them cope with the violence and some of the adult themes in the story. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

 
Loved It
3 months

I loved this book not so much for its dystopian set up (which was original, but we all know utopias break down eventually) but for its characters. Beatrice makes an almost seamless transition into Tris, and I loved her at every stage. Even while fighting for her life in a futuristic hellhole, she faces things that every teenager does: anxiety about intimacy, fear of failure, negotiating friendships. Ultimately I think this book is about the fear of being difference - as a Divergent, Tris literally must fear for her life. Can't wait to read the sequel.

 
Liked It
3 months

Dystopian YA literature is becoming so fluffy these days! I really hoped for more from this one given its high ratings. This was a fast, easy, and exciting read that I was able to finish in approximately one day, so I will give the author credit for that. The main character is fairly dynamic and interesting. The premise is also fairly interesting (a world where people are divided into factions based on dominant personality traits....oh wait, scratch that, ONE dominant personality trait?) even if it MAKES NO FREAKING SENSE. Why is everyone in this book not Divergent? Pretty sure that nobody has ONE dominant personality trait. Also there is no BACKSTORY or attempt to explain why or how this society exists, or why anyone thought this was a good idea. Lazy writing.

Now for the parts I hated:

- Wow, okay, tweens, sorry to break it to you, but wearing black, getting tattoos, getting pierced, and wearing black eyeliner does not make you cool and especially does not make you BRAVE. I was laughing at loud at that. The faction that it supposed to be the most daring, does not even have the personal grit to make unique fashion choices? Instead everyone looks like the author's idea of a Goth.

- Why does dystopian literature have to be full of romance these days? It is like these authors are sitting around thinking, how can I make a bestseller & blockbuster? I know, I will add elements to please everybody. I felt the weakest part of [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg|2792775] series was the love triangle. I think the cliche super-obvious romance in this book was also laughable. I do not get why when one is about to die, one is suddenly worried about butterflies in the stomach about a crush? Give me a break. I am starting to be really glad there were no girls on the island in [b:Lord of the Flies|7624|Lord of the Flies|William Golding|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327869409s/7624.jpg|2766512]. Also, why are all these romances following the exact same formula? Girl who consistently insists that she is plain and a virgin gets the hottest hottie around, who publicly treats her like crap, but is really (deep deep down) sensitive with a troubled past?

- Why is the Erudite faction the bad guys? This seems like some weirdo criticism of education and knowledge, which worries me in a world of reality tv and fluffy dystopian novels being spoon-fed to our youth. Also an intelligent woman is something most-evil and to be the most feared? (This is in a book where it's perfectly fine for an ambitious teenage male to stab someone in the eye while they are sleeping). Screw you, Veronica Roth, it's 2013. If anything, I feel as if a well-educated intelligent population would be the least likely to go to war. So a woman can fight & kill like a man (Dauntless) or be self-effacing (Abnegation) or be nice and friendly (Amity), but being educated and ambitious is the most evil combination? (And pretty sure our super villain is single! Egads! And she wears glasses!)

- Oh let's take a bunch of kids and train them to fight to the almost-death in some sick competition. That sounds...exactly like [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg|2792775].

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Also, there was stuff that was just way too easy to figure out and not subtle. I knew immediately that Beatrice was going to have a crush on Four and that he was Marcus's son from Abnegation and was also Divergent and got his nickname b/c of his fears and....on and on! Also figured out the Mom was originally Dauntless.

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Ugh, there was also another scene where Beatrice was sexually assaulted & almost murdered, but when explaining it to her uber-dark, uber-sensitive, uber-hot, uber-badass, uber-defensive boyfriend (as described above), she pretty much said it wasn't "RAPE rape." Ugh ugh ugh ugh. Unwanted sexual advance IS assault, even without penetration.

Overall, I should probably give this a 2 for it's ridiculousness, but if you want to suspend disbelief and just be entertained, go for it, so I bumped it up to a 3.

 
Incredible
6 months

This is one of my favorite series that I have ever read. I loved the healthy balance of action and romance in the novel, always keeping me on edge and making me want to read more. I'm sooooo upset that it's becoming a movie. Looking at the choice of actors and the short clips released I know that the movie will butcher the book, not giving the series any justice.

 
Did Not Like
6 months

Made me go uggghhhhh

 
Loved It
7 months

The plot and love story

 
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About the Author:

Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series and Carve the Mark. She was born in a Chicago suburb, and studied creative writing at Northwestern University. She and her husband and dog currently live in Chicago.

 
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