Author: Veronica Roth
Paperback: 576 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN-10: 0062024035
ISBN-13: 978-0062024039
Synopsis:
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Divergent was first published in 2011 but there is so much news around the casting of the film adaptation that I ran out and picked up the book, devoured it in two days, and thought it needed a review.
The story follows Beatrice Prior as she goes through a coming of age ceremony involving the five factions of her society. One of the really strong points of this book is the development of this world and these factions. Every conversation and mannerism of the people from each of these faction conveys their allegiance to whatever faction they belong.
The writing is really fantastic in its imagery, from the locations to the confusion brought on by young woman’s journey into a world outside her comfort zone. Beatrice’s journey into her young adulthood seems unnatural from her upbringing, but is developed really well within the story. This journey isn’t her only obstacle. She has a secret that she discovers early on, and she finds it will not only hinder her in her desire to succeed, but could be detrimental.
While I really enjoyed the character development, the factions and their different ideas of greatness are what really fascinate me. Veronica Roth does a really good job of exploring what each of the factions hold most important and she weaves it into the core of what they are.
I highly recommend Divergent and found it an absorbing quick and easy read. Divergent is the first in a trilogy followed by Insurgent and a third book that has yet to be released.
I give Divergent by Veronica Roth Five out of Five Stars.
Divergent is available to order from Amazon; here’s the link:
[AMAZONPRODUCT=0062024035]
