Saturday, August 6, 2011

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Katherine Tegen Books
2011
487p.

In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomoly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

6 comments:

  1. This would be a great recommendation for teens who liked The Hunger Games series. I enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down, but I don't think it is really Newbery material.

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  2. I agree this book would be a definite read-alike for teens who like Hunger Game. This book does go delves a little deeper into the vices and virtues of human character with the creation of the factions based on each person's strengths. Its a quick read, with lots of action and short glimpses into all but the major characters motivation. I enjoyed reading this, but would not consider it Newbery material.

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  3. I would have to agree with the previous two assessments--enjoyable enough, good recommendation for fans of The Trilogy to End All Trilogies, but probably not Newbery material (or Printz, for that matter).

    For one thing, I think the subject matter is a notch too mature for children--it's definitely more in the YA camp. That aside, I found some flaws in Roth's creation of her dystopia. The explanation of how the five faction system came to be is shaky, and it's a little unbelievable that the society would have ever agreed to put one faction in charge of the entire government, even one that is supposedly incorruptible. I also found some of the features assigned to factions to be somewhat arbitrary (what exactly about getting tatted up shows courage or bravery...?), which was distracting.

    Still a fun read and I am looking forward to the sequel, but not literary enough to be an award-winner.

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  4. Recommendations from others led me to expect a story as powerful as The Hunger Games, but on that scale Divergent was a disappointment. When I found it hard to keep reading through all the torturous, intentional cruelty of the initiation, I kept thinking, "why did I tear through The Hunger Games, then?" I finally realized that story had more purpose to it -- the world-building was much more believable, the terrifying dilemma and impossible goal were both clear. While it had an intriguing premise and some exciting parts, it wasn't until the "divergent" mystery finally came to the surface near the end that it grabbed my attention. The ending seemed to fizzle,though, and revealed too many inconsistencies and the shallowness of the main characters.

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  5. I agree, the book is not Newbery material. I don't think there is any question that it is a teen book that doesn't lend itself very well to a younger audience.

    An issue I had is the world-building. I kept questioning everything about the dystopian society and couldn't quite believe that it would be set up in clearly opposing factions and yet still function as long as it did. Other problems include pacing (switches gears pretty quickly toward the end), stereotyping, (everyone in dauntless wears dark clothes and has tattoos), and the meaningless violence. This book just fits too well into a post-Hunger Games read-alike genre to merit any awards.

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  6. Anne has said it well. I feel Roth is trying to ride on the popularity of The Hunger Games but just hasn't taken time to get it right.

    MAM

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