Divergent by Veronica RothAuthor: blog / twitter
Publisher Katherine Tegen Books, 2011
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Look for this book at Goodreads / Amazon
About this book from goodreads:
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 is a series that I've been wanted to read a long time ago. To read this book, I decided not to have expectations.I just wanted the narrative to surprise me. Certainly, I can assure you I achieved this. How? By giving Divergent the opportunity to wrap me in the world created by its author. I found myself reading a lot, even the days when the demands of life did not allow me time to spare. Just wanted to know what was happening next, every time I finished a page, every time I passed to a new chapter.
Veronica Roth created a fantastic heroine in Tris. Tris is the product of a factionalized society. Every person has five factions to choose from: Candor, Amity, Erudite, Dauntless or Abnegation. The day someone has to choose their faction is the most important of their life, for this decision will affect the rest of their existence. For Tris it was not different, her decision was challenging everything about her. She starts without physical skills and is the weakest of the group. She works hard and makes her own luck. What I love about this character is her internal power. She has such will power that she becomes what she wanted to be. There was no other route for Tris but to become part of her new faction. Her weaknesses are transformed into strength when she seizes her fears and becomes a new person.
Roth wrote a story in no way sugar coated. This story is tangible and intense and unique in its development. I loved this book not just because of the level of creativity in this series, but also for its thought provoking ideas. Divergent contemplates an utilitarian society where each of this five communities(factions) has a task to contribute to society. The series deals with politics, society and the human condition. Individuals choose a faction and behave according to its paradigms. For generations everyone has decided on a faction and that way society has kept order. They choose, then go to a faction and life goes on. But this makes me think, how is it possible that people are snatched from their individuality and nobody does anything? What would I do? What would I choose?
If you haven’t read Divergent, look for it. Read it and ask yourself: What would I do? What would my faction be? Well, let me know.
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I quite like the sounds of both Candor and Erudite. Maybe if there was a mix between them :)
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