Divergent by Veronica Roth - Revision history

Sue at 13:29, 9 February 2022

2022-02-09T13:29:37Z

Sue at 13:27, 12 March 2018

2018-03-12T13:27:50Z

Sue at 13:53, 3 March 2016

2016-03-03T13:53:30Z

Sue at 17:10, 14 January 2016

2016-01-14T17:10:38Z

Sue at 11:24, 22 December 2014

2014-12-22T11:24:27Z

Jill at 11:48, 6 October 2012

2012-10-06T11:48:38Z

Jill at 13:27, 21 February 2012

2012-02-21T13:27:45Z

Jill: Created page with "{{infobox |title=Divergent |sort= |author=Veronica Roth |reviewer=Jill Murphy |genre=Teens |summary=Enjoyable, if predictable, dystopian novel with a kick-ass heroine and plen..."

2012-02-21T13:25:49Z

Created page with "{{infobox |title=Divergent |sort= |author=Veronica Roth |reviewer=Jill Murphy |genre=Teens |summary=Enjoyable, if predictable, dystopian novel with a kick-ass heroine and plen..."

New review

{{infobox
|title=Divergent
|sort=
|author=Veronica Roth
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Teens
|summary=Enjoyable, if predictable, dystopian novel with a kick-ass heroine and plenty of fighting. Recommended to fans of the genre.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|paperback=0007420412
|hardback=0062024027
|ebook=B004WC07UK
|pages=496
|publisher=Harper Collins
|website=http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/
|date=May 2011
|isbn=0007420412
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007420412</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0007420412</amazonus>
|video=tu5Erw-posg
}}

Beatrice - or Tris as she becomes - belongs to one of five factions in a segregated future world. Beatrice is Abnegation (selflessness) but has always struggled with the self-effacing lifestyle embraced by her faction. But she's not sure if she's any better-suited to one of the others: Candor (honesty), Amity (kindness), Erudite (intellect) or Dauntless (courage). So Tris approaches the faction aptitude test taken by all sixteen-year-olds in her society with a large dollop of trepidation.

And the trepidation is justified. Tris is told she is Divergent, that she doesn't fit perfectly into any faction, that this puts her in danger, and that she must never tell anyone her results. Eventually, Tris chooses to become Dauntless, which means betraying her family and estrangement from them. But this is only the first trial Tris must overcome, as she is plunged into Dauntless training, finds a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her, and comes into conflict with the powerful and their machinations.

''Divergent'' has a smooth, flowing, easy-to-read style and so reading it is an absolute pleasure. It's also pacy and energetic with smart and snappy dialogue, so it's also a real page-turner. I also enjoyed the premise. Is it really possible to segregate a society based on each person's most dominant personality trait? Are people sufficiently sheep-like to live this way permanently? Some, even many, people are, according to Roth, but there will always be mavericks - ''divergents''. And so the background to Tris's story is all about the fractures and tensions created by individuality.

Having said that, don't expect too much from this book. Any fan of dystopian fiction will be able to predict the entire plot after reading a chapter or two and there aren't any surprises. There are some irritating inconsistencies - Tris puts her Divergent identity at risk by doing ''X'' in one chapter but a few pages later, she wins a Dauntless trial by doing ''X'' in exactly the same way. And the worldbuilding is sketchy at best. I'm no geek, but I would have liked a better sense of how and why Tris's society had organised itself as it had and what in its past had prompted it.

How much you enjoy ''Divergent'' will depend very much on what kind of reader you are. If you're into dystopian fiction, love kick-ass heroines, lots of action and like your books to give you just what it says on the tin, ''Divergent'' will prove just the ticket. But if you're looking for something new or something with thematic depth and profound things to say about the human condition, or if plot holes irritate the life out of you, then you should probably pass on by.

Here at Bookbag Towers, we really enjoyed this book. Yes, it's predictable, but we love dystopia and strong central female characters who can be both lover ''and'' fighter. We'll be reading the entire series, that's for sure.

It's not difficult to provide suggestions for further reading: dystopian novels are saturating the market at the moment. We don't mind that, because we love them. Why not try [[Birthmarked by Caragh M O'Brien]], [[Blood Red Road by Moira Young]] or [[Inside Out by Maria V Snyder]]?

{{amazontext|amazon=0007420412}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=8242263}}

{{commenthead}}

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 Here at Bookbag Towers, we really enjoyed this book. Yes, it's predictable, but we love dystopia and strong central female characters who can be both lover ''and'' fighter. We'll be reading the entire series, that's for sure.
-It's not difficult to provide suggestions for further reading: dystopian novels are saturating the market at the moment. We don't mind that, because we love them. Why not try [[Birthmarked by Caragh M O'Brien]], [[Blood Red Road by Moira Young]] or [[Inside Out by Maria V Snyder]]?
+It's not difficult to provide suggestions for further reading: dystopian novels are saturating the market at the moment. We don't mind that, because we love them. Why not try [[Birthmarked by Caragh M O'Brien]], [[Blood Red Road by Moira Young]] or [[Inside Out by Maria V Snyder]]?  You'll also love [[The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins]].
 A {{amazonurl|isbn=0008175500|title=box set}} of books one to four in the ''Divergent'' series is available.

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:53, 3 March 2016
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	It's not difficult to provide suggestions for further reading: dystopian novels are saturating the market at the moment. We don't mind that, because we love them. Why not try [[Birthmarked by Caragh M O'Brien]], [[Blood Red Road by Moira Young]] or [[Inside Out by Maria V Snyder]]?		It's not difficult to provide suggestions for further reading: dystopian novels are saturating the market at the moment. We don't mind that, because we love them. Why not try [[Birthmarked by Caragh M O'Brien]], [[Blood Red Road by Moira Young]] or [[Inside Out by Maria V Snyder]]?
		+
		+	A {{amazonurl\|isbn=0008175500\|title=box set}} of books one to four in the ''Divergent'' series is available.

	{{amazontext\|amazon=0008167907}}		{{amazontext\|amazon=0008167907}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:48, 6 October 2012
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	{{amazontext\|amazon=0007420412}} {{waterstonestext\|waterstones=8242263}}		{{amazontext\|amazon=0007420412}} {{waterstonestext\|waterstones=8242263}}
		+	[[Category:Dystopian Fiction]]

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-{{infobox
+{{infobox1
 |title=Divergent
 |author=Veronica Roth
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 |date=May 2011
 |isbn=0007420412
 |video=tu5Erw-posg
 }}

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 |date=May 2011
 |isbn=0007420412
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007420412</amazonuk>
+|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008167907</amazonuk>
 |amazonus=<amazonus>0007420412</amazonus>
 |video=tu5Erw-posg
@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 It's not difficult to provide suggestions for further reading: dystopian novels are saturating the market at the moment. We don't mind that, because we love them. Why not try [[Birthmarked by Caragh M O'Brien]], [[Blood Red Road by Moira Young]] or [[Inside Out by Maria V Snyder]]?
-{{amazontext|amazon=0007420412}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=0008167907}}
 {{amazonUStext|amazon=0007420412}}

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 {{infobox
 |title=Divergent
 |author=Veronica Roth
 |reviewer=Jill Murphy
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 |buy=Yes
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=496
 |publisher=Harper Collins
@@ Line 36: / Line 32: @@
 It's not difficult to provide suggestions for further reading: dystopian novels are saturating the market at the moment. We don't mind that, because we love them. Why not try [[Birthmarked by Caragh M O'Brien]], [[Blood Red Road by Moira Young]] or [[Inside Out by Maria V Snyder]]?
-{{amazontext|amazon=0007420412}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=8242263}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=0007420412}}
 [[Category:Dystopian Fiction]]
 {{commenthead}}

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 Having said that, don't expect too much from this book. Any fan of dystopian fiction will be able to predict the entire plot after reading a chapter or two and there aren't any surprises. There are some irritating inconsistencies - Tris puts her Divergent identity at risk by doing ''X'' in one chapter but a few pages later, she wins a Dauntless trial by doing ''X'' in exactly the same way. And the worldbuilding is sketchy at best. I'm no geek, but I would have liked a better sense of how and why Tris's society had organised itself as it had and what in its past had prompted it.
-How much you enjoy ''Divergent'' will depend very much on what kind of reader you are. If you're into dystopian fiction, love kick-ass heroines, lots of action and like your books to give you just what it says on the tin, ''Divergent'' will prove just the ticket. But if you're looking for something new or something with thematic depth and profound things to say about the human condition, or if plot holes irritate the life out of you, then you should probably pass on by.
+How much you enjoy ''Divergent'' will depend very much on what kind of reader you are. If you're into dystopian fiction, love kick-ass heroines and lots of action, and like your books to give you just what it says on the tin, ''Divergent'' will prove just the ticket. But if you're looking for something new or something with thematic depth and profound things to say about the human condition, or if plot holes irritate the life out of you, then you should probably pass on by.
 Here at Bookbag Towers, we really enjoyed this book. Yes, it's predictable, but we love dystopia and strong central female characters who can be both lover ''and'' fighter. We'll be reading the entire series, that's for sure.