Monday, September 15, 2014

Review: Divergent

Divergent (Divergent, #1)

Divergent has been reviewed probably a zillion times, so not sure what I can add to it, but here are my thoughts. I really liked this book, it was engaging and fun and a little thought provoking. I saw the movie first so that no doubt colored my perceptions a bit, especially as I visualized certain characters- I thought the movie captured the gist of Tris and Four very well, as well as Eric and Jeanine.

Tris has been raised in a faction that values selflessness above all- her faction along with four others form the basis for society in a future Chicago. Everyone must make a choice when they turn sixteen- they must choose the faction they will spend the rest of their life in. They can choose any faction they wish, or remain in the faction they grew up in- but once they leave, there is no going back. Society helps with this decision by administering aptitude tests, to help each person know where their strengths are, and therefore which faction would be a good fit. Occasionally however, someone tests as Divergent- meaning they don't fit just one faction, but potentially several. Usually it's two, but Tris shows aptitude for three factions.

She is told to speak of this to no one, not even her family. The next day Tris must choose- and she chooses Dauntless, the faction of the brave and the protectors of the city- to the shock of her parents. Tris isn't really prepared for what Dauntless will require of her however, and she begins a brutal initiation process that will test her strength of mind and body. She meets Four, one of the instructors who has secrets of his own- and there is a mutual attraction. Four sees in Tris a mental toughness that he respects, little knowing that they share things in their backgrounds that could bring them together- or tear them apart. As Tris navigates the minefield of dauntless initiation and learns the secrets of her faction, she realizes that not all is right with her society- trouble is brewing and anyone who is Divergent will be targeted as too dangerous to live.

I like the idea of the factions a lot, although I'm curious what happened to the world to bring this about, and also if it's just Chicago that is like this or if there are factions all over. I'm sure this is addressed in the next two books. The different groups, with their own symbols and values, were one of my favorite parts of the book.

Divergent was a good read, entertaining and provacative. It would really be tough for a sixteen year old to make a decision like this, whether to stay with their parents or choose an all new life. When Tris thinks she doesn't know what she believes, I think that's totally understandable at her age. In the real world of course, kids around that age or a little older are already starting to make their own way, to discover what they believe or value- ultimately they have to make their own choices- and in the world of Divergent the choices come a little sooner and are more stark and final. It's not really an option to be an undecided major in this society! I enjoyed that aspect of the story much more than the action- and I look forward to discovering more about this world, and the choices Tris makes.

You can see my movie review of Divergent here.

For those who've seen the movie or read the book- some additional thoughts. There are a few mild spoilers below, so just a heads up on that. Let me know what you thought of the book or the movie- do you think the movie did a good job of bringing the book to life?

I liked Uriah and MArlene and hope they made it through okay. I felt a little guilty for enjoying it when Tris beat the crap out of Molly- but not too guilty. And I thought the romance between Tris and Four was handled pretty well (although I think the movie actually did a better job of that). I'm generally one who likes the book better than the movie, but there were a few things about the movie I actually liked better. I thought the capture the flag sequence in particular was better in the movie, a little more in depth and action packed as they infiltrated the other team.

Thw whole concept of Divergence, while interesting, is a little problematic- what exactly is it about being Divergent that makes them resistant to mind control? How can their brains be THAT different? But I still liked it, and am anxious to see where things go from here.

21 comments:

  1. I think the movie did a great job of bringing the book to life. There's one scene in the movie that really got to me--when the Dauntless were gathering up Abnegation. More powerful in the movie than in the book as it was reminiscent of scenes I've seen in movies about WII and the roundup of the Jews.

    Terri M.
    Second Run Reviews

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    1. You know, that's a great point. That was a powerful scene... and a little disturbing. I think that's one of the things i liked about the movie- it had a certain visceral quality at times, for lack of a better way to describe it. So many movies disappoint these days, at least for me- but after seeing this one I felt like I'd seen a good movie.

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  2. Great review, Greg. I look forward to your thoughts on Insurgent. I really liked Divergent, but I didn't carry on with the series. I'd love to hear what you think of the rest.

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    1. Thank you Jennifer. I'm looking forward to reviewing Insurgent and the third one- I'm glad I'm able to read them all back to back, now that I've finally gotten to them. There's so many books, if I went off to something else who knows if I'd ever come back? :)

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  3. Am not a fan of sci fi or dystopia, but glad this one was intriguing.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Harvee- I don't read a lot of dystopia, although I guess maybe I have lately. This one was definitely intriguing!

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  4. I'm usually turned off a movie once I've read the book but I think they did this one really well. I just think that they shouldn't have cut out the scene where Edward gets stabbed in the eye. I felt that this was a strong turning point in the point. Great review Greg, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  5. I suppose the Erudite made the program that specifically controls Dauntless after studying their minds. A Divergent has aptitude for some or all of the different traits and Erudite have yet to develop a program that is able tap into and control a divergent mind. Plus although they know the existence of divergents, most are in hiding, so the Erudite probably have not been able to develop a program and test on them. I'm also guessing, each Divergent is unique in terms of the number of traits and possibly the percentage breakdown of each traits...so the Erudite definitely would need to tailor a custom made mind control program for each. Which probably isn't worth it, maybe that's why most of the time it's shoot on sight.
    Wandering through the Shelves

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    1. You're probably right. Makes a lot of sense. I'm curious where the story is going to go with the whole Divergent thing and how different their minds really are... kind of a fascinating concept.

      I'm wondering just how many Divergets there are... I will probably find that out as I keep reading! :)

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  6. I enjoy occasional dystopian books, and I enjoyed this book but didn't see the movie. I think I would enjoy seeing the plot fleshed out. I didn't go on with the series, so I am curious about your take on the next one Insurgent. Good review!

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    1. Thanks Rita! I really liked the movie, it was entertaining and I didn't know much going in, so I think you may like it. Especially if you liked the book. They did some nice things with the story, I thought. I'm really curious about where Insurgent goes- I've started it but stalled this week. Just busy. Hoping to get it going again ...

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  7. I thought the movie was pretty good but a little too long, I was getting restless near the end. And I didn't find that with the book, I was glued to it.

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    1. It was long, true. I generally liked the first 2/3 of the movie the best... but then even in the book I really liked Tris' initiation and struggles within Dauntless, it was just really interesting. Also enjoyed her and Four getting to know each other and working out what their relationship was going to be. The pages flew by so I really liked it too.

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  8. I'm not a huge dystopian fan so I haven't read this one though my daughter (age 16 then) read the entire trilogy in about a day. She really loved this one and did think the characters behaved like actual kids her age. I will say that after she finished #3 she spent about an hour curled up on the couch vowing never to read another book!

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  9. This is an excellent review, Greg. I just wish I could make up my mind about reading these (and, for that matter, The Hunger Games.) Everyone says how good they are - but they're also dystopian, and that's not my favorite form of SSF. Yet I feel a bit as though I'm missing out.

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    1. Thank you Lark. You know, for the longest time I wasn't going to read this, it just wasn't really a priority for me, but I went to see the movie on a whim and it made me curious to know more- I thought it was actually well done. So.. here I am. :) I'm glad I've read it, not only to know what all the hype is about but also just on it's own merits. At the same time, it is a little farfetched to say the least- I have a ahrd time believing everyone would acquiesce so readily to the system as put forth, and the whole concept of Divergence- I just don't think it would be so easy to pigeonhole into factions. But I think Veronica Roth is exploring some interesting ground here...

      I'm conflicted about the Hunger Games too. Not sure if i'll read but the movies again are piquing my interest, a bit.

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    2. Thanks, Greg. I will probably read them at some point. I'm so overwhelmed with stuff to read at this point, though, that adding anything else starts to feel like the pebble that will start the avalanche, just one thing too many.

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  10. Great review Greg! I also thought the book didn't explain the concept of divergence. I don't read a lot of dystopian since they are so similar but overall I did like this series. I thought the movie did a great job. I'm curious to see how you like the rest of the books so I'll be looking forward to your reviews.

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    1. Thank Kathy I'm curious to see how the concept is dealt with in the next two books- I'm into Insurgent now. I thought the movie was good, and I'm looking forward to reviewing the enxt two books. Hopefully all my questions will be answered. :)

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  11. I'm a huge dystopian fan and I loved Divergent and Insurgent but was a bit disappointed with Allegiant (not for the reason that some people seemed to be though) Divergergent covers the 'fear' landscape really well and Insurgent explores the neuropsychology element, which I love. I thought the movie was great, there were scenes I liked more in the book and others that came across more powerfully in the movie. Great review, can't wait to see what you think of Insurgent!

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    1. Thank you, I appreciate it! I think you're right, Divergent did explore fear a bit and was thought provoking that way. I can see what you're saying about Insurgent too... so far it's interesting to see what the other factions are up to.

      I agree about the movie, both it and the book have their own strengths. I saw the movie on a lark, I was curious, and it really got me interested in the whole thing. Glad I'm reading the books!

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