(69)Divergent by Veronica Roth

Thursday, July 31, 2014

It is sometime in the distant future and Beatrice Prior is preparing for the Choosing in a dystopian Chicago. First there is the assessment that well tell her which Faction she is best suited for, but of course there is free will, and she gets to choose which of the four Factions she wants to be a part of Abnegation (the selfless), Euridite (the smart), Amity (the peaceful) and Dauntless (the warriors).  Beatrice's assessment was inconclusive though and  that makes her Divergent. She is not sure where she belongs, but she knows that she can tell no one that she is Divergent.  She makes the decision the very minute she climbs on the stage.  Beatrice is Dauntless. 

Beatrice says good-bye to her family, changes her name to Tris and starts the rigorous training that is required of all Dauntless members.  From learning how to fight to learning how to overcome their fears, the Tris and the rest of the initiates are working hard to prove that they are worthy of being Dauntless. Their two trainers, Erik and Four have high expectations for them and work them hard, but what will happen if they find out that Tris is Divergent?

I kind of broke the unwritten rules of book nerds everywhere and saw the movie before reading the book.  In a way it was nice because I could picture Chicago and the train and the Pit in a way that might have been more difficult without having seen the movie.  Believe it or not, I don't think the book highlighted the chemistry between Four and Tris the way it was shown in the movie.  On screen they sizzled and I didn't get that "sizzle".  The movie stayed pretty true to the book, but a few things in the movie were out of order from the book.  It didn't really impact the way things turned out, so I think I can forgive the producers for that.  One thing I found myself wanting was to know more about what was beyond the wall and what happened to create the world they live in. I really hope that the next two books explore those at a greater length.

Bottom line, whether it be the book or the movie it was really easy to get swept away in the world that Veronica Roth created. The world is fascinating, the characters are exciting, and you feel like you become part of their world.   Young Adult novels have done really well at translating to the big screen and Divergent is no different.  If you are looking for a good book that takes you to a different world, you have to give this one a try and let me know what you think.  

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