Picture of the Day: Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Monday, June 6, 2011

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth







Synopsis:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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 to determine who her friends really are - and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating 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 a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves... or it might destroy her. 
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series - dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

My Personal Comments
In my conscious efforts to find another "Katniss" in my daily reading dose, I got across with this novel, Divergent. I know its unfair to compare the two of them, knowing that the petite girl with tattoos Tris, can never be the same as the bow-master, Katniss. Yet, I'm still eager to know and understand them both. True enough, upon my readings, I fell in love with both of them, in a different yet interesting way.

I loved Divergent in a sense that I believe and sympathizes with her character, Tris. In their society, she is considered to be a very dangerous person knowing that as a Divergent, "she cannot be controlled". Many in this current and non-dystopic society of ours is with the same dilemma. We cannot be tamed ourselves. And we struggle to find how it is to fit in the society where, there is no choice but to follow, fit and tolerate.


I also loved the fact, that the same as  Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, Veronica Roth touches sensitive issues such as light ones from Intimacy,and further to Child Abuse (as based on Four/ Tobias' story) and Violence (Dauntless' training camp). It gives the readers, especially the young adults, awareness on how to identify and deal with these issues.


Roth's strategy is very effective, and very dynamic. I am truly amazed. Yet a few recommendations though... First, I think, antagonistic characters like those of Eric, and Jeanine could have been developed more. I would also love to see more of Four and Tris' intimacy as long the way.


I love this book! I give it an 8 out of 10.



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