Monday, August 13, 2012

Book in Review: Divergent

A few weeks ago I picked up a few books before heading up to the Ranch for the weekend.  One was the next Nicholas Sparks book that I've been waiting to get.  Yes, I'm a "Sparkie".  I love to read Nicholas Sparks' works because they are a quick read, always include a little bit of intrigue and mystery and the romance isn't "smutty".   I decided to hurry and read the Spraks book and hand the other book, "Divergent" (Veronica Roth) to my BF, telling him I think he'd like it.

Fast forward to a few days ago.  The Man finished up Divergent and handed it to me.  I couldn't read it Friday night because we were working on the Jet Skis till nearly 2am.  So, I figured I'd read it on the way to the beach the next day, however just as I got into bed I cracked the book open and read the first five chapters before sleeping.  It was so...  "alive" and exciting that I dreamed about it that very night.

I read more Saturday morning on our way to the lake and read just about all afternoon and was about halfway through by the time we were ready to pack up and head home.  If it wasn't for a dinner at the Man's sister's house, I probably would have finished it that night.  But, dinner was excellent and so was the company, so I didn't mind!

Read this morning before church and as much as I could after and finally finished it just before midnight.  I told The Man he needs to hurry and finish the 2nd book so I can read it.

My Official Goodreads Review:
Loved, Loved, Loved and LOVED this book! I picked up the book 24 hours ago and it consumed me in the first 10 minutes that I couldn't put it down! 

Don't let the page count scare you! This is a super-fast read and very easy to follow, yet gripping nonetheless.

In the first few chapters, the description of the Abnegation faction really sucked me in - reminding me of similar choices some of my Amish cousins had to face when trying to decide whether to leave or stay. 

I am not typically a fan of stories told in first-person, but I love it in this story as we get to be inside of Tris' head; hearing her thought process really helps the development of the character and definitely adds a dimension to the excitement and tension we get to experience with her. 

Growing up just 130 miles East of Chicago, I was also amused by Roth's choice to set the story in a future-Chicago, incorporating iconic landmarks as the Sears Tower, the Hancock Building, Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Ave, and the "swamp" (Lake Michigan). I think it was smart on Roth's part to use a familiar setting for the reader, definitely lending to the book being a quick read.

While the story is mostly a coming of age piece, there is the underlying love-story that unfolds which is complicated and simple all at the same time. 

I cannot wait to read book #2, Insurgent! I will hopefully get to start it this week!

1 comment:

Deborah said...

I read this review yesterday and was interested enough to take a look at it on Amazon ... long story short, I bought it for my Kindle, started reading around noon, and finished around 10:30 last night (with breaks for child care and preparing and eating dinner). I downloaded the next one and went to bed. Now I'm about to start Insurgent (just before noon my time), and I'm wondering just how tired I'm going to be tomorrow :) Thanks for pointing me toward a really interesting series!