I’ve read a few reviews calling Veronica Roth’s ‘Divergent’ as the next ‘Hunger Games’ and while both are about a female teenager living in a distant dystopia - that’s where the similarities end. Yes, Divergent will appeal to those who loved the Hunger Games series and comparisons will no doubt be made….as I’m about to do. But I’ve said in recent post that I’ll always compare a dystopian novel to the Hunger Games, because for me, that is the bench mark. If you want a review…go to Amazon. Today, I’ll discuss the settings, the heroines and the plot.
Because Divergent has yet to be released in the States, here is the obligatory SPOILER WARNING - you have been warned.
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So it has been done. Lionsgate, Gary Ross and it seems, Suzanne herself have chosen Jennifer Lawrence to play Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games movie adaptation.
This is a good thing. I’ve read opinions and comments which say otherwise. Saying she’s too blonde (err…hair dye). She’s too curvy (I’m sure she’ll have a training regime). She’s too white (heard of a tan?). She’s too old (20…really??? Do these people realise that all teenagers in movies and tv are played by 20 somethings? Check out the glee cast bios!)
See I trust their decision, and by all accounts she blew them away in her audition. Because I know they want to do the book and characters justice. She’s a freaking Oscar nominee - so I trust that she can act such a complex and beloved character.
What really made me excited was the fact that they had finally announced someone. Because this means the ball gets rolling with casting everyone else. I don’t care who they cast as Peeta, Gale or anyone else. What I do care about is that they get the CHEMISTRY right between the actors. So now, let the screen tests begin…
The most common theme I see in dystopian novels is - does the end justify the means?
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Freedom - what is it? An act, a feeling, a furniture store? It’s not something the people in Matched have a lot of. This is why.
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Control and power. The imbalance of the two between a small few and wider majority is always a driving factor in a dystopian novel. One Capitol vs. 12 Districts (The Hunger Games), Pincent Pharma vs. young people (The Declaration).
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dreamtheunthinkable asked: Hi, I just wanted to let you know I enjoy your blog, even though you just started posting 2 days. I love reading also and I sometimes have a hard time finding books I enjoy. So far you posted posts about The Hunger Games and Matched and I've already read The Hunger Games and liked your post as you can see haha. I started skimming Matched and by reading your evaluation of the first few chapters, I became interested and started reading more info. on the book. I'm going to add Matched on my list of books to read now :)
Keep writing, I enjoy it!
Thanks for the message. Really appreciate it. I started to blog mostly for myself because I’d read something then really want to discuss it with someone, but didn’t want to troll forums or blogs because I didn’t want to get spoiled. I found by the time I got to the end of the book, my thoughts on the beginning and middle were already gone. So I decided to keep a record of it.
I still think about The Hunger Games series a lot and will probably compare every book that I read from now on to it - especially if it’s a dystopian novel. It’s funny cos I got a whole bunch of work mates to read it and we spent a whole lunch break discussing the end of Mockingjay, but I still had to wait weeks for some of them to finish!
After reading the synopsis of Matched, I thought I’d give it a go. The type of world the author builds gets me interested, but what will get me hooked are the characters and the obstacles of their journey.
Thanks again for the kind words. I will keep writing.
Equilibrium, a movie starring Christian Bale and Taye Diggs about a world where people take drugs to suppress emotions enters my mind as I read these chapters.
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Only one word I can think of after reading these chapters….DEATH! Ok maybe not so much death but….MORTALITY.
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I’m intrigued already. Ally Condie has dangled a carrot and I’m ready to catch it.
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