Jessica's books

The One and Only Ivan
Pollyanna
Revolutionary War on Wednesday
Leprechaun in Late Winter
Ella Enchanted
The Courage of Sarah Noble
Plain Murder
Gone-Away Lake
Circling the Sun
Maggie and Max
The Haunting of Sunshine Girl
The Night Sister
Tuck Everlasting
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Bedknob and Broomstick
Mister Monday
Alice Through the Looking Glass
The Birchbark House
The Hobbit
The Witch's Daughter


Jessica's favorite books »

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Book Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

My Thoughts:  I thought this book started a little slow.  It was interesting but took just a little too long in getting into the good parts.  I found that I could easily put it down and do something else for awhile.  Only towards the end did it get to where I just wanted to sit and read it with no distractions.

This story did raise some good questions though.  How would you like to live in a world with no love?  No passion?  No real reason for living?  I've been stuck in a rut before but this kind of world that Lena lived in was like being stuck in the same rut for your whole life.  You don't love your spouse, in fact, you may not even know him until you get matched to him by the government.  You don't love your children.  You have the number of children specified by the government because that is what they tell you to do.  However, your children love you because they don't get the "procedure" until age 18.  How horrible!

Lena is counting the days until her procedure.  She can't wait to live in a world with no pain, no love and no chance of contracting the dreaded "amor deliria nervosa" (aka falling in love).  Her best friend, Hana and herself are heading into their evaluation when the "invalids" pull a stunt and Lena sees Alex for the first time.  After their evaluations are rescheduled, Hana and Lena meet up with Alex again and Lena finds herself attracted to him.

Hana, on the other hand, is changing.  She starts listening to unapproved music and attending parties that are co-ed.  One of these parties happens to be on the night of a raid and Lena feels the need to warn her friend and of course, doesn't get out of there soon enough.  The "regulators" find the party and then Lena has to run.  I won't tell you what else happens but this is the night that she discovers that she is in love with Alex. 

Now, instead of being excited to receive the procedure, Lena is counting the days with dread.  The rest of the story is how the romance evolves with Lena and Alex and how the plan to escape into the wild. 

While I enjoyed the romance and the conflicts, I thought that the book was a bit too long.  The romance dragged on a little too long (at least, for how easy the romance was).  I did like the discovery Lena made at the "Crypts".  That whole part of the story was interesting and exciting.

The regulators and the whole idea of the story actually reminded me of WWII.  The regulators were the Nazis and just as brutal.  The had no qualms about killing anyone who resisted.  The government was Hitler.  This is the way we say it is so this is how you will do it.  The people were constantly living in fear of being labeled as "resisters" or "sympathizers" and the raids were eerily similar to the raids the Nazis performed. 

I enjoyed this book but like I said, it could have read a little faster.  The end was action packed however and the cliffhanger has left me wanting for more!

**I received this book from Good Golly Miss Holly ARC tours**

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