Mundie Moms

Friday, January 28, 2011

Book Review - Delirium

Written by: Lauren Oliver
Published by: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Source: Netgalley
5 stars - This book is a must have!

Synopsis (from HarperTeen): They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them.

Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Love. Stories, poems, films, songs have been created in an attempt to explain the concept. But imagine growing up in the United States where love didn't exist. I saw you blink slowly as you read that last sentence. What if there was a cure for love? I know what you're thinking -- no thanks, I don't want it. But what if the government made you take it when you turned eighteen? There would be less divorce, less violence, less reliance upon pharmaceuticals, less addiction. You get the idea.

Lauren creates such a world and introduces us to her protagonist, Lena, who is just a few months from taking the cure. In these last weeks, she thinks a lot about what life will be like for her after the cure. All around her, we see the effects of cured family members and friends. They're happy with their lives and go on with their daily activities with a predicatble rhythm. But is this what Lena wants? As Lena and her best friend, Hana, begin to question some of the government teachings and rules, the reader discovers how far the government has gone to eradicate the concept, feeling and existence of love.

I have to admit to sitting back and admiring the absolute plausibility of such a concept. The excerpts of government approved literature at the start of each chapter set the tone for what Lena and Hana have learned all of their lives. As a reader, you can't help feeling sympathetic for them. This level of propoganda is all they know. It is their truth. And then the reality of the horror unfolds as you find out what happens to those who do fall in love and are caught.

I'm a huge fan of well-written dystopian stories and Lauren has penned one that rings true and shakes our most sacred belief system. To top it off, her prose is so lyrical, at times, that yes, I paused to text KatieB and even call her to read a few sentences out loud. I am thrilled that this will be a trilogy and that the movie rights have been optioned. 

If you enjoy a love story where love is truly forbidden, pick up DELIRIUM on February 1st. You will realize that a unifying, maddening and unpredictable concept like love will remain even when threatened. It'll be that loose thread in a tightly woven fabric and the temptation to pull it will be overwhelming. So what would happen if you did fall in love in such a society? I know, I'm still thinking about it.

A quick aside for those Mundie Moms who will ask me -- but is there romance? I will confess that there is a multiple-page Kissy Scene that I may have read more than once. And there is...Alex. Mundie Moms, trust me, you will want to meet him.

Thanks to HarperTeen, everyone can read an excerpt from the book, here. After meeting Hana on our DELIRIUM blog tour stop, follow the rest of the tour and meet Alex (at a goodaddiction.com) and Lena (at our affiliates, Page Turners Blog).

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great review. I loved Delirium just as much as you... and can I meet Alex first please?:D

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  2. Awesome review Sophie! After talking to you about it yesterday and your "teaser" lines, I can not wait to read it!!

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  3. Miss P-T - HA!! Yes, Alex. *sigh* Alex. Glad you liked it as well.

    MMs - You will LOVE it. LOVE it.

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  4. Awesome review!! I loved this book sooooo much! :D

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  5. Thanks Cynthia!!!! It's still resonating with me....such wonderful story-telling.

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  6. I can't wait to get my hands on this one, especially since I enjoyed Before I Fall so much. Technically, I have a copy on my Nook thanks to NetGalley, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, so I'll probably end up picking up a hard copy on the first.

    Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  7. Natalie - It's always telling when I read the eARC on Netgalley and half-way through I pre-order it so I can re-read it. That defines a 5-star book to me--if I want to re-read it! :D

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  8. I want to meet Alex, too!!!! He was definitely the highlight of the story. I didn’t realize how much I actually cared for the characters, especially Alex, until the end of the book. Those emotions crept up on me, kind of like love crept up on Lena.

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  9. Smash- Between your comment and Sophie's texts, I'm dying to read this. I've had it on Netgalley but my computer is having issues. I can't wait to meet Alex!

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  10. SmashAttack! That was beautiful said...the way love (keeping it general and spoiler free-ish here) unfolds is just beautiful and very realistic.

    MundieMoms - you will love it.

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