Author: Lauren OliverPublisher: HarperTeen (February 2011)
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.
Delirium is a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Ms. Oliver uses beautiful, descriptive words to describe everything from sunsets to memories of Lena's childhood. I was sucked in from the beginning. Everything is told from Lena's point of view so that the reader experiences everything right along with Lena. She is about to turn 18 and will be "cured" from love. She lives in a society where love has been deemed a disease and by taking away the feeling of love, the world will be peaceful. Close to her procedure, she meets Alex and falls in love with him. I loved Alex. He teaches Lena to really live and and enjoy life. Their relationship is filled with emotion and I loved them together.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.
Delirium is a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Ms. Oliver uses beautiful, descriptive words to describe everything from sunsets to memories of Lena's childhood. I was sucked in from the beginning. Everything is told from Lena's point of view so that the reader experiences everything right along with Lena. She is about to turn 18 and will be "cured" from love. She lives in a society where love has been deemed a disease and by taking away the feeling of love, the world will be peaceful. Close to her procedure, she meets Alex and falls in love with him. I loved Alex. He teaches Lena to really live and and enjoy life. Their relationship is filled with emotion and I loved them together.
One of the things that I really liked about the book were the little excerpts from the manuals and children's books from the "world" Lena lives in. They give the reader a good idea of what the government has changed about the society to keep order. For instance, Romeo and Juliet is taught as a warning, not as a love story. I can't imagine living in a world where I couldn't feel love, especially for my children.
While I loved the book, I had a couple of problems with it. If you get rid of love, don't you have to get rid of other emotions? The people in this society do not feel love, yet they still feel other things like pity and fear. To me, I would think that all of these things would be tied together. The other problem was the ending...talk about a cliffhanger! The next one doesn't come out until next March. I want to know what happens next!!!
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great! I highly recommend it.
--Kari
--Kari
1 comment:
I really liked this one too, though I read it in a bundle with Matched and Wither, so by the time I was done with all three my head was sort of spinning from the dystopian love themes. Good point about taking away love but none of the other emotions, that does seem a bit odd now that I'm thinking about it.
I do love Lauren Oliver's writing, she's very gifted.
Megan @ Read It, See It
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