Delirium audiobook

December 2011 review:I adored Delirium when I first read and reviewed it, which was back in February. I had limited experience with dystopia, only having read Matched, The Hunger Games, and Uglies, but Delirium made it one of favourite genres. I’ve come across many young dystopian novels since then, and having re-read Delirium, I can safely say that it is still one of my favourites and one of the best books I’ve read this year.Although Delirium is a dystopian novel, it is first and foremost a love story; it doesn’t pretend to be anything else. At eighteen years old, citizens of the USA legally must undergo a procedure – a “cure” – that will result in the them being unable to love anyone ever again, whether it may be a partner, friend or family. When Alex enters her life, Lena must fight for the right to love whomever she wishes.One of the things that I didn’t mention in my previous review, that really struck me about the novel, is the writing. Lauren Oliver has a talent for using the most beautiful, rich language and imagery to capture a moment perfectly. When I’m reading novels, I try to picture the scenes in my head and sometimes it becomes blurry. I try to focus on it but the author hasn’t provided enough detail for me to do so. Lauren Oliver is the complete opposite. She expertly describes every single scene so that the image in my head comes out crystal clear, from the description of the setting to Lena’s emotions: “The water is an enormous mirror, tipped with and pink and gold from the sky. In that single, blazing moment as I came around the bend, the sun – curved over the dip of the horizon like a solid gold archway – lets out its final winking rays of light, shattering the darkness of the water, turning everything white for a fraction of a second, and then falls away, sinking, dragging the pink and the red and the purple out of the sky with it, all the colour bleeding away instantly and leaving only dark.Alex was right. It was gorgeous – one of the best I’ve ever seen." Another thing I did not pay enough attention to before (because I was eagerly rushing trough the story) is the small fragments of society – the quotation of official documents, rules and regulations, children’s songs, and poetry, which help the reader to mentally construct and imagine the world that Lauren Oliver has created. Even though the story mostly focuses on Lena and Alex’s relationship and the things they discover about each other, we’re constantly aware that they live in a restrictive and severely controlled society.Delirium is a wonderfully emotional, heartbreaking love story set in a dystopian future. It’s both a gritty and mellow experience. If you’ve not yet jumped on to the dystopian bandwagon, I’d suggest that reading Delirium is a very good start indeed.“Love, the deadliest of all deadly things: it kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.”_______________________________________________Original February 2011 review:This book has 400 pages and I finished in less than 24 hours. That already should tell you how much I loved it. I found Delirium to be a mixture of The Hunger Games and Matched . The premise of Delirium is that this particular dystopian society sees love (or amor deliria nervosa) as a disease that needs to be cured by an operation on the brain. Lena, our protagonist, is nearly 18 years old (the age requirement for having the operation) and is nervous yet excited about her upcoming “procedure” - until she meets Alex. Delirium is similar to Matched in that citizens do not have a say in who they spend the rest of their life with. The government (“Officials” in Matched, “Regulators” in Delirium) choose who a person is “matched” with and there is no freedom of choice. However, this particular society goes even further and attempts to ensure that a person will never love again. This, according to the Regulators, will make the world a better place: everyone will be happier and safer because love is nothing but destructive. I personally found Delirium to be much more heartbreaking and emotional than Matched and the storyline took a lot less time to develop. The characters' rebellion and resistance to control (as with all dystopian novels!) begins a lot earlier in the novel and this is where the similarities to The Hunger Games begin. This is where we witness the brutality and cruelty of those in charge of these future societies.However, all three novels are fantastic in their own way and Delirium offers yet another unique look at how a dystopian society could be. It made me want to read even more dystopian literature and I did not feel like I was reading recycled material. I definitely recommend this to people who are already fans of young-adult dystopian literature. And if you haven’t read it before? Do it. You’ll become addicted and emotionally involved in this wonderfully exciting but terrifying genre. I cannot wait to read Pandemonium (the second novel in the series/trilogy). I’m just sad that I have to wait until 2012! Thank you Hodder for sending me this book to review!Dystopian or Not Dystopian? DystopianI also reviewed this book over on Pretty Books.

There are some books written that touch you deeply. Stories that work their way stealthily into your heart, and imbeds itself securely there, and refusing to disperse, leaving you utterly breathless and completely captivated with wondrous awe. Delirium did this for me. There are not many books that can speak to you the way Delirium does. Books that tug at your heartstrings, and make you believe in the impossible. Books that can express what love really is: an all consuming, brilliantly captivating, wrenchingly heartbreaking power that takes control over you. Love that turns your world around, shows you things you never saw before, makes everything brighter and more amazing than you ever thought they could be. Delirium takes you on the journey of Lena, a normal girl in a loveless society, who is soon immersed in the unthinkable, has found herself facing the most deadly thing ever known to mankind. Love. Lena begins to explore this completely new and forbidden emotion. An emotion that people shun and fear. An emotion that could get her killed. And in the end, she is tried more than she could have possibly imagined. My heart breaks for her, and yet it soars with hers as she discovers this whole new, enthralling world. Delirium is such a uniquely, enchanting, astounding story. It was beautifully written, brilliantly told. And the ending. I don’t know if I’ve read a more heartbreaking, incredible ending. The last several pages I was on the edge. I couldn’t read fast enough. The story had me captive, refusing to let go until the very last word. I don’t know how I can possibly wait until 2012 for Pandemonium to come out! When February 1 rolls around, get your hands on this book, and don’t let go. Prepare yourself for a wonderful, beautiful love story that hopefully touches you the way it did me.Thank you, thank you! for Netgalley and HarperCollins for letting me read this arc. It was incredible.

Such a good book. I loved the whole idea of the world even though I found it depressing. It was such a unique concept. There were times when I found myself being annoyed with Lena. I kept thinking to myself "Lena, shut up.", but I grew to really like her character towards the end. Also.. what the heck was that ending? WHY DID YOU DO THAT LAUREN OLIVER. YOU HURT MY HEART. Oh and can I get more Hana Tate please?

Before I begin, let me start by warning anyone who has placed this book on their To-Read Shelf: Do not plan on accomplishing anything productive for approximately 24 hours after starting the book. You have been warned. And for anyone who did not read this warning in time, you are more than welcome to join my sleep-deprived sob fest. If only I knew what I was getting myself into when I first picked up the book.For the past sixty-four years, love was considered a disease which impaired reason and posed a threat to society. A cure was established to protect United States citizens from the debilitating effects of the illness. At the age of 18, each person is required to undergo a procedure, permanently curing them from the sickness. The story follows 18-year-old Lena Haloway, who grew up in Portland, Maine with her aunt and uncle. Lena anxiously counts down the days until her procedure, anticipating the moment she can join the other "cureds" with excitement. This excitement quickly fades as Lena herself succumbs to the disease, becoming hopelessly entangled in a forbidden romance.I have to admire Oliver for the creative spin she placed on American society when establishing this dystopian world. She managed to create a plausible universe in which love had been almost completely eradicated. I felt a pang of sorrow each time Oliver highlighted the emotionless shell of a community in which parents exhibited no compassion for their children and married couples exchanged no signs of affection for one another. Such examples reveal the underlying theme: a life without love is not worth living.More importantly, Oliver's writing was flawless. She vividly described each scene, allowing readers to visualise each event as it occurred. Through her writing, Oliver also evokes a vast array of emotions from her readers. When Lena is enraged, readers are fuming. When she breaks down, crying hysterically, readers are right there, sobbing along with her. Her feelings of love, betrayal, and loss transcend all boundaries, lodging themselves in the hearts of readers around the world.Lena's characterization, although less than stellar at times, does have its perks. Above all, Lena treasures her family and friends. She is terrified at the thought of losing her best friend, Hana, after her procedure. Lena, like the rest of society, was convinced that love was dangerous and potentially life threatening. After experiencing the effects of the disease firsthand, she comes to the startling realization that love is harmless. Lena was determined to discover the truth, no matter how heartbreaking the truth may be.On the other hand, Lena is not the epitome of perfection - no properly characterized protagonist should be. She struggles to move on from her past, particularly her mother's suicide. Her mother gave up her life for the ones she loved, and Lena is more than willing to do the same. But she continues to visualize her mother leaping from a cliff and slowly falling into the tumultuous waters below (a rather frequently mentioned event throughout the book). Additionally, Lena compares herself to a princess who is waiting for her prince to save her. Yes, she outright states this comparison and is not ashamed to do so. Unfortunately, the concept of a damsel in distress does not appeal to the majority of teens in this day and age, myself included. They would prefer to read about a strong, independent, female protagonist who does not rely on others to come to her rescue. I think we've all outgrown Disney movies at this point.Lastly, there was the slightly overwhelming ending that left me shaking and speechless. My mother was only slightly concerned when she found me sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth and suffering from mild shock. To avoid giving away the ending, let's just say it was ... unexpected. Life changing. Devastating. Shall I continue, or let you form your own opinion?"Love, the deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't."

Review was originally published on my blog Through the ChaptersWhat if we had to live in an alternative universe? What if this universe would be the same but not exactly equivalent to ours? What if it would be illegal to feel anything? What if love would be considered as a mortal sin? What if we had to spend almost all our lives not as human beings but something in between, since everything that breathes into us humanity would not exist at all? What if…? What if…?Is it even possible to be deprived of all the emotions? Well, according to Lauren Oliver is it and she describes this effectively in her book. Oliver has conceived this idea, a world without love or any kind of emotions, to give us the chance to feel and to picture ourselves in this dystopian world. She envisions an alternative universe without dreams, without goals due to the absence of the most powerful weapon of the human’s race. Love.It was extremely interesting and at the same time intimidating to read and to picture this system. The author’s writing style is one the most powerful tools, as it facilitates the readers to imagine and to be an inseparable part of the “amor deliria nervosa” world. Her descriptions are so realistic and so stunning that the story absorbs completely the mind and the emotions of the audience, making it impossible to put this book down.One point that I cannot overlook, is the beginning of each chapter. Oliver gives us some history about the world that she brings into life through some made-up historical, religious facts. Those facts add to the story some reasoning and comprehension, as they make it more easy to understand all the struggle of our main characters to feel what they try, so desperately, to suppress.Personally, the most dreadful moment that made me conceive the author’s massage wholly, was the parents’ behaviour towards their children. To put it differently, they were cold and apathetic like robots or even worse. This moment send chills through all my body for the frightful and unbearable thought, that maybe the world that Oliver describes, is not as imaginary as it may seem.There are many aspects in the real life, which can be compared to the Lauren’s fictional world. Indeed, there are so many people who prefer to live on the autopilot in order to avoid not only love but also the change in their everyday lives. Unfortunately, for many people an ordinary life without a purpose or even the absence of the willing to have a purpose, is more preferable and an easy one to live in. The resistance to change and the indifference towards our fellow humans suggest a world, where the inhabitants prefer to stay in their comfort zones and pretend that this is the way things work in the world, and we are not able to change them. Yet, we are the ones who have the power to change every injustice.In the final analysis, this story is not only about the absence of love. It is a story about the importance of friendship, family and hope in dark times. It is a journey of each one of us, from the fear to feel to the perception of the human essence to be able to experience love, happiness, pain and sadness at their greatest point. It teaches us to embrace the difference and to fight for being able to choose our life and our fate, a right which belongs to us since time immemorial.

A read for The Quarterly Book Club’s 2016 Series Reread Challenge “I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.”Lauren Oliver’s Delirium has once again astounded me. It is one of my best-loved dystopia series since I first read it. All the feelings that overwhelmed me before came rushing back, enveloping me in an embrace that reminds me of the beauty of a night sky, captivating with the speckling of stars.Lena Haloway grew up looking forward to the day that she will be cured. She believed that undergoing the procedure would make her happy, and save her from the pain that her mother and her older sister went through when they were infected with the Amor Deliria Nervosa, what we commonly call ‘love’. But everything changed when a ruckus, involving cows in wigs and dresses, occurred during her evaluation. She lifted her eyes and met his. Nothing was ever the same for Lena ever since.Okay, maybe that was not the best overview of the book, but let me tell you this: Delirium is going to open up the floodgates of your hearts; you won’t be able to stop it.When I started rereading this, I was surprised by the fact that there was so much I have forgotten about its story. It was as if my brain blotted out all the exciting details so I could fully enjoy it again. The truth is I have enjoyed it more this time.The world that Lauren Oliver built was a thought-provoking one. It made me appreciate more what we have now: love. She was able to write down a possible future if people started to be swallowed up by their own fears of pain and instability. It reminded me of something that I’ve read about advertising, that people create product infomercials with the thought of showing people what could dismay them, with an immediate solution attached to it. That’s what I saw with the government and the laws in Delirium. It showed their nation the terrible effects of love and the nightmares that could happen if they ever indulged to it. Their leaders offered false security, trapping them in what I’d like to call a “safe zone”, limiting themselves with promises of order and happiness. I honestly think that this system could happen to us. If people keep feeling disappointed, if others keep making them see themselves as failures, someone might just make this our new reality.My emotions became more intense as I understood more each of the characters and saw how each of them was fighting their own battles. I want to talk about the three that stood out the most for me due to their choices and perspective on the matters they were dealing with.Let me start with Lena. Lena, our protagonist exquisitely changed from who she was at the beginning of the book. Her eyes and her heart opened up to the things she never saw before. She realized all the lies of her world that the government had founded on fear. I love that at first she was very hesitant to believe what the Invalids, resisters, and sympathizers were fighting for. She was very stubborn and would fight for what she knew in herself was right, for the things that the laws have instilled in them. In the end, I found that she became a very strong character, which reminds me that I should add her to my list of female protagonists. She’s become very admirable, willing to brave anything just so she could fight for the freedom and the love that she now has in her.Lena’s family background was something that readers should take note of. It was one of the aspects of the story that gripped my heart the tightest. It was heartbreaking every time she reminisced their memories together when she was younger, most especially those when Rachel, her older sister, was still uncured. There was a huge difference between her life then and the one she had after the tragedy that destroyed her family. ”His hair is a crown of leaves, of thorns, of flames. His eyes are blazing with light, more light than all the lights in every city in the whole world, more light than we could ever invent if we had ten thousand billion years. Alex, Lena’s love interest, though I found his character very flat, he has been Lena’s driving force in her constant development as a person. Because of him and his knowledge of the cure’s corrupt nature, he was able to turn things around, pushing Lena out of her comfort zone. I admire him for being patient with Lena and for being very careful when it comes to their plans for the two of them. Both of their lives could be compromised, but Alex was never afraid as long as he could give Lena the love that he thinks she deserved. For him, it was the only thing that mattered and nothing else.Next, I would like to talk about Hana, Lena’s bestfriend. Hana is Lena’s complete opposite but they were always there for each other. She was adventurous and rebellious, the popular girl who had everything, but still acted like she had nothing to lose. Lena cared so much for her. They were drifting apart at some points of the story, and then turning back to each other after a while. As Hana was coming closer to her deadline, counting down the days until their procedures, Lena was starting to feel boundless. It felt like Hana, who was free at the beginning was slowly walking towards a cage while Lena was on her way out.The ending was very pleasing and there is no better way of executing it. It was action-packed and extremely dangerous. Lena shed her old self and was reborn when she took that slim chance, paying the price for a new and better life.I utterly adore Lauren Oliver’s writing. Her words are easily-flowing like stream or rushing water down the falls. I could decorate my room with the beauty of her words. I could listen to them all day, even if it’s just about describing Alex’s hair. But I noticed in this installment the overuse of the words suck, sucking, sucked, and all the other forms of that word. Yes, I can’t help but notice that she used it to describe a number of things in the book, inserting them in her figures of speech like building blocks to a house. Even though she could have replaced them with other words, I still highly delighted in her work, for she painted the most stunning images in my mind, letting me see them in full color and detail.I’m giving this a 4-star rating instead of a 5 because of only one reason: there were some parts that bored me. But I understand that he pacing felt a bit slow at some point because the story focused more on Lena’s metamorphosis emotionally and the transformation of her beliefs. It was carefully done like she was metal tested through fire and turned to a sharp-edged sword.Overall, I highly recommend this. If you’re looking for a book that would make you think and feel, pick this one up. You won’t regret it. “You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but I will find a way to resist. And there are many of us out there, more than you think. People who refuse to stop believing. People who refuse to come to earth. People who love in a world without walls, people who love into hate, into refusal, against hope, and without fear.”

** spoiler alert ** WOW balled my eyes out! I am so depressed! ALEX! That was extremely intense and it didn't end at all like I expected. I need to get away from these depressing books for awhile.Love killed Lena's mom so she wants nothing to do with it. She can't wait to get the cure. So of course right before her cure she falls in love. Alex was so sweet and amazing! I loved the time they spent together. The ending damn neared killed me!The idea that love is a disease was so unique. The way they describe it, had you never felt it, you might truly believe it was something dangerous. People do crazy things when feelings are running high. Love can make you feel great and can also make you depressed. The writing was so beautiful. I especially loved the way they explained without love you wouldn't even love your pets or children. That would be so sad. I think to feel the high you must feel the low. A book that will keep you thinking!---"I love you. Remember. They cannot take it" "You can't be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes""Love: It will kill you and save you, both" "The most dangerous sicknesses are those that make us believe we are well""It's so strange how life works: You want something and you wait and wait and feel like it's taking forever to come. Then it happens and it's over and all you want to do is curl back up in that moment before things changed."

5/5 StarsI didn’t expect to love this book as much as I do! The concept of love being a disease was just great. Really enjoyed the characters and loved their development throughout the book. Lauren Oliver delivered a beautiful and intense story about forbidden love. BUT THE ENDING, WHY?

Delirium (Delirium, #1), Lauren OliverDelirium is the first in her dystopian trilogy. It tells the story of a society where love has been considered a disease and everyone has to go through a special treatment on their eighteenth birthday to be cured of the illness. The book's protagonist, Lena, meets a boy who shows her not everything is as it seems. Published on January 1, 2011, by HarperCollins (HarperTeen).Characters: Hana Tate, Magdalena "Lena" Ella Haloway-Tiddle, Alex Sheathes, Carol Tiddle, Grace Tiddle.تاریخ نخستین خوانش: هجدهم ماه سپتامبر سال 2012 میلادیعنوان: شیدایی - کتاب اول ؛ نویسنده: لورن اولیور؛ مترجم: مهتاب هادوی؛ تهران؛ آذرباد، 1396؛ در 466 ص؛ شابک: 9786006225357؛ فروست: شیدایی؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 21 معنوان: جنون - کتاب اول ؛ نویسنده: لورن اولیور؛ مترجم: مریم مقدس؛ نسیم قیاسی؛ تهران؛ شهر قلم، 1396؛ در 448 ص؛ شابک: 9786003203976؛ فروست: شیدایی؛ ا. شربیانی

3,5 SterneIch hatte mal wieder so Lust auf eine Dystopie, sodass ich mal zu dieser SuB-Leiche gegriffen habe. Das Buch hat eigentlich exakt meine Erwartungen erfüllt, die zugegebenermaßen nicht allzu hoch waren. Es ist ein grundsolider Auftakt-Band einer Trilogie.Der Schreibstil ist sehr simpel, die Grundidee auch. Das macht das ganze aber nicht weniger lesenswert. Ich mochte die "Zitate" zu den Kapitelanfängen und auch der Spannungsbogen war gut gezeichnet bis zum Ende hin. Das Ende ist ein Cliffhanger, aber meiner Meinung nach ein schöner und kein fieser.Lena als Protagonistin ist mir leider noch etwas fremd geblieben. Genauso wie ich die Beziehungen der Charaktere untereinander ein bisschen zu eindimensional fand. Vor allem die Beziehung zu Hana habe ich nicht so ganz verstanden, aber vielleicht bringt da ja der nächste Band noch etwas Licht ins Dunkel.Alles in allem ein Pageturner, der sich sehr schnell lesen lies und Lust auf mehr macht.

I had chills--CHILLS--at the end of Lauren Oliver's Delirium. It was like I could hear Muse's "Uprising" playing in the background as I read the last passage. I was unbelievably moved by this resistance movement that will fight for the right to love. I had to read the last page out loud to my non-literary husband (something I haven't done since "Katniss, there is no District 12") just so that I could share it with someone.Fans of young adult dystopian fiction, rejoice! A remarkable new series has been added to our genre. I've been reading dystopian fiction way before there ever was The Hunger Games, and I was captivated by Delirium. This novel combines so many classic elements of dystopian literature into a moving, heart-rending tale of the ultimate forbidden love--not only is Lena forbidden to chose whom she will love, but she is forbidden to love PERIOD. I saw echoes of so many favorite dystopian works in Delirium (1984, Anthem, and perhaps the first YA dystopian novel, John Christopher's The White Mountains). I was hooked from the very beginning. I love the premise, and Lauren Oliver really delivered. Although the first quarter of the book drags in places, once Oliver hits her stride, the story grips your heart and emotions and doesn't let go. Oliver takes us on this fascinating journey of self-discovery with Lena, as Lena slowly learns to trust her heart, question the "truths" she's always been taught, and ultimately choose for herself. I loved seeing Lena gradually awaken from the slumber this world places on the mind as Alex show her how to think and feel and LOVE for herself.And that ending? I was blown away. Oliver foreshadowed it throughout the book, but I was still floored. There are certain events that I REALLY hope are possible for the next book based on that ending, so I read the last few pages several times to see if there's any hope there, and believe there is. Was that vague enough to keep it spoiler free?Delirium is a thought-provoking tale that had me riveted. It combines some of my favorite elements--forbidden love, dystopian world, resistance movement--into one compelling book that will haunt you well after you've read that stunning last passage.