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    Delirium
    Delirium
    Delirium
    Audiobook11 hours

    Delirium

    Written by Lauren Oliver

    Narrated by Sarah Drew

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Lauren Oliver's powerful New York Times bestselling novel Delirium—the first in a dystopian trilogy—presents a world as terrifying as George Orwell's 1984 and a romance as true as Romeo & Juliet.

    In an alternate United States, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the Cure. Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Portland, Maine, Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. She watched love destroy her mother and isn't about to make the same mistakes.

    But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena meets enigmatic Alex, a boy from the Wilds who lives under the government's radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

    Delirium received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal, and was named a Best Book of the Year by USA Today, Kirkus, Amazon.com, YALSA, and the Chicago Public Library and was selected as one of NPR's Top 100 Best Ever Teen Novels.

    Supports the Common Core State Standards

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateFeb 1, 2011
    ISBN9780062012524
    Author

    Lauren Oliver

    Lauren Oliver is the cofounder of media and content development company Glasstown Entertainment, where she serves as the President of Production. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of the YA novels Replica, Vanishing Girls, Panic, and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem, which have been translated into more than thirty languages. The film rights to both Replica and Lauren's bestselling first novel, Before I Fall, were acquired by Awesomeness Films. Before I Fall was adapted into a major motion picture starring Zoey Deutch. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, garnering a wide release from Open Road Films that year. Oliver is a 2012 E. B. White Read-Aloud Award nominee for her middle-grade novel Liesl & Po, as well as author of the middle-grade fantasy novel The Spindlers and The Curiosity House series, co-written with H.C. Chester. She has written one novel for adults, Rooms. Oliver co-founded Glasstown Entertainment with poet and author Lexa Hillyer. Since 2010, the company has developed and sold more than fifty-five novels for adults, young adults, and middle-grade readers. Some of its recent titles include the New York Times bestseller Everless, by Sara Holland; the critically acclaimed Bonfire, authored by the actress Krysten Ritter; and The Hunger by Alma Katsu, which received multiple starred reviews and was praised by Stephen King as “disturbing, hard to put down” and “not recommended…after dark.” Oliver is a narrative consultant for Illumination Entertainment and is writing features and TV shows for a number of production companies and studios. Oliver received an academic scholarship to the University of Chicago, where she was elected Phi Beta Kappa. She received a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from New York University. www.laurenoliverbooks.com.

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    Reviews for Delirium

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    • 5/5
      I wish I would have waited until the entire series was out, because I'm literally biting my nails waiting to find out what happens next! I stayed up late two nights to finish this book because I could not put it down. The premise of the book is that love is a fatal disease that must be eradicated. Children are segregated until they turn 18, at which point they get "the cure" (sounds like a lobotomy) and are matched up with a partner and told how many children to have. Lena, who considers herself plain, was excited to get the cure and be paired up until she meets Alex, who changes everything for her. I don't even know what to say about it... It's well-written, very powerful, yet so realistic (strange to say about a dystopian novel!) and compelling. Oliver creates not only a dystopian not-too-distant future, she creates a history for this society through textbooks and pamphlets, which we get a quote from at the beginning of each chapter. It's interesting to see how elements from our society are twisted in the new world, where love is considered a disease.

      Originally read March 15, 2011.


      "Love, the deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't. But that isn't it, exactly. … Love: It will kill you and save you, both." I'm getting ready to read the second book of the series and needed to refresh my memory. It's been a year and a half since I read it originally, but it was almost like a new book, which I mean in the best way. I kind of remembered the story and how it ended, but reading it was just like it was new. Oliver's language and word choice are perfect. Everything is so beautiful and suspenseful without the reader really realizing it. She has a unique way of describing love of all kinds.

      Re-read September 13, 2012.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      So, I'm giving this 3.5 stars because I really hated the ending. The dystopian world I thought was good but, seriously, we went through entire book for that. NOW I just found out there are sequels so maybe I won't be so annoyed. Ms. Oliver's writing is fast moving at times and tedious at times. I, honestly, can't picture any of the characters BUT the scenes move quickly so I will more than likely check out book .

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      "Delirium" is the story of a controlling, dystopian society trying to eradicate love. At 18 the citizens of the United States have part of their brain removed to cure the disease - amor deliria nervosa. While the book is well written, and I enjoyed it far more than "Before I Fall," at times I found the plot a bit slow and lacking detail. Lena, the main protagonist, drove me nearly crazy at times with her indecision and lack of inner strength. It is only at the end of the book that the reader catches a glimpse of a more complex, better Lena. I did like Lena's love interest, Alex, although as usual he is too perfect, but he is also a sweetie. The ending is climatic leaving readers eager to find out what happens next to Lena and Alex.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      The world-building of Delirium made me appreciate it completely, though I'm not really big on books with love stories or "love will find a way" kinds of plots. I strangely was under the impression (just from word-of-mouth about the book) that people had a legal choice in choosing whether or not they could be cured, so it was a nice and interesting surprise when I found out the contrary through actually reading it. Pacing was good as well, though I must admit, it would have been cooler for Lena to receive the cure and then it not work. The ending of the book seemed to mirror many other dystopian novels, with our protagonist escaping their corrupt regime and joining the resistance. Just once I'd like for the regime to "seemingly" win, and then it would turn out that whatever brain-washing or game they put the protagonist through didn't work. Overall, a decent novel, just not really for me, maybe.
    • 4/5
      The premise is not original - how many versions of "emotions are bad & society is going to give you something to get rid of them" have we seen since The Giver? However, the idea of it being a disease with symptoms and that falling in love is like "getting infected" - that is an interesting take on it. The book was well written, a little slow at first, but it picks up and flows quite nicely for the rest of the book. The characters are easy to relate to and easy to root for - and I did not see the twist at the end coming - I'll be starting book 2 tomorrow.
    • 2/5
      Think YA just isn't my current thing. Story and characters were OK, I just didn't care. page 140
    • 2/5
      I was really excited to pick up an e-ARC of Lauren Oliver’s Delirium on netgalley, as her first book, Before I Fall is one of my crit group member Shannon’s all-time faves.On a prose level, I can certainly understand her fondness for Oliver’s writing. It is very pretty and well-controlled, full of the sort of stylistic flourishes often absent in young adult literature. This was especially true in terms of her descriptions of the natural and man-made landscapes of the book. Delirium is set in a near-future version of Portland, Maine, and I almost felt like I’d been vacationing there by the time the book was finished. It’s a very well-described setting.Unfortunately, other aspects of the world building, and many other aspects of the plot, fell flat for me. My first problem was with the premise at large. This is a dystopian novel, and it opens with an extended infodump establishing our universe: in the future, a cure for love has been found, and with it, a host of mental disorders and crimes have been eliminated, too. At the age of eighteen (and not a moment sooner, we’re told, for fear of ill health effects—though this guideline is later broken without more than a slight nod of acknowledgement), all citizens are put through a “procedure” (a partial lobotomy, really), which cures them of all forms of love, from romantic infatuation to filial affection. The resulting population is peacefully matched to their future spouses, and, I suppose, the reader is supposed to be horrified.I had issues with this infodump as a narrative device—I think it’s always a little bland to start a book this way—but I would have abided by it if Oliver had built something truly terrifying with her premise. But instead of seeming scary, our heroine Magdalena’s world just seemed simply implausible to me. I think this premise is indicative of a larger problem with YA dystopians: they often seem to be forming arguments in opposition to criticisms that no one has made. If we’re to look at humanity, historically, and as we know it today, I find it exceedingly difficult to believe that anyone would line up for procedures which “cure” them of love, as the narration tells us has happened in this society—particularly as Lena’s society is nominally somewhat Christian, a religion which at least in its modern form pays a great deal of lip service to the importance of love. Further, there’s no inciting incident—the formation of a political dictatorship, for example; or some sort of plague or war that leaves humanity vulnerable—to really justify this sort of philosophical sea change. We see hints of some political despotism; there are raids of homes and all citizens are constantly monitored. But these tropes go unexplored and when they are described in any depth, it’s somewhat limply. Perhaps Oliver is holding out for the second and third volume in this series to give us any deeper answers, but I found that it contributed to this volume’s failure when added to the more pervasive problems.What’s worse, though (as I said above) what we have of the setting is beautifully described, it’s written in a way that is entirely too contemporary for my tastes. Bear in mind that I don’t dislike near-future political science fiction. When used correctly, I think contemporaneous details can contribute to the richness of a dystopian text. Take, for example, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. In Atwood’s novel, the accuracy of details makes it easy to see how her society advanced from one very much like ours to an absolutely stifling dystopian world. Sadly, the details of Delirium do none of that. Lena runs for her high school track team; her friend downloads music illegally. I found neither of these details, or any of the others like it, to be particularly incisive enough to create those sorts of logical links between our world and a terrifying future. Instead I found myself wondering if perhaps Oliver simply lacked the imagination to create an accurately vivid world herself.She tries. I know that she did because she utilizes an interesting narrative device, starting each chapter with a fictional piece of literature from her society, an excerpt from one of their handbooks for children or history texts or perhaps a prayer. But these, too, fail to coalesce into any deeper, more meaningful message. There was a vague anti-science message that I had a bit of trouble parsing—one prayer is a recitation of the periodic table, and there are references to how the church and science have merged to form a “New Religion, which teaches the Holy Trinity of God, Science, and Order.” I’m not entirely sure why, but I suspect this was supposed to be scary. But I don’t find the periodic table, even if told in nursery-rhyme form, particularly scary, and if the message is that we’re supposed to be scared of scientists who want to give us lobotomies, well then, yeah, clearly.Finally, though Lena’s voice is well-done (if a bit of an Everygirl), and some of the supporting characters vividly rendered, I found Alex, the love interest, the most important character to get right in a book about star-crossed lovers, to be utterly bland. He’s cute. He and Lena kiss. He recites poetry. But other than that, I have no idea who he is, and why he’s so special.Maybe that’s sort of the point. There’s a recurring thread here about Romeo and Juliet. In Lena’s repressed society, it’s taught as a “cautionary tale” about the dangers of love. When Alex hears that, he laughs and says it’s a great love story. The only problem with that is, of course, to call Romeo and Juliet naught but a great love story is to oversimplify. It is a cautionary tale—about blood feuds—and the capriciousness of Romeo’s emotions, particularly, and the fool-heartedness of both Romeo and Juliet are also important themes. Of course, that’s not how Romeo and Juliet are often perceived by high schoolers. Many see it in reductive, over-simplistic terms (see also: how Bella and Edward interpret it in New Moon), which is how they often see love, too, throwing themselves into it whole heartedly even with people who aren’t that interesting.If that was really Oliver’s point, then I think it’s a provocative one for a modern YA author to make. However, if that was her point, I really wish she would have shared it with her audience. Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review purposes from netgalley.com
    • 5/5
      I listened to this book in audiobook format and I enjoyed it. It is nicely-written and the plot kept me interested until the very end. I instantly wanted to read more of it and got the second book which is different but still I enjoyed it too. I can't get to reading the 3rd one yet but I will. I got hooked on these series as many did and these are great series. I recommend it to anyone who loves dystopian and romance.
    • 5/5
      Delirium was one of my favorite books I've read this year, which isn't saying a lot considering it's only January 9th. However, I think that by December it will have remained one of my favorites. Lauren Oliver is one of the best living writers. her control over language and dialogue is really excellent, and she writes very naturally and fluidly. Nothing seemed forced, and there were some very profound lines in this book. Also, the story was so creative, and the characters were vibrant and vivid. I really enjoyed reading about Lena's transformation from a strict rule-follower to someone who finally realizes what the world around her has become. The love story between Alex and Lena was believable, and the ending was heart-wrenching. Though I would have appreciated a little more world building and some backstory on what caused the widespread denouncement of love and its effects, there are two other books to come in the series, so I hope they will have more information. Even without all of the details, I thought this book was enjoyable, and I cannot wait for the next one.Favorite Quotations: (I read this as an e-galley, so the page numbers might be off a bit)"Hearts are fragile things. That's why you have to be so careful." p. 14"That's when you really lose people, you know. When the pain passes." p. 183"Love, the deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it, and when you do not. But that isn't it, exactly. The condemner and the condemned. The executioner and the blade; the last-minute reprieve; the gasping breath and the rolling sky above you and the thank you, thank you, thank you, God. Love: It will kill you and save you, both." p. 273
    • 5/5
      A truly beautify love story in a world were love is a desease. Falling in love, trying to escape and making to the wilds were love and freedom is not forbiden.
    • 3/5
      Love and other related emotions are eliminated by a "cure" in this dystopian future. The main character, Lena, is set to receive her cure on her 18th birthday and meets a boy, Alex, prior to doing so and her world is changed. This is an interesting concept, but I found the book to be a little on the slow and boring side. It felt like the book itself was missing emotion as well. Delirium is on ALA's 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominations. It must be because dystopian romances are big right now, but I'd suggest others before reading this one.
    • 3/5
      I dreaded this happening. DELIRIUM had been built up so much almost a whole year before its publication date that I wondered what I was going to do if I did not like it as much as the majority of other YA readers did. But I can’t deny that it wasn’t the book for me…and I’ll try to explain why.DELIRIUM is an impeccably crafted novel, and Lauren Oliver has a beautiful way with words. Still, those do very little for me if I cannot believe and invest in the essentials of the story and world…starting with Lena. Pardon me while I throw up my hands and despair yet again at why people insist on having main characters whom everyone else considers special and strong, but really isn’t…and not because of humility, but because they really do not display any actions or thoughts that I’d consider indicative of “strength,” and because they really are, in fact, just plain boring and bland. Lena talks at length about her unusually vibrant mother and how she feels different than everyone else, but little of her actions (or lack thereof) really show me that.None of the other characters in DELIRIUM really felt real to me, either. The romance between Lena and Alex was more about this inexplicable attraction between the two of them than any substantial development of a relationship. In fact, the narration seems to spend more time describing why this character or other should be a certain way instead of just letting the characters be the way they want us to see them as. Does that make sense? As a reader, I value my ability to figure out what the author intends for characters’ personalities instead of them being analyzed to death by the narration. As far as characterization goes, I definitely think that less (analysis) is more (details).But what didn’t work for me right from the start was the premise of DELIRIUM. Don’t get me wrong: if done right, I’m a sucker for the dystopian love-is-bad setup. But DELIRIUM failed to convince me of the world’s—shall we say, “fullness.” Perhaps this is because DELIRIUM arrives in the midst of a slew of other YA dystopian novels in which love is considered dangerous. It’s a hard premise to develop well, let’s just say that upfront! Nevertheless, as the pages passed, I found myself wondering: from what did this start? How does the science behind the cure actually work? Why do they allow those “dangerous” Uncured rebels to live in the wild without striking them down with all of their might? And then—if the society is supposedly so strict, why does Lena so easily escape the notice of all the Regulators on her law-breaking midnight bike ride? And then—how the hell would a group of people be able to have a typical high school beer-n-music barn party in this society? If that didn’t smack you upside the head as a blatant setup for another chance encounter between Lena and Alex, then I don’t know what will. I just…didn’t think the setup behind Lena’s society was thought through well enough to convince me that the characters fully lived in this world.The writing is wonderful, but that will not do it for me if the protagonist, supporting characters, and premise of the book do not feel complete. I’m sure that many readers will be so captivated by the lyricism and philosophical provocation to let my issues with the book hinder them, and rightfully so for the book. Still, though, this is what I thought of it.
    • 5/5
      Lena lives in a world of calm - there is little stress, little variation, little enthusiasm. This is because society has finally found a cure for humanity's downfall: love. At the age of 18, a time quickly approaching for Lena, all members of society are given the cure. This will allow them to be matched and to live life as happily as possible without the terrifying effects of love. Lena's mother could not be cured and it ruined her life - Lena cannot wait for her own procedure and is counting down the days. After meeting Alex, however, Lena starts counting down the days she has left to be in love. I really liked the premis of this book, especially how Lena compared the differences between her likes/dislikes/hobbies/reactions to those of her adult caretakers. It made me think about how much could really be effected if we no longer had the ability to love.
    • 5/5
      Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall was my favorite book of 2010 and I was eagerly anticipating her new dystopian follow up. Since I’m such a fan of both Lauren Oliver and dystopian books I had high expectations Delirium. I’m happy to say Delirium did not disappoint, and impressed me just as much as her first book. I read this book originally several months ago and was pondering it for a while deciding what to say in a review. I was emotionally wrecked after reading it the first time. I decided to re-read it after publication to pull my thoughts together. I ended up listening to the audiobook format this time.Delirium is takes place in Portland Maine in a future world where love is considered a disease. The disease is identified as amor deliria nervosa and scientists perform brain surgery on all citizens when they turn eighteen to cure them of the disease. Just before the procedure the candidates must submit to an interview before they can be matched to their ideal husband/wife. The main character Lena is just about to turn eighteen, and is looking forward to her procedure. Both of her parents have died, and the cure for deliria did not work on her mother after 3 attempts. Lena’s best friend Hana is starting to rebel against the strict regulated books, music, and curfews they are expected to follow. Lena and Hana are at an after-curfew party when Lena meets up with Alex. They fall hard for each other but of course need to keep their relationship a secret. Unfortunately the clock is ticking on Lena’s procedure date.The writing is incredible in this book. Ms. Oliver has a way with words and the emotions of the characters leap off the page. The writing is lovely and descriptive throughout the novel. Another nice touch is the passages at the beginning of each chapter. There are quotes from different government approved books, including the “Book of Shhh,” an abbreviation for “The Safety, Health, and Happiness Handbook.” These quotes provide more of a glimpse of the dystopian world.The set up of the book was done well and showed Lena’s life prior to getting “infected” by Alex. In the beginning, Lena is on board with the government program to get matched and have the procedure. She did not want to end up un-cured like her mother, although she misses and remembers her fondly. The government restricts all kinds of activity that inspires love/deliria or laughter and bugs phone calls and conducts random raids to look for violations. It is interesting to see Lena’s opinion change as she becomes more intrigued with the lives of “resisters.”This book explores relationships very well, and one of the strongest bonds in the book is between the friends Lena and Hana. They are best friends and have all kinds of plans of things they want to do before their procedure is scheduled. They enjoy going running together particularly. Lena worries that her friendship with Hana won’t be the same after the procedure.The relationship between Alex and Lena is one of the most compelling aspects of the book. Their relationship is smoldering and passionate, and he opens her eyes to a different world. They have the odds stacked against them and it makes you want them to succeed as a couple that much more.The book really shines in the final third of the book, when the action leads to a gut-wrenching cliffhanger. I can’t wait to find out what happens next. The next book in the series cannot arrive soon enough.Regarding the audiobook – I enjoyed listening to the book in this format. Actress Sarah Drew reads the book. Grey’s Anatomy fans will know her as April. Since I listened to the book after I read it first, I had an opinion on what Lena’s voice would sound like. At first, the reader did not match up to my expectation of Lena’s voice. However, as I listened more to the story I felt the reader did a great job with conveying Lena’s emotions and with the voices of the other characters. The audiobook is just over 11.5 hours long.Delirium is the first book in a trilogy. This book sets up the dystopian world well, but there is room to fill in more details about how the world ended up this way in future books. The premise seems believable and possible, and I enjoyed the dystopian elements. I would consider this book to be more about love and relationships first, but with a dystopian setting. I would recommend Delirium to fans of Before I Fall, as well as fans of YA and dystopians. The writing is simply beautiful, with a well-crafted story that will haunt you.The next book in the trilogy is called Pandemonium, and it is due out in Feb. 2012.
    • 5/5
      Much time has passed since I rated a book 5 stars. This is the fourteenth book I've cataloged here which obtained a perfect score. Given the subject matter, it's ironic that I'm questioning my own taste and judgment regarding the popular and juvenile aspect of this book. I wonder if my change in taste towards less highbrow books means I'm cured or if I'm infected. Delirium starts a bit too richly prosaically speaking. It's the hallmark of skillful fan fiction, and I'm beginning to think that this will be a long slog. But then the style changes a bit and the story unfolds. I'm pretty much sure that the writing changed and not that I adjusted to the stuffy language of Delirium. The twists in terms of expectations and the reader's involvement about what happens...all of this I haven't come across in a long time. Just when something exciting and very predictable is about to happen, the event is undercut with a less exciting, but more promising event.Delirium is a book with raw storytelling, and little world building. At first the tone and style and punch of the book irked me a bit because it reminded me of a better version of myself, as a writer. Then I realize that I could never write such a good book. Delirium goes about being brilliant in a quiet manner. Deep within its overflowing style is an economy of ideas. To show restraint while being very poetic is rarely seen. It has to be read. Delirium is a great book.
    • 5/5
      From the author of Before I Fall, Delirium is a love story set in a time and place where love itself is outlawed. 17 year old Lena (short for Magdalena) is anxiously awaiting her rite of passage to become safeguarded from the deadly disease known as Amor Deliria Nervosa, aka love. People are forced at the age of 18 to go through a procedure where the brain is surgically altered to be incapable of strong emotions, attachments, and love. This is because society has deemed love & strong emotions to be dangerous and the catalyst for social problems like violence and hate. The solution therefore is without love, there can then be no hate, and without hate society is safe. Or so it seems...Lena's own mother was mortally infected by the "disease", so she is hyper-aware and terrified of anything that could be a risk for it. But things change when she shocks herself and meets a boy who draws out a passion within her she never realized she had. From there her story mixes with dark adventure and incredible sacrifices that end with a bittersweet yet beautiful outcome. Overall I loved Oliver's writing and her description of the intensity of first love is perfect. Like the average teenage girl, I had a first love and it was such an intense and confusing experience, so I definitely could see how Lena's character would have a difficulty deciding between the promise of an uncomplicated life versus the chance of being hurt, tears and heartache. We ask ourselves all the time if it's worth putting our heart on the line. Love can at once be our greatest fear and greatest hope, and I love how well Lauren Oliver conveyed that in Delirium. It's a great YA book and I look forward to reading the next in the series for sure!You might like this if you liked:Matched, The Twilight Series, The Hunger Games Trilogy, Before I Fall, Uglies series
    • 5/5
      Great book with action up until the end.
    • 5/5
      The story of a dystopian alternative reality...a place and time in which Love has become a disease. The "cure" for the disease is a mandatory lobotomy. Lena is slated for her "Cure" in just 90 days and is excited and ready. One day her life changes and will never be the same. This is the first in a trilogy!
    • 4/5
      i love how sarah drew(april ) narrated go Greys anatomy
    • 1/5
      Tried but couldn't get into it at all. I've read other dystopian novels and really enjoyed them, but this one just bored me. I read over 40% before giving up. That was about 30% too much but I kept hoping it would get better.
    • 5/5
      My heart pounded so louddd!!
    • 5/5
      I really loved the premise of this book. When this is the case I'm usually disappointed by the execution but this was not one of those times. I'm not sure if this was deliberate, but she makes a great statement about today's world and our obsession with turning everything into a disease. We allow ourselves to be medicated for everything but at what cost? A very thought provoking and enjoyable read. If you're not really into the social commentary there is also a beautiful love story that will keep you flipping the pages.
    • 3/5
      i enjoyed it, though it made me really sad... should have figured it might - a world where love is a curable disease. oi. glad I don't live there!
    • 5/5
      I love how this piece of work is giving off a "The Hunger Games"-esque vibe. Maybe because in some ways, Lena is fighting for her life too. She's resisting. She finds ways to break free from everything. From every piece of lie that had been fed to her. USA (specifically Portland: setting of the story) is like Panem with all the strict rules the grip they both have in each and every citizen.
      The main theme of the book is: "What if love is a disease? And the cure for love will make you happy and safe forever."
      I can't go on and on with this book review because i'm not really good at not giving spoilers.
      "I love you. Remember. They cannot take it."
    • 5/5
      the ending blew me awaay.
    • 4/5
      Excellent and clever YA novel, a dystopian story about a future US than has deemed love a disease. The disease metaphor was handled interestingly and fairly adroitly; and I like that it's not just the teen idea of lovey-dovey love that's the illnes, but all forms of love. I liked the format and addition of "historical documents" illustrating the expunging of love from culture, including religious tracts, government healthcare articles, history books, etc. Sure to be a solid series aimed straight at my daughter's starry-eyed demographic, but that's okay if it's not crap, and this doesn't appear to be crap.
    • 2/5
      Well, I'm gonna buck the trend and call this the most thinly veiled metaphor for adolescence ever. Within the first two pages I was giggling hysterically at the premise. A society with a cure for love? But it only for those over 18 because for no clear reason it is dangerous for people under 18?I'm pretty sure I felt this way when I was a teenager, too. "Adults are, like, sooooo boring. They are only interested in boring things. They have *no idea* what it is like to experience the passion that I do. They have *no idea* what it is like to be in love. Like, ohmygod, all they care about is getting into college and scoring well on tests. My favorite color is gray. Why are they always telling me it will get better when I'm older? It will not. I will always be this bundle of passionate, feeling, hormones."I read the whole thing, but I skimmed. I can't say the premise ever became any less hilarious. I think it will do well with its target audience, though.
    • 4/5
      Futuristic plots are normally not my thing, but I enjoyed the premise of this storyline - Love has been ruled a disease by the government. And to create a better, balanced nation, on teens 18th birthday, they receive an operation that will protect them from getting 'sick.' Imagine a world where you grow up believing love is a sickness and you can't wait until you're old enough to get the cure?A little wordy at times, but I enjoyed it very much. Am looking forward to reading sequel.
    • 5/5
      Just finished Delirium after rocketing through it, much like I did Lauren Oliver's previous novel, Before I Fall. Totally loved it right up until the last page, last paragraphs. After reading those my mouth was hanging open and I wanted to email Lauren to ask what the heck she was thinking.

      NOW, I see the lovely bit in the parentheses that says (Delirium, #1) MEANING that the story is not over.... I'll hold off on sending Lauren that message because there is more to come!!!

      If these was a stand-alone book I would be exceptionally peaved. What a poopy ending ... if that was indeed the ending, but it's not!

      Hooray!!

      Now - when is #2 coming out. I want to know what will happen to our Romeo and Juliet!
    • 4/5
      Wow. Just.... wow. Amazing. Breathtaking. When is the next one coming out? I don't think I can wait.