Delirium
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4.5 • 107 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The first book in Lauren Oliver’s New York Times bestselling trilogy about forbidden love, revolution, and the power to choose.
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 mistake.
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?
Forbidden Love: Lena has been taught her whole life that love is a sickness. But when she meets Alex, she must decide if he is the disease… or the cure.Love is a Disease: In this world, amor deliria nervosa is a plague. The government's mandatory Cure at eighteen promises safety and peace—a life without feeling. Lena has always wanted that, until now.A Race Against Time: With only ninety-five days until her procedure, Lena’s time is running out. Every moment with Alex is a risk that brings her closer to a cure she no longer wants and a love that could get them both killed.A World Divided: He comes from the Wilds, the unregulated territory beyond the government's reach. She is a compliant citizen. Their connection is impossible, illegal, and could be the spark that ignites a revolution.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her sophomore novel, Oliver (Before I Fall) presents an intriguing but disappointing thought experiment, set in a dystopian future in which American borders are sealed and civil order is enforced by regulation, vigilantism, and "the procedure," a coming-of-age lobotomy that excises amor deliria nervosa, or love. Nearly 18, Lena Haloway welcomes the prospect; her mother underwent three unsuccessful procedures and eventually committed suicide, so Lena deeply believes that love equals suffering. Still, there's a subversiveness to her thoughts and actions, from nurturing the motherless child Gracie to reading Romeo and Juliet because it is "beautiful," not the cautionary tale it's presented as. When a strange, handsome boy begins to intrude on her life, strictly against the regulations, the "beauty" of that tragic trope begins to play out swiftly and relentlessly. The prose is accomplished, and the Portland, Maine, setting wonderfully evoked. However, Oliver's nightmare future lacks a visceral punch, primarily because of the weakness of the world-building. Her America has undergone a seismic shift, but the economic, religious, and cultural ramifications are all but ignored. Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
Heart breaking
It was amazing it seemed a bit like matched by ally condie but still an amazing read! The way Lauren Oliver uses such rich language and thoughts is unbelievable. I love Alex but the ending broke me. He broke my heart. Even tho he I wasn't Lena I felt her pain. I can't believe Lauren Oliver would do that in the end. Delirium was an amazing read the end broke me and left me behind the fence clouded with flames and smokes.
Must read
Delirium is my all time favorite book, I love it so much. I have read it over and over. It's definetly a book you won't want to put down.
Ehhh....
It dosent get good till the end. Its not bad but ive read better. Before i fall is also by Lauren Oliver and it was amazing.