Delirium (Delirium Trilogy, #1)

by Lauren Oliver

Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

• ISBN10: 0061726826
• ISBN13: 9780061726828
• Publish Date: 1 February 2011
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[littleread1]

Pretty much figured that would end that way. Still, a great read.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Delirium has been on my radar for years, but I never quite felt like it was something I HAD to read. Recently I've been on a bit of a dystopian kick and have not been able to find nearly enough good options. When I came across this book at my library, I decided to finally give it a try and now I'm kicking myself for taking so long!

Lena lives in Portland, a city behind walls where love is a disease and everyone is cured as close to their 18th birthday as possible. Lena has spent her life segregated from uncured males and eagerly counts the days until she can be cured. The people of this world are constantly monitored and going against the status quo is strictly forbidden and something Lena would never dream of doing. At least, until she meets Alex.

I adored Lena so much! She spent her life being indoctrinated into a certain line of thought and fought hard against ideas that went against her beliefs, which is so much more believable than characters who flip flop with no hesitation. I loved her fear and that she had to be dragged kicking and screaming towards the truth. It made it feel so real! But I loved how strong she remained while her world was turned upside down and I loved her relationship with Alex. He was a perfectly swoon-worthy dystopian love interest and I really enjoyed getting to know him and his backstory.

Honestly, all of the characters in this book were incredibly well-written. The "cured" adults were creepy and devoid of all emotion and I loved watching Lena come to that realization. The relationship between Lena and Hana was another favorite. I'm really hoping to learn more about Hana in a future book, but I have no idea if that's the direction the series will go!

Like the adults, the world of Delirium was really disturbing and well fleshed out. I wish that there was a bit more info on how the world decided that love was a disease and why, but Lauren Oliver actually did a pretty good job of explaining the development of the cure. I was also super intrigued by the Wilds and how the people in the cities pretended they didn't even exist. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.

Delirium was my first Lauren Oliver book, but it definitely won't be my last. I've already started Pandemonium and I'm planning to check out the rest of her backlog. If you're a fan of dystopian YA and haven't read this yet, I highly recommend getting yourself a copy. Just make sure you have book two on hand because that ending is brutal!

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Initial thoughts: What drew me to Delirium was the premise — love as disease and mental illness. Anyone who has gone through heartaches can attest to the anguish. For some people, that can also manifest as physical pain. Others wish they could numb themselves, and there there are those who detach themselves emotionally. Thus, a society that sought to cure everyone from love, intrigued me.

Delirium is a considerably slow-paced book, particularly for a dystopian novel. I kind of liked that. There was space to breathe, to get to know the characters and the world that they inhabited. I also enjoyed seeing Lena's journey, especially in terms of her mindset. However, on some fronts, I found it hard to accept how quickly and easily she abandoned some of her convictions.

[Kim Deister]

Delirium Why did I wait so long to start reading this amazing series?! I love the premise of this story, that love is not only the root of all that is wrong with the world, but a disease in and of itself. The implications are terrifying, the thought processes and sheer control of the government in their attempt to subdue basic human emotions in the name of social order.
 
I love, love, love dystopian fiction. Every dystopia is the result of an attempt at Utopia, an attempt that goes horribly wrong. It is chilling to see different aspects of our own world seen in a different way, seen by the new society as the root of all problems. These novels make you think, make you question your values, your beliefs, your priorites. They make you ask what price you are willing to pay for a "better" world? And is what you're striving for really what you want?
 
In this one, it is love that is the root of all that is wrong with the world, a basic human emotion that is wiped out in the name of peaceful society, with often horrific results. It is interesting that this is a society based on social order and science, and yet so much of what is done to the citizens is barbaric. Every aspect of life is controlled. Every social norm, every law... all in place because of the views on the destructive nature of love. It is terrifying.
 
Lena is a fantastic heroine, spending her life believing in the society's views on love and life. She yearns for her turn to be cured, wanting nothing more than to be assured of her safety and future. Her best friend Hana is the wild child, flying in the face of the rules. Lena's transformation is slow, caught between her fear of deliria and the overwhelming feeling that there just might be something more. But she isn't Hana. She is a bit timid, and has her own baggage to add to her fear. But then she meets Alex and he opens her eyes to the world she lives in. Everything she thought she knew about her life, her past, and her future flips and nothing will ever be the same for her again.
 
The ending. Oh, the ending. I am still having a hard time dealing with it and I am almost done with the second book as I am writing this. And that is all I am going to say about that!
 
Things to love...
 
--Lena. She wasn't a cookie cutter heroine. When we meet her, she is a bit timid, fully in line with the social order. Her transformation is slow and considered and I liked that. --Hana. She's a contradiction, seemingly everything Lena is not. Brave, fearless, rebellious. Yet, in the end, it is Lena that risks everything, not Hana. --Alex. There is so much more to him than just a love interest. He is deep and represents everything that should be in their world.
 
My Recommendation
 
This is a fantastic dystopian read, with a chilling premise!

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

This is a much different take on dystopia than that to which I am accustomed. It is about a person more than a government, and the point of view leaves you floating instead of fighting, crying instead of cursing. The main character, Lena, is just as confused and excited as any teen falling in love for the first time, but there are no googly eyes and despite the fact that love is the basis of the book, her love story doesn't want to make you vomit.

Oliver does something that I find refreshing - she focuses on different kinds of love. We fall too quickly in the assumption of romantic love, but there is the love between friends and the love in families as well, and they are all equally important. All of it is considered a disease.

At the end of the book, the story is only just beginning. I don't love Lena, although I liked her "one true love," but the idea and possibilities are enough to keep me reading more.

Color me intrigued.

[catiebug]

I have had the first two books of this series sitting on my shelf for the past two years. I didn't want to start it until I got the last book, which I finally got recently, after many times putting it into my Amazon cart then eventually taking it out.

I was a bit hesitant about picking up this series. When it first came out, I there was so much hype, then there was also a ton of people who didn't care for it. I'm so glad I picked it up though. From the first page I was hooked. The book just kept me so interested with so much stuff being revealed.

I loved the characters and seeing Lena grow. I loved learning about this new world. Now I can't wait to finish this series to see where it goes next. Especially after that ending!

[Bianca]

I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.

Pretty fantastic. Very unique story good narrative voice. Quite unpredictable.

[mrs_mander_reads]

A new take on dystopian, and I loved it. Especially all the supplementary material at the beginning of the chapters. I like the two main characters a lot, but sometimes the love story was a LITTLE heavy for their "age" in the book. We'll see.It was a super quick read. Looking forward to the rest of the set, as well as the short stories.

[neddieb]

I don't think I was reading the same book as those who rated this book with 4 or more stars. Did I miss something? This book dragged and dragged, I found myself bored at times. I will admit the idea in that LOVE is a disease that destroys people and the only remedy is to be "cured" is actually intriguing, however the book was really slow and I kept loosing interest. The only thing I found myself thinking of more was how much longer I had to read before I was done with this book.