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karen's Reviews > The Transfer
The Transfer (Divergent, #0.1)
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veronica roth is so smart.
not only is she releasing, in measured intervals, four novellas (four about FOUR!! get it??) that lead right up to the release date for the Divergent movie in march, but she is being smart about how she writes them.
i wasn't crazy about Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story, but this one is fantastic. with Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story, she just retold a scene from Divergent from tobias' perspective. which is nice, but since i am too old to be crushing on a (teenage) character from a book, i didn't get all whoopty-blah about it. it was fine, and i love that it exists for the more age-appropriate fans to swoon over, but it didn't really work for me as a reader.
but this one did. and going by my two-years-ago memory of reading Divergent (and reading other people's reviews of The Transfer: A Divergent Story, thank you all) there isn't any new, revelatory material here. everything here, plotwise, has been covered in the previous books. but roth fleshed out the bones of known backstory with that meat of fiction: character. and it reminded me why i liked Divergent so much. so it works as a refresher: "this is why you liked this character, remember?? this is where he is coming from and what he has experienced. and this is how i write, which is not the most poetic or original style in the world, but it is with a powerful sense of sympathy and immediacy. and you like that."
so it's great to have this memory-blast, and i assume the three forthcoming ones will be the same kind of thing - where we aren't being given new material, just enhanced, already-known plot, which doesn't come across as redundant because of all the added surrounding detail, but which also means that a fan without access to e-books isn't going to be deprived of actual content if they aren't able to read them.
smart, smart, smart.
what is not smart is this casting.
now, according to my imdb-and-math skills, this guy is only 24, and tobias is supposed to be 18, but this actor looks so much older than 24, right? this isn't a kid, this is a full-on grown-up dude.
"i do not care for it" i sniff petulantly.
but i did care for this story. and i will gladly be snatching up the other three.
WOOT!
come to my blog!
not only is she releasing, in measured intervals, four novellas (four about FOUR!! get it??) that lead right up to the release date for the Divergent movie in march, but she is being smart about how she writes them.
i wasn't crazy about Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story, but this one is fantastic. with Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story, she just retold a scene from Divergent from tobias' perspective. which is nice, but since i am too old to be crushing on a (teenage) character from a book, i didn't get all whoopty-blah about it. it was fine, and i love that it exists for the more age-appropriate fans to swoon over, but it didn't really work for me as a reader.
but this one did. and going by my two-years-ago memory of reading Divergent (and reading other people's reviews of The Transfer: A Divergent Story, thank you all) there isn't any new, revelatory material here. everything here, plotwise, has been covered in the previous books. but roth fleshed out the bones of known backstory with that meat of fiction: character. and it reminded me why i liked Divergent so much. so it works as a refresher: "this is why you liked this character, remember?? this is where he is coming from and what he has experienced. and this is how i write, which is not the most poetic or original style in the world, but it is with a powerful sense of sympathy and immediacy. and you like that."
so it's great to have this memory-blast, and i assume the three forthcoming ones will be the same kind of thing - where we aren't being given new material, just enhanced, already-known plot, which doesn't come across as redundant because of all the added surrounding detail, but which also means that a fan without access to e-books isn't going to be deprived of actual content if they aren't able to read them.
smart, smart, smart.
what is not smart is this casting.
now, according to my imdb-and-math skills, this guy is only 24, and tobias is supposed to be 18, but this actor looks so much older than 24, right? this isn't a kid, this is a full-on grown-up dude.
"i do not care for it" i sniff petulantly.
but i did care for this story. and i will gladly be snatching up the other three.
WOOT!
come to my blog!
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
September 12, 2013
– Shelved
September 12, 2013
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Finished Reading
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Sep 14, 2013 11:50AM
word! Tobias is super old looking, they must really be playing up that three year age gap between him and Tris....
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i never knew any 18-year olds that were so... chiseled when i was in my youth...
I really am not feeling the majority of the cast (except Kate Winslet. That woman can do no wrong.) Hopefully they have awesome acting skills so they can convince me.
I think the actress cast as Tris is too tall for the role. Much is made about how little Tris is, and Shailene Woodley is 5'8".
holy shit!! i swear that wasn't the result of my math skills - they must have changed the data.proof - i see where i wrote it down at work the other day.
phew.
karen wrote: "holy shit!! i swear that wasn't the result of my math skills - they must have changed the data.proof - i see where i wrote it down at work the other day.
phew."
JG told me they made Theo 24 in the movie because he's so much older in real life.
this changes everything!!i mean, not the movie, but my complaints about the casting, at least.
I'd like to listen your predictions about Allegiant and about that flowing water sculpture his mother gives him (I think it matches cover art of Allegiant) and it is metaphor of freedom
Or how do you say it metaphor for or metaphor of ?
Mike wrote: "He looks exactly like me at that age. Astonishing."Me too!
Agreed on the casting. I didn't know this novella existed, and will be downloading it immediately. Does anyone know where I can find a detailed plot recap of Insurgent? I read it when it first came out and I don't remember much about it. I've read Divergent twice, so I remember that one pretty well. But I don't really want to re-read Insurgent.
Also, Kamal Pamuk from Downton Abbey IS definitely too old for the role (I don't buy him as 24 either), but he sure is pretty to look at.
I remember the day they cast Theo James as Four. I was going nuts, jumping on my couch.
I cannot wait until we see this movie!
Also the fact that Theo clearly isn't bi-racial seems to be an interesting factor since Four is. Roth talks a lot about it in one of her blog posts.
Actually Theo James has 29 years old and for the movie Tobias have 24 years old not 18.
yup. michelle beat you there!
Why can't they get some good teen actors with the correct ages? The Hunger Games movie did the same
So yes, I think he looks older than his character for sure, but I am still so excited for this movie! Most young adult books are made with such young characters in movies that I can't relate to them even though I'm 27, not that much older. So to see characters that are a bit older in their 20's, at least for me, is refreshing.
hahaha i also hated the casting choice :D
I like his casting. I watched golden boy last year and he can look young and vulnerable, but older when he needs to. In my mind he fits the role because he throws himself into being dauntless. She noticed how his built unlike some of the other dauntless. But their faction is supposed to be strong and muscular and he had 2 years of all alone time before tris came along to do it. Plus he is very nice to look at. I think he will surprise you. I am just hoping shailene woodley surprises me. She is not a favorite of mine and definitely the one I'm not sure about out of all the cast. I hope she does tris justice.
i'm still going to see it, obviously!! i'm not sold on the trailer, but i am willing to be proven wrong, as always!!
Karen, I think he will pleasantly surprise you. I hope I'm not wrong about him, but he always does well in the parts he plays. I have a feeling they stuck to the book with this one. Or maybe that's me just praying :)
It's hard to find young actors to play the roles I think because they aren't as emotionally ready to take on the part. This series is packed with so much emotion and I think the older actors will be able to handle it better than someone so young and yes I know they aren't supposed to be my age and they are younger, but I also like the fact I can relate to them and not drooling over some 18 year old and feel like its wrong. This book may be Ya, but they are intense and widely read by the adult crowd just like hunger games.
oh, definitely - in fact, i am pretty sure there are even more adults reading this series than actual teens
I had a friend in junior college that looked exactly like this at 18. That being said, it isn't very common. He was very tall and very into p90X.
Tis not matter, he's hot
"i do not care for it" i sniff petulantly. This line made my night.
I gave four stars to four. Lol.
