BOOKREVIEW #56 Matched by Ally Condie
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Cassie, the lead in Ally Condie's Matched
trilogy is a quaint character confused by the sudden "error" with her matching ceremonies. Instead of seeing just one person as her perfect match, she saw, for a split second, another boy's face--someone she also knew. This caused a stir with her usual trusting demeanor towards the Society: the one who decides what she can read, can do, and by the time she turned eligible, can be with.
, Cassie discovers what it's like to be honest to her own feelings and took baby steps in deciding for her own life--a dangerous path if you're living under the power of the Society. Of course as teenagers, its expected that she has her own conflicting moments and that she's given benefit of the doubt between her confusion and hints of rebellious behavior, but her confusion reaches the point where she herself is not sure whether her "defiance" is truly her own choice or is something that was masked as her own doing but in essence truly a path where she was being lead towards.
Matched is a perfect escape for those who wants to draw inspiration from change. Like in many things, defiance breaks open possibilities. If you're thirsty for youthful mistakes, you would enjoy learning from Cassie's rage against the wind. The dystopian setting and romantic twist would definitely remind you of the Hunger Games' candor but Matched has less riveting action scenes in it. If you want something that is more focused on the romance story, then you'd definitely find a page turned in this one. I've also read the second book of Ally Condie's trilogy, Crossed
, and I would say it's perfect for those who are willing to go defy the limits fighting for the people they love.
For more on the Matched trilogy, visit our very own book heaven, Fully Booked. To read about the second book, here's my two cents. For more book reviews, go to me book reviews page.
PS. Speaking of Matched... are we matching? :p
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I will always be the romantic type. When the subject is love, I always get so protective of my freedom to choose; so in a dystopian world where teenagers get Matched
by the Society, it all boils down to how far you're willing to let yourself be pawned. "Do not go gentle..."
by the Society, it all boils down to how far you're willing to let yourself be pawned. "Do not go gentle..."
Cassie, the lead in Ally Condie's Matched
trilogy is a quaint character confused by the sudden "error" with her matching ceremonies. Instead of seeing just one person as her perfect match, she saw, for a split second, another boy's face--someone she also knew. This caused a stir with her usual trusting demeanor towards the Society: the one who decides what she can read, can do, and by the time she turned eligible, can be with.Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.In Matched
, Cassie discovers what it's like to be honest to her own feelings and took baby steps in deciding for her own life--a dangerous path if you're living under the power of the Society. Of course as teenagers, its expected that she has her own conflicting moments and that she's given benefit of the doubt between her confusion and hints of rebellious behavior, but her confusion reaches the point where she herself is not sure whether her "defiance" is truly her own choice or is something that was masked as her own doing but in essence truly a path where she was being lead towards.Matched
is a perfect escape for those who wants to draw inspiration from change. Like in many things, defiance breaks open possibilities. If you're thirsty for youthful mistakes, you would enjoy learning from Cassie's rage against the wind. The dystopian setting and romantic twist would definitely remind you of the Hunger Games' candor but Matched has less riveting action scenes in it. If you want something that is more focused on the romance story, then you'd definitely find a page turned in this one. I've also read the second book of Ally Condie's trilogy, Crossed
, and I would say it's perfect for those who are willing to go defy the limits fighting for the people they love.For more on the Matched trilogy, visit our very own book heaven, Fully Booked. To read about the second book, here's my two cents. For more book reviews, go to me book reviews page.
PS. Speaking of Matched... are we matching? :p
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Do you think the divorce rates will decreased if we were matched by society via computer? Right now with free choice, at least in the US, the divorce rates are pretty high, so that doesn't work very well now does it?
ReplyDeleteDivorce is not legal in the Philippines but I'm sure it can spike up if it were. There are a number of separated couples here too--only that we don't have divorce as a formality. We do have annulment. Which I think is a joke.
DeleteEverytime I read about dystopian society's I always ask myself the same question! Will divorce rae lessen (or be eliminated), will there be zero crime rate, etc. And even if my logic tells me yes (pretty much because how can people file for a divorce is there would no longer be the concept of a divorce?) but I think, like in the book, if you start dipping your toes to an idea of free will, you would end up questioning your constrained dictated background. Dystopian society's look so organized and functional and proper but I wouldn't trade my free will for anything. I think if there's one thing I wish to get from dystopian concepts, it's discipline and their sense of community. Believing in the value of what you do can bring out the best in societies, don't you think so?
Maybe? Or is it a steep challenge the main character rises to address in some society with a hyper-inflated problem?
DeleteDivorce is not legal in the Philippines??? I did not know that! Some couples can not and should not stay together. They just cause more damage the longer they stay together.
"hyper-inflated problem" i love how you put it. I don't want to be a posiler but in the book, even the education system is flawed. they don't know how to really write. and what they read are of course very limited too. so for a character to grow up in the type of rearing, to suddenly be brave enough to decide on her own, it's something. it's not as simple as not knowing which to choose, your own voice or what's dictated of your fate. it starts from not really knowing how to be a person of your own. the idea of being a mind of your own is alien to the dystopian society in the book.
DeleteYes it isn't! Philippines and the Vatican are the only remaining states forbidding divorce. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/7663/no-divorce-an-%E2%80%98honor%E2%80%99-for-philippines-says-vatican-envoy
Although yes I agree. I hope divorce be legalized here.
DeleteYes, isn't a dystopian society dysfunctional? Some problem is exaggerated and the effects are studied to make some point clear. The opposite from utopian society, an idealized society, (but those have pitfalls too).
ReplyDeleteI find it more interesting that some people know they are ill-fated from a very young age and just walk right into it their ill fate or destiny, instead of trying to avoid it. Like Lt. Dan in the movie Forest Gump or children in the 56 up documentary.