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All her life, Cassia has never had a choice. The Society dictates everything: when and how to play, where to work, where to live, what to eat and wear, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, whom to marry. When she is Matched with her best friend Xander, things couldn't be more perfect. But why did her neighbor Ky's face show up on her match disk as well?Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Aerrin99 Both books feature central heroines living in dystopian worlds that aren't quite what they seem. They each have an engaging romance and a story that digs behind the curtain of the society their characters live in.
390
Trojanprincess The two worlds seem similar in the way that every aspect of their livee are controlled.
Also recommended by Ynaffit27, frankiejones
230
kqueue Another story about a 'perfect' society that is deeply flawed once you look beneath the surface. Both feature strong heroines who fight against the powers in control, and both have themes of independence and free will.
200
simonie une autre dystopie
jfoster_sf Both are powerful love stories that take place in a future where the government controls their lives. If you love Matched you will love Delirium=)
Also recommended by foggidawn
111
dizzyweasel Dystopian novel about government control and arranged marriages.
80
Phantasma Similar imagined world with similar outsider view changing the opinions of some insiders.
31
Moongirl Ebenfalls eine Distopie, welche in der Zukunft spielt.
BookshelfMonstrosity Both of these series have young teens involved in a rigorous selection process to be matched with their future spouse. Political intrigue and the darker side of these dystopian societies set on a future earth add intensity and action.
Also recommended by Aleana
coxy132 Both have dystopian romance between groups that are not supposed to fall in love
Phantasma Many of the short stories in this Asimov collection have similar ideas to the ones mentioned in Matched, such as matching a person's abilities and personality to their job and then giving them instruction in only that job. Most of the stories in the Asimov collection are distopian futures based on technology. And, for something originally written in the 50s... still quite plausible.
Phantasma A Utopian novel with a similar world-view and premise.
11
by anonymous user
Member Reviews
A YA novel set in a future in which every aspect of people's lives -- including who they marry, where they work, and even when they die -- is carefully and scientifically controlled. But when young Cassia is Matched with her carefully calculated ideal marriage partner, something apparently goes wrong. She's shown images of not one boy, but two, both of whom she knows. She's quickly assured that the extra Match is a mistake, but after that, she can't help seeing the boy in question differently. And, slowly, she begins to perceive her own supposedly perfect society differently, as well.
I'm really surprised by just how much I liked this book. My only complaint, initially, was that the writing style was overly simplistic, as if written for show more readers much younger than its apparent target audience. But it quickly won me over, because there's something about the sparseness of the prose that's actually quite appropriate for such an inexperienced character living in such a pared-down and tightly constrained society. And the story is definitely not simplistic. I very much appreciate the fact that the culture it describes doesn't, on the surface, look all that bad. You can absolutely understand why people believe in it, which just makes its subtle evils all the more effectively disturbing. The world-building in general is good, too. There are a few small details that I have a little trouble believing in as directions any society could actually go in, but there are surprisingly few of them, and even those make sense in emotional terms, if not necessarily logical ones.
I don't think Condie is going to win any awards for originality. Arguably, she's jumping on the Hunger Games bandwagon here, but mostly this reminded me very, very strongly of Lois Lowry's The Giver. This one works for me, though, in all kinds of ways that The Giver didn't.
I absolutely must get my hands on a copy of the second book in this series soon. show less
I'm really surprised by just how much I liked this book. My only complaint, initially, was that the writing style was overly simplistic, as if written for show more readers much younger than its apparent target audience. But it quickly won me over, because there's something about the sparseness of the prose that's actually quite appropriate for such an inexperienced character living in such a pared-down and tightly constrained society. And the story is definitely not simplistic. I very much appreciate the fact that the culture it describes doesn't, on the surface, look all that bad. You can absolutely understand why people believe in it, which just makes its subtle evils all the more effectively disturbing. The world-building in general is good, too. There are a few small details that I have a little trouble believing in as directions any society could actually go in, but there are surprisingly few of them, and even those make sense in emotional terms, if not necessarily logical ones.
I don't think Condie is going to win any awards for originality. Arguably, she's jumping on the Hunger Games bandwagon here, but mostly this reminded me very, very strongly of Lois Lowry's The Giver. This one works for me, though, in all kinds of ways that The Giver didn't.
I absolutely must get my hands on a copy of the second book in this series soon. show less
Matched by Ally Condie is the first of the Matched trilogy. Cassia at age 17 is ready for the matching ceremony and lucky enough to have it fall on her actual birthday. Most teens are matched to other teens living in different cities but Cassia's match ends up being her best friend, who is also present at the ceremony. Just as she's settling into the perfect fairytale ending ever, the picture in her matching info packet changes, to show another boy she knows, and one due to a family crime can never be matched.
That opening scene sets up a near future society familiar to any regular reader of speculative or dystopian fiction. It's set squarely with George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Ira Levin's This Perfect Day. As the society seems show more to be functioning at the start of the book — with a fairly high acceptance rate — I'd say the book is closer to Levin than Orwell.
The Society's stated goal (whether true or not) is to provide the best possible life for all its citizens through the management of personal data. Cassia is on track to be a Sorter — one of the Society who take the data and make decisions based on it. She's very good at it — efficient and observant. And as she has the eyes of the Society for a very important position, she gets glimpses into the seedier underpinnings of it.
And it was through the Sorting plot that I fell in love with the book. See, I'm a sorter too, of a sort. The Society is basically a curated one, a civilization created and run by over zealous librarians who uniformly decided on the 100 best songs, 100 best poems, 100 best novels, 100 best movies and how best to use metadata to manage people. show less
That opening scene sets up a near future society familiar to any regular reader of speculative or dystopian fiction. It's set squarely with George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Ira Levin's This Perfect Day. As the society seems show more to be functioning at the start of the book — with a fairly high acceptance rate — I'd say the book is closer to Levin than Orwell.
The Society's stated goal (whether true or not) is to provide the best possible life for all its citizens through the management of personal data. Cassia is on track to be a Sorter — one of the Society who take the data and make decisions based on it. She's very good at it — efficient and observant. And as she has the eyes of the Society for a very important position, she gets glimpses into the seedier underpinnings of it.
And it was through the Sorting plot that I fell in love with the book. See, I'm a sorter too, of a sort. The Society is basically a curated one, a civilization created and run by over zealous librarians who uniformly decided on the 100 best songs, 100 best poems, 100 best novels, 100 best movies and how best to use metadata to manage people. show less
Matched is the book I never knew I was waiting for. A dystopian society where everything is arranged, from jobs to marriages to deaths. A love triangle that may have been influenced by government involvement. A teen girl that isn't being pressured by the boys to make a choice. I fell in love from the very first page.
You know how with some books everything just clicks? That's what happened while reading Matched. With every detail, every plot twist, every character interaction, I fell farther and farther under this books spell. Cassia was an amazing main character. She understands the world around her, as far as the society wants her to, yet as clues surface countering all that she believes, she's willing to look deeper. She's willing to show more take risks and think beyond life as she knows it. While those around her ignore the obvious, be it out of fear or loyalty or ignorance, she must know the truth - not in an altruistic, starting a revolution type of way, but in a more personal, having the right to make my own decisions type of way.
While the love triangle is obviously a major focus in the book, it's not done in the typical way. This isn't a case of a girl hemming and hawing over with perfectly awesome boy she wants to be with. This isn't even the choice between the nice guy and the bad boy. The love triangle in Matched is three innocent teens being toyed with by the government. Cassia is more than willing to be with best friend Xander as society has chosen for her, but why would they also seem to have chosen Ky, who can't be matched? Over the course of the book, Cassia becomes willing to question the infallible society she lives in and risk everything she holds dear because what if the guy that can't be the one is actually her soulmate?
I loved, and loved to hate, the society in Matched. The way it was structured and run (both transparently and in the shadows) seemed both efficient and horrifying. What made the way of life so effective in the story was that is wasn't all bad. Many times, it seemed like a wonderful way to live. Other times, not so much. Very much more good intentions run amuck, rather than purposely evil.
I loved everything about Matched. I toyed with the idea of writing this as my entire review: I loved Matched so much I want to make out with it. It's just that kind of book. If you even remotely like young adult dystopia, you need to pick Matched up immediately. You can thank me later. show less
You know how with some books everything just clicks? That's what happened while reading Matched. With every detail, every plot twist, every character interaction, I fell farther and farther under this books spell. Cassia was an amazing main character. She understands the world around her, as far as the society wants her to, yet as clues surface countering all that she believes, she's willing to look deeper. She's willing to show more take risks and think beyond life as she knows it. While those around her ignore the obvious, be it out of fear or loyalty or ignorance, she must know the truth - not in an altruistic, starting a revolution type of way, but in a more personal, having the right to make my own decisions type of way.
While the love triangle is obviously a major focus in the book, it's not done in the typical way. This isn't a case of a girl hemming and hawing over with perfectly awesome boy she wants to be with. This isn't even the choice between the nice guy and the bad boy. The love triangle in Matched is three innocent teens being toyed with by the government. Cassia is more than willing to be with best friend Xander as society has chosen for her, but why would they also seem to have chosen Ky, who can't be matched? Over the course of the book, Cassia becomes willing to question the infallible society she lives in and risk everything she holds dear because what if the guy that can't be the one is actually her soulmate?
I loved, and loved to hate, the society in Matched. The way it was structured and run (both transparently and in the shadows) seemed both efficient and horrifying. What made the way of life so effective in the story was that is wasn't all bad. Many times, it seemed like a wonderful way to live. Other times, not so much. Very much more good intentions run amuck, rather than purposely evil.
I loved everything about Matched. I toyed with the idea of writing this as my entire review: I loved Matched so much I want to make out with it. It's just that kind of book. If you even remotely like young adult dystopia, you need to pick Matched up immediately. You can thank me later. show less
This is the first entry in a trilogy of unusual spirit. The premier volume is told entirely from the viewpoint of Cassia, a young woman about to be "Matched" to her life companion by the Society formulas that rule her world. Unexpectedly, the microcard reveals two faces. Is this a computer glitch or a symptom of something more deeply wrong in the Society?
There are many elements in this story that are fairly typical of YA dystopian tales. A Utopia that is flawed and rotting at its core. Rebellious teenagers that find inconsistencies and lies in what their society teaches. Two completely different young men in love with the same girl. So why do I like this so much?
The characters are compassionate, complex, and human. The Society world is show more clearly revealed and complete without massive information dumps or tedious explanation. The relationships are ever changing and feel true and real. But there's more.
The aspect of this story that appeals most strongly to me is the fact that rebellion against the overly sterile and regimented Society is expressed in small acts of personal choice and the unspoken determination to preserve things that the Society has jettisoned. Most important to Cassia's story is a secret copy of Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night." The idea of not "going gentle" into acceptance of the status quo is the first spark of Cassia's rebellion. The importance of poetry and creative thought will be a major theme of the entire trilogy. Lovely.
Recommended with enthusiasm. show less
There are many elements in this story that are fairly typical of YA dystopian tales. A Utopia that is flawed and rotting at its core. Rebellious teenagers that find inconsistencies and lies in what their society teaches. Two completely different young men in love with the same girl. So why do I like this so much?
The characters are compassionate, complex, and human. The Society world is show more clearly revealed and complete without massive information dumps or tedious explanation. The relationships are ever changing and feel true and real. But there's more.
The aspect of this story that appeals most strongly to me is the fact that rebellion against the overly sterile and regimented Society is expressed in small acts of personal choice and the unspoken determination to preserve things that the Society has jettisoned. Most important to Cassia's story is a secret copy of Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night." The idea of not "going gentle" into acceptance of the status quo is the first spark of Cassia's rebellion. The importance of poetry and creative thought will be a major theme of the entire trilogy. Lovely.
Recommended with enthusiasm. show less
This was an interesting story about what we value as a society and as people. Do we value the risks and uncertainty that come with freedom to live our lives as we choose over stability and safety and longevity?
As I was reading this, I couldn't help but be horrified by the existence that the members of this Society live. Their every move is monitored, even their dreams are monitored, and this information is used to predict and guide them to the optimal life. Their food is specially formulated for their metabolism, and is delivered 3 times a day - no sharing, no treats unless it's a special occasion and sanctioned by the Officials. There is no free time, no unscheduled alone time - every second is ruled by the Officials. Sure, you get show more your free-rec hour, with your choice of seeing a showing, which is essentially a Society propaganda film, going to a music hall where the music is simulated, or going to the game center.
The world has been narrowed down to a hundred of each kind of thing because life was just too cluttered before. Now there are one hundred stories, one hundred poems, one hundred songs, one hundred paintings, etc. Everything else was deemed unnecessary and slated for incineration. All of the world's history and beauty and creativity, gone, just like that.
Ally Condie did a great job building this world, and making me believe it. She did a great job showing the bleak and dreadful aspects of living in a world where any difference, any nonconformity, could mean disaster. I loved how she brought this knowledge to us through Cassia's gradual understanding of her world. What was once perfect and ideal turns into a stifling cage. The only thing that I would have liked was a little backstory about how the world became this way, but as history is avoided, it's unlikely that it would just be handed to us on a silver platter. I hope that Cassia finds out though because if we don't know where we came from, it's impossible to get back.
I loved all of the characters in this story. I loved Cassia's growth and her willingness to do what she thinks is right for the people she loves, even if what she thinks is right is the very thing that the Society tells her is wrong and forbidden. I liked that she was willing to go against the grain, to go against what even she recognizes as a great match, for a chance at even truer happiness.
I loved Ky as well. I loved his control, his innate knowledge of the ways of the world, and how he helps Cassia to see things the way that they really are, and not the way that the Society wants them to be seen. I loved the way that he was passionate inside, but never showed his hand, even when the whole system seemed against him.
I loved Xander for his devotion and true friendship even when his perfect world was falling down around him. His best friend is falling deeper and deeper, and running more and more risks, yet he never says a word and helps as much as possible, even when that goes against everything that he wants for himself.
I really enjoyed this story, and I can't wait to see where the sequel takes us. show less
As I was reading this, I couldn't help but be horrified by the existence that the members of this Society live. Their every move is monitored, even their dreams are monitored, and this information is used to predict and guide them to the optimal life. Their food is specially formulated for their metabolism, and is delivered 3 times a day - no sharing, no treats unless it's a special occasion and sanctioned by the Officials. There is no free time, no unscheduled alone time - every second is ruled by the Officials. Sure, you get show more your free-rec hour, with your choice of seeing a showing, which is essentially a Society propaganda film, going to a music hall where the music is simulated, or going to the game center.
The world has been narrowed down to a hundred of each kind of thing because life was just too cluttered before. Now there are one hundred stories, one hundred poems, one hundred songs, one hundred paintings, etc. Everything else was deemed unnecessary and slated for incineration. All of the world's history and beauty and creativity, gone, just like that.
Ally Condie did a great job building this world, and making me believe it. She did a great job showing the bleak and dreadful aspects of living in a world where any difference, any nonconformity, could mean disaster. I loved how she brought this knowledge to us through Cassia's gradual understanding of her world. What was once perfect and ideal turns into a stifling cage. The only thing that I would have liked was a little backstory about how the world became this way, but as history is avoided, it's unlikely that it would just be handed to us on a silver platter. I hope that Cassia finds out though because if we don't know where we came from, it's impossible to get back.
I loved all of the characters in this story. I loved Cassia's growth and her willingness to do what she thinks is right for the people she loves, even if what she thinks is right is the very thing that the Society tells her is wrong and forbidden. I liked that she was willing to go against the grain, to go against what even she recognizes as a great match, for a chance at even truer happiness.
I loved Ky as well. I loved his control, his innate knowledge of the ways of the world, and how he helps Cassia to see things the way that they really are, and not the way that the Society wants them to be seen. I loved the way that he was passionate inside, but never showed his hand, even when the whole system seemed against him.
I loved Xander for his devotion and true friendship even when his perfect world was falling down around him. His best friend is falling deeper and deeper, and running more and more risks, yet he never says a word and helps as much as possible, even when that goes against everything that he wants for himself.
I really enjoyed this story, and I can't wait to see where the sequel takes us. show less
A perfect society is one where all choices are made for you: what to eat, where to work, who to marry, and when to die…at least that is what seventeen-year Cassia is innocently brought up to believe. When her best friend Xander is chosen for her as an unexpected match, she happily accepts, until the face of another boy flashes across her screen and she begins to question the intent of the all-knowing Society. Thorough descriptions of a highly technological and controlling culture that praises conformity and assures optimal outcomes set a disturbing tone for introspective Cassia’s daily experiences in a dystopian future. The author cleverly employs questioning inner thoughts, controversial dialogue, provocative events, and revealing show more flashbacks to carefully express the developing relationships Cassia has with the two boys that have been linked to her future. Middle school readers and up will undoubtedly connect to Cassia’s personal relationships with supportive friends and a caring family as she painfully confronts her own predispositions and rebelliously questions her place in a society that she now understands does not have her best interests at heart. Readers will be pleased that the tale does not end with the conclusion of the book and will look forward to living vicariously through Cassia’s continued probing and precarious experiences. show less
Adequate, predictable, not particularly gripping. (But that's fantastic cover art!) The characters are pleasant enough, but not fully developed. The Society is omniscient and controlling, just as good little dystopias should be, but it doesn't seem to be all that logically constructed, and it's pretty amorphous as an enemy. (Only at the end do Cassia's fears prove to be justified. Up until then, the Society seems to have no threat worse than boring you to tears with flavorless oatmeal and plain clothing.) Despite my lukewarm reaction, I'm thinking about reading the sequel, mainly to find out why the Society is starting to crumble after four generations of apparent stability—not because I care all that much about the characters. I'm show more sure they'll be fine. show less
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ThingScore 83
This first book in a planned trilogy feels just like that: a setup to a larger story rather than a stand-alone read. Having said that, we'll still be in line for book 2.
added by Katya0133
[Cassia's] awakening and development are realistically portrayed, and supporting characters like Cassia's parents and her grandfather add depth to the story.
added by Katya0133
Condie's enthralling and twisty dystopian plot is well served by her intriguing characters and fine writing.
added by Katya0133
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Author Information
34+ Works 24,947 Members
Ally Condie received a degree from Brigham Young University and worked as a high school English teacher. She is currently a full-time author. Her books include Freshman for President, Being Sixteen, and the Matched Trilogy. In 2014 her title, Atlantia made The New York Times Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography)
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Matched
- Original title
- Matched
- Original publication date
- 2010-11-30
- People/Characters
- Cassia Maria Reyes; Xander Thomas Carrow; Bram Reyes; Lea Abbey; Joseph Peterson; Ky Markham (show all 10); Molly Reyes; Abran Reyes; Patrick Markham; Aida Markham
- Important places
- City Hall; Mapletree Borough; Province of Oria
- Important events
- The Matching Banquet
- Epigraph
- Laat je niet meer los....
(p 96)
Do not go gentle into that good night.
(p 96)
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage, against the dying of the light.
(p 96)
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
(p 222)
at first when the rain fell
from the sky so wide and deep
it smelled like sage, my favorite smell
I went up on the plateau to watch it come
to see the gifts it always brought
but this rain ch... (show all)anged from blue to black
and left
nothing.
(p 250)
they were too much to carry
so I left them behind
for a new life, in a new place
but no one forgot who I was
I didn't
and neither did the people who watch
they watched for years
they wat... (show all)ch now
(p 256)
My birthday began with the water-
Birds and the birds of the winged trees flying my name
Above the farms and the white horses
And I rose
In rainy autumn
And walked abroad in a shower of all my... (show all) days. - Dedication
- For Scott,
who always believes - First words
- Now that I've found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night? My wings aren't white or feathered; they're green, made of green silk, which shudders in the wind and bends when I move - first in a circle, then... (show all) in a line, finally in a shape of my own invention.
- Quotations
- It is almost uncomfortable, this awareness of him. Each pause, each movement when he places a piece on the black-and-gray board. I want to reach out and grab his hand and hold it to me, right over my heart, right where it ach... (show all)es the most. I don't know if doing that would heal me or make my heart break entirely; but either way this constant hungry waiting would be over.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And when I see Ky again, which I know will happen, I will whisper the words I have written in his ear, against his lips. And they will change from ash and nothing into flesh and blood.
- Publisher's editor
- Strauss-Gabel, Julie
- Blurbers
- Garcia, Kami; Stohl, Margaret; Marr, Melissa; Clare, Cassandra; Ryan, Carrie
- Original language*
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.6
- Canonical LCC
- PZ7.C7586
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Teen, Young Adult, Fiction and Literature, Science Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 813.6 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 2000-
- LCC
- PZ7 .C7586 — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 10,942
- Popularity
- 846
- Reviews
- 661
- Rating
- (3.64)
- Languages
- 16 — Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 63
- ASINs
- 22
