Revolution (edition 2011)

Excellent, excellent, excellent! Ms. Donnelly has captured my mind, heart and soul. Again!!!

"The world goes on stupid and brutal, but I do not. Can't you see? I do not." ( )

Wow, did I enjoy this book. Really, really couldn't put it down.
High school senior Andi is on edge of a breakdown, having witnessed the tragic death of her younger brother two years ago. Failing out of her classes at a prestigious Brooklyn prep school, she barrels through her days in a haze of antidepressants and a bad attitude, fending off the increasingly more intense urge to kill herself. The only thing that keeps her going is her love for music. She plays the guitar and has an interest in a particular 18th century musician named Amade Mahlerbeau. Following a contentious interaction with her distracted genius of a father (a renowned genetics expert), she finds herself in Paris, staying with family friends. There, while fiddling with an antique guitar, she finds a hidden compartment containing an old diary and a tiny portrait of Prince Louis Charles, the "lost king of France." Hence forth, the story weaves back and forth between modern day Andi's struggles and an incredible first hand account of the French Revolution, written in the diary by another 17 year old girl musician.

There are many other details of this story that are too complicated to explain. But wow. What a fun, interesting, informed read. What a great way to bring the French Revolution to life for a younger crowd (or anyone, really). I am far from being an expert on 18th century Paris, but I did think that the story seemed meticulously researched and I appreciated how Donnelly didn't flinch from the horribly bloody reality of that time period. Many descriptions of the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of that period had me cringing and wretching. I'd be curious to know what any of my more well-informed historian friends would think of this book. (I'm looking at you, Laura Prieto!).

Also, it's worth mentioning that I didn't mind the tortured teen narrator's voice. As a big reader of YA, I am often turned off by the whiny, maudlin, or overly flippant voice of many young narrators. But Andi, while sometimes all of those things, still seemed true to me. I believed her pain, and I was rooting for her all along.

Great great read. I highly recommend it to anyone, but especially someone who enjoys historical fiction and/or young adult fiction.


( )

Wow, just wow. I pretty much picked this book to read based on two things: one, it's by Jennifer Donnelly, and I've read and loved all her books so far, and two, the French Revolution plays a part in the plot. Having gone to France the year before the 200-year anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in high school, that period of history has always interested me. Now that I'm finished, I'm very glad I chose it.

Andi Alpers is in trouble. She's fighting the guilt and depression that her younger brother's death has left her with. She's dealing with a mother who most days isn't dealing with anything herself at all. She's angry with her father for deserting his family, in spirit long before he physically left them. And she's in real danger of being expelled from her prestigious private school. Once her father hears from the school about her current status, though, Andi finds herself wisked off to Paris over winter break so she can work on her senior thesis under her father's supervision.

Once there, she finds the two-hundred-year-old diary of Alexandrine Paradis, an ambitious wannabe actress who unwittingly becomes embroiled in the drama surrounding the French Revolution and the doomed life of the young prince of France. Soon, the diary becomes more real to Andi than her own life, and when it ends in a way she can't accept, she nearly loses everything. A new friend helps her to cope, however, and an unexpected dream--or it?--gives her more insight into her own place in the world than she ever dreamed possible. An amazing book! ( )

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Emily Janice Card and Emma Bering, and it was so beautifully done. Jennifer Donnelly really captures the lives of two teenage girls, Andi and Alex, who live at different times but become connected to each other. Whether she's plumbing contemporary Andi's despair or bringing the French Revolution to life through Alex's narration, Donnelly creates a superb story arc that will have readers enthralled to the end. ( )

Let me first of all state that I am not a huge fan of Young Adult books. However, I truly enjoyed Jennifer Donnelly's [b:Revolution|7558747|Revolution|Jennifer Donnelly|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320530843s/7558747.jpg|9871439]. When the story opens, the only character that I could equate her with was something out of the scenes of Gossip Girl - rich girl, prestigious private school, etc. However, as the story unfolds, you start to learn that she is truly brilliant and incredibly driven in her own way. Yes, she's a teenage girl. Yes, she procrastinates (to the point that I would have screamed!!!!). Yes, she's dealing with A LOT of emotional baggage to say the least.

I think her character, and that of Alex, were what made the story. The depth and the wanting others to see how incredible they really were, was what kept me going. The storyline about her dealing with Truman was appropriately addressed in that it was pivotal, but just seemed to add to who she was, not taking away from the crux of the story, which I saw as the French Revolution.

I was fascinated by the musical elements as well. I appreciate all forms of music, but am in no way as talented or as well versed as those who have studied it. It would be interesting to see what the musical geniuses feel about this storyline.

Definitely an enjoyable read and one I would recommend to others. If you're a YA fan, then most definitely. ( )