Guest Review by Meghan

Meghan is a friend of mine who happens to live in the same town!
She is a writer as well as an avid reader. You can find some of her writings at FF.net.
Click here to view some of her stuff!

Click here for her livejournal!

Revolution

by Jennifer Donnelly

Level: YA 496 pages

Published October 12th 2010

Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Summary

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart.

Meghan’s Review

When I first read the back cover for this book I was some what skeptical thinking it wasn’t my thing but Donnelly’s lyrical writing and beautifully colored world and characters drew me in. Andi’s grief is so painfully accurate that you feel it rolling off the character in waves. From the way she describes seeing the entirety of who her brother was in his eyes and knowing her mother could never perfect that “Windex” blue to wanting small lengths of time back to save him . “The time it takes to blow your nose or tie your shoe but she’ll never have it.” That was so apt it brought tears to my eyes. So, even if you haven’t lost someone who shares your DNA you understand why she pops “Qwellify.” and wants so desperately to plunge herself into Seine River. You know why she clings to music like a life raft and fears Alex’s diary as much as she wants too read it.

I don’t read much historical fiction much less about the French Revolution but I soon realized Andi had found a comrade in Alex and I began to pull for the ambitious Alexandrine Paradis and the dauphin of France, even though I understood the boy’s end wasn’t going to be fair. It was so vividly descriptive that you felt as though you were there in the muddied streets of Paris, in the mirrored halls of Versailles Palace, and within the cold damp stone walls of Temple Prison with the horribly mistreated and doomed boy. You felt the desperation of Alex as she gave the guards the slip as “The Green Man” racing against time, and the desolation of Louis-Charles as he stared out his prison window waiting for Alex to break open the heavens with her fire works.

All in all this book was well written, engaging and enjoyable.

Although I didn’t like Andi’s little trip down the rabbit hole to the 18^th century to hang with Amande` Malherbeau. I understood the need for it in that you needed some to expedite the ending and tie up loose ends, but if Andi is genius level smart as stated in the book she could of figured out that Malherbeau was of noble blood without going back in time I think and her thesis would have been just as good either way. I understand that the mirroring effect of being there for Truman and Louis-Charles was important for Andi but it kinda struck me as unhealthy for lack of a better word.

The little time trip and the fact that nothing was ever really resolved concerning Andi’s father are my only complaints otherwise it’s a great book and a fun read if you want to go somewhere else for 481 pages.

Characters

My favorite thing about this book were the characters. Andi is in so much pain and so carefully guards herself that its enough to make you ache physically. Yet, she’s bitingly sarcastic and laugh out loud funny. She’s smart and a little unforgiving but I liked that and her. She didn’t have the token usual Mary sue of a best friend either Vijay Gupta was smart, motivated and humorous with his many synonyms for “Mother.”
Virgil was a slowly built believable love interest I liked him.
Then there are Andi’s Dad, Lili, G, and the Royal family, all needed I think but they seemed to get lost and dropped within the massive number of characters Donnelly was dealing with.
Alex seemed to mirror Andi in a way but still maintained being her own person which was great she went from being motivated by stardom to being single mindedly motivated by love. I loved the evolution of her character, Almost as much as I did Andi’s. Paris was a character in and of itself I absolutely loved that, it was both a character and a backdrop and was beautifully done.

Writing

I loved the writing its what kept me reading when the history got a little bogged down. It was lyrical, funny, and poignant. It flowed nicely up until Andi’s little step back in time. It was still well written but seemed disjointed and sudden and I know that was the purpose of it to feel that way I just didn’t care for it and thought it might of worked better as separate book within Donnelly’s Revolution Universe.

Would Meghan recommend this book?

When I’m reading a YA book my litmus test Is: “Would I let my baby sister read this?” and yes, I would. I recommend this book if you are grieving someone and feel that no one understands you or whether you just want a escape for while. Either way it’s a lovely book.

I give it a three and a half out of five stars.