Book Name: Revolution
Author/s: Jennifer Donnelly
Language English
Source: Bought
Publisher, year: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2010
Page total: 496
Date Read: January 01 to 09, 2011
Genre/s: YA, Historical Fiction

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.

First line of Book:Those who can, do.

This was a very unusual Historical Fiction book. I admit I love stories in which one of the characters never knows the other but their stories intertwine anyway, so this was obviously a must-read to me. Of course it didn't hurt that it was set in the French Revolution either, or that the main character studies music.

Revolution confused me quite a bit. Some of the diary entries seemed sketchy at best, and even Andi's story bothered me most of the time. Sometimes she was a okay, but others she made me want to pull out my hair because she was being so immature. I know she's been through a lot, she can't seem to stop talking about it but did she really have to be so stupid? And I didn't like her relationship with Virgil either. Usually I really like the love interest but not on this case. We get to know about him, but not...him, and that's what really matters, right? To me, it was as if she just saw him and immediately decided she liked him because he was so cute.
In the first journal entries, I didn't like Alex that much, but then she really grew on me. I liked that she was not good in the beginning, that all she did was to survive and because of her ambition, but that she grew up and learned and changed her mind. It was a really nice thing to see from her journal entries. I also loved that she was close to the dauphin, that was awesome!

I was expecting some Paranormal influence in this book, and it exists, just not in the way I was expecting it. Okay, maybe it's not Paranormal at all, the truth is I don't know what it is. It's actually kind of strange and hard to explain.

I'd recommend this if you enjoy reading Historical Fiction, though this is not one of the best in the genre I've read. I love the journal idea though. Maybe it's just Andi's present life that annoys the crap out of me. Maybe.


"Life’s all about the revolution, isn’t it? The one inside, I mean. You can’t change history. You can’t change the world. All you can ever change is yourself."

"Stop yelling. If everyone’s yelling, no one can be heard."

"I'm wishing he could see that music lives. Forever. That it's stronger than death. Stronger than time. And that its strength holds you together when nothing else can."