Revolution

by Jennifer Donnelly

Blurb

Revolution is a young adult historical fiction novel by Jennifer Donnelly about a girl named Andi Alpers who is struggling with drugs, thoughts of suicide, and the way her family has fallen apart after the death of her ten-year-old brother. When her father takes her with him to Paris on a business trip to ensure she works on her school thesis, Andi discovers a journal written by a girl her age, Alexandrine Paradis, two centuries earlier which has its own tragedies inside. Revolution was an Amazon Best Book of the Year and honored by Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal; the audiobook version received a 2011 American Library Association Odyssey Honor.

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Tessa

Tessa

So, a couple of hours ago, I finished this book. And than I got restless. I would get up from the couch, walk into the next room, turn around and come back, because there was nothing in there. I tried to think about what I just read, but I didn't really know where to start, because it was just so much and so intense. So, now I'll try to break it down step my step: The Titel could not be anymore perfect. It fit's perfect to every layer of this story. And there where many layers. Which leads to The Story At first, when I picked the book up, I was a little hesitant. Was is too much? YA and History and Modern Day Brooklyn and Modern Day Paris and the French Revolution and girls and boys and family and loss and drama. No, it was great. Ms Donnelly really did her research. She got it all so perfect. Modern Day Brooklyn felt real to me, Modern Day Paris felt real to me and even the 18th century France felt real to me. The girls and the boys felt real (most of the time) and family and loss and drama felt much too real. Than there was this sadness and all this anger After a few pages, I became hesitant again. I didn't want a spoiled-teenager-is-angry-at-the-world-and-everyone-involved-Story. If you find yourself in this situation, please go on! It's not this kind of story at all. Yes, there is a lot of loss and sadness and anger wherever we look. Often, it's heartbreaking. It takes a while to really get Andi, because she's good at pushing people away. Including us. But she has her reason's. And when I got the chance to see beyond the wall, I loved her. I felt for her. I cried with her. I never really realised how many different ways of sadness and anger are out there in this world, before. Than there was Alex' Story, which isn't any less sad and heartbreaking. I felt for her just the same, even though I knew her fate was sealed. She is such a strong young woman, I had to admire her. Than there was this Lovestory it was perfect. Virgil and his coffeebrown eyes came slowly in the picture and never took to much place. They felt real and realistic. He wasn't big shiny Mr. Perfect. But he was a great guy and perfect for Andi. And than there was the Music. I am already a firm believer of the healing power of music, so Ms. Donnelly had me at the first note. I loved the intensitiy of the music. I could feel it. I could feel Andi's desperate need for it. The relieve she feld when her fingers would bleed, her desperation, when she couldn't get this one note right. _________ So all in all. The Story was great. Not perfect (even though I used this world alot, above..). But that didn't matter, because it was so intens and it made me feel so much, I didn't care for the imperfections. I liked most of the characters. Everybody had there own struggles to bear. That would make it realistic, but at times really hard. It really is a lot of sadness and anger in this book. But there is also hope and that makes it bearable. Ms. Donnelly did her research. On everything. Nothing felt improvised. Not the paintings, not the music, not the citys not the shop's no anything! That was great. And since this was my 5th Donnelly I should say, I enjoyed her writingstyle like always. This is a great book. Of love.loss.liverty.

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