Revolution

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

 My rating: 4.5
Summary (from Goodreads):  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. 

My review:

Wow.  What a sad, beautiful story.  I almost cried at some points as I read it, and that's saying something, because I rarely ever cry when I'm reading a book.


The cover definitely isn't one of my favourites, so, since I judge books by their cover, I wasn't sure that I would like Revolution.  The first few pages didn't do much for me.  Not with Beezie, and Nathan, and the way Andi acted.  She wasn't the same as she was when she was in Paris.  And was I ever happy and when she went to Paris!   The first thing I noticed when she arrived there was that the style of writing seemed to change.  It wasn't as modern as it had been back in Brooklyn, so it was like she was in an older city.  


I loved the diary entries of Alexandre/Alexandrine.  They were so vivid, I felt like I actually knew the character.  I felt connected to Louis, and so I was very sad when I found that the heart was his, because I didn't want him to die.  I was also surprised to hear that the story about his heart was real, and that it actually was taken and is not in his body.


I can't think of much to say about Revolution (probably because it was such a great book!), but I can say that I'm now very interested in the French Revolution.  Loved it!