Revolution Review

Title: Revolution
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Publisher: Delacorte
Published: October 12, 2010
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Contemps
Pages: 496
Source: Personal Copy

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.

Andi wants all of it to end. She's tired of the pain, plagued by guilt over her brother's death, and wishes there were a way for it all to just stop - and she's tried multiple times. Desperate to save his daughter from expulsion and self-destruction, Andi's father brings her to Paris to finish her thesis so she can graduate and have a life, but Andi is certain nothing will change...but it does. Andi finds the diary of a girl named Alexandrine who lived hundreds of years ago, and yet, their lives have uncanny parallels. Both girls loved and lost. Both are desperate for a purpose, and both are bound to a life that is so similar that the two are destined to meet in some way.

I have to admit that despite all the rave reviews for Revolution, I had my reservations. First, the hype is often so much better than the book. Second, books with multiple story arcs from two MCs tend to be either hit or miss with me because both have to be entirely relevant and believable. Jennifer Donnelly has created a masterpiece in Revolution. The writing is fluid and beautiful, haunting and mesmerizing, and the story is, in no way, light. I was captivated by the different story lines, and the snippets of the Alexandrine's diary were interwoven beautifully, so the story never seemed jarred or abrupt. Revolution swept me along from Andi's world to Alexandrine's and had me rooting for both characters the whole time.

I think the biggest highlight of Revolution was the character development. Andi and Alexandrine were perfectly defined and separate, yet I could see something so similar in them - despite their similar losses and pain. I often toyed with the idea that the girls were actually one and the same - almost a reincarnation, if you will, with the previous soul helping the current one. Perhaps I read too much into that, but it worked. The description of Andi's life felt a bit more real than Alexandrine's to me, but at the same time, the detail that went into revealing Alexandrine's world in the French Revolution was beautiful. Now, the only lowlight I will give this book was the eventual climax, to be honest. It's noted in the summary, and I felt it missed the mark with the story line. Luckily, the strengths of Revolution overwhelmed that weakness.

Overall, I really enjoyed Revolution. Part history, part fiction and wholly moving, it was a swift, powerful read. I give it a very strong 4.5 out of 5 with the only deduction being the climax. I would recommend this to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction and historical fiction.