sonshinelibrarian's review against another edition
4.25
I thoroughly enjoyed this. The back and forth between Andi and Alex's diary is fascinating. I did feel like the narrative slowed down when Other than that, though, I thought Donnelly balanced the two storylines well.
Spoiler
Andi gets "transported" to the revolution. I sort of felt like it was unnecessary to the story to have that element.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, and Child death
ellabella2's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
bookishdryad's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Death, Car accident, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Murder, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Rape
cozylittlebrownhouse's review against another edition
4.0
Jennifer Donnelly...wow, does she write some fantastic fiction. My book group on goodreads will be starting her adult trilogy this month, but in the meantime I decided to try Revolution while I waited for my copy of The Tea Rose to arrive at the library. I am not really a fan of YA fiction, but I think her books definitely appeal to adults. I gave A Northern Light five stars when I read it, and this, as you can see, garnered a four star rating from me.
You can read the plot summary above, so let's just jump to what made this book stand out for me: the amount of research Donnelly has put into this book (if you're not convinced by the material incorporated into the story, check out the pages of materials used in the back of the book) is amazing and I loved learning more about the French Revolution and the history of music. Really interesting. That is what kept me turning pages.
The book was not a five star read because I didn't much care for Andi. Even worse than that was the ending with Andi going back in time to Paris during the Revolution. Ick.
I can't wait to start the adult trilogy, which also has great ratings on goodreads.
You can read the plot summary above, so let's just jump to what made this book stand out for me: the amount of research Donnelly has put into this book (if you're not convinced by the material incorporated into the story, check out the pages of materials used in the back of the book) is amazing and I loved learning more about the French Revolution and the history of music. Really interesting. That is what kept me turning pages.
The book was not a five star read because I didn't much care for Andi. Even worse than that was the ending with Andi going back in time to Paris during the Revolution. Ick.
I can't wait to start the adult trilogy, which also has great ratings on goodreads.
em_finity's review against another edition
3.0
Hated the Alex storyline, though the Green Man stuff was cool. Really liked the beginning, middle dragged on for me because of the diary, second to last 100 pages were great, and the last hundred pages made no sense and should be Fahrenheit 451'd out of existence. Decent book overall.
missprint_'s review against another edition
5.0
Andi Alpers is on the edge and looking down. Her life in Brooklyn Heights is falling apart around her. Her father left. Her mother can't cope. And all Andi keeps coming back to is that it's all her fault.
Consumed by grief and crushing guilt, school doesn't seem like a high priority. Nothing seems like a high priority. At least until her father intervenes and takes her to Paris where she has the duration of winter break to work on her senior thesis and possibly salvage her academic standing at her prestigious private school.
In Paris Andi discovers a lot of things: a cute boy who loves music almost as much as she does, a mysterious heart, the most beautiful guitar she's ever seen and, most surprising, a diary from the French Revolution.
Through the diary Andi meets Alexandrine Paradis, a girl much like Andi who had her own dreams of a life on the Paris stage. At least until a chance encounter with a doomed prince changed Alexandrine's life forever.
The more Andi reads about France's bloody past and Alexandrine's tragic role the more desperate she is to find some shred of hope, maybe even redemption, in the pages of the diary. Instead, the closer Andi comes to the end of Alexandrine's story, the more it seems that Andi herself might have a role to play in the journal's disastrous chronicle in Revolution (2010) by Jennifer Donnelly.
To call Revolution ambitious is a gross understatement. In this one book Donnelly integrates music theory, historical figures, and the political motivations behind the revolution all while telling a truly beautiful story. And, amazingly, it all works.
There is truly little to fault here and almost too much to praise. Donnelly masterfully weaves together fact and fiction to create a dynamic story sure to dazzle readers. Revolution is an evocative, often raw, book that will leave readers wondering where history ends and story begins.
To learn more about the music featured in Revolution (and its inpiration and the story) be sure to visit Jennifer Donnelly's website to view her playlist for the book.
Possible Pairings: The Blue Girl by Charles De Lint, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, Tamar by Mal Peet, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Consumed by grief and crushing guilt, school doesn't seem like a high priority. Nothing seems like a high priority. At least until her father intervenes and takes her to Paris where she has the duration of winter break to work on her senior thesis and possibly salvage her academic standing at her prestigious private school.
In Paris Andi discovers a lot of things: a cute boy who loves music almost as much as she does, a mysterious heart, the most beautiful guitar she's ever seen and, most surprising, a diary from the French Revolution.
Through the diary Andi meets Alexandrine Paradis, a girl much like Andi who had her own dreams of a life on the Paris stage. At least until a chance encounter with a doomed prince changed Alexandrine's life forever.
The more Andi reads about France's bloody past and Alexandrine's tragic role the more desperate she is to find some shred of hope, maybe even redemption, in the pages of the diary. Instead, the closer Andi comes to the end of Alexandrine's story, the more it seems that Andi herself might have a role to play in the journal's disastrous chronicle in Revolution (2010) by Jennifer Donnelly.
To call Revolution ambitious is a gross understatement. In this one book Donnelly integrates music theory, historical figures, and the political motivations behind the revolution all while telling a truly beautiful story. And, amazingly, it all works.
There is truly little to fault here and almost too much to praise. Donnelly masterfully weaves together fact and fiction to create a dynamic story sure to dazzle readers. Revolution is an evocative, often raw, book that will leave readers wondering where history ends and story begins.
To learn more about the music featured in Revolution (and its inpiration and the story) be sure to visit Jennifer Donnelly's website to view her playlist for the book.
Possible Pairings: The Blue Girl by Charles De Lint, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, Tamar by Mal Peet, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
readingthethings's review against another edition
2.0
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟpretty slow throughout ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ i did like the ending ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ
eyonks's review against another edition
5.0
Revolution - Jennifer Donnelly
Synopsis:
Andi Alpers’ life is in shambles after the loss of her ten year-old brother, Truman. The pills keep the sadness away, but not forever, and she relies heavily on her music to escape. And with her father gone, her mother’s inability to cope, and the fact that she blames herself for her brother’s death, Andi has a lot to escape. After receiving word from her school that she’s failing, Andi’s father comes to take her away to Paris, where he’s working on an important project. While this would be a dream come true for anyone else, it’s a nightmare for Andi...until she discovers a diary from the time of the French revolution, written by a girl named Alexandrine.
Andi connects with Alexandrine in a way she never imagined, finding comfort in her story of courage and loyalty in a tumultuous time. She even finds a way to enjoy her time in Paris.
But suddenly, after an especially hard night, Andi finds herself in the most unlikely situation, and now she must find a way home as well as find herself again.
What I Liked:
Much like Andi, it was so easy for me to get into this book and get lost in it.
Andi’s a mess, and she’s not the most lovable main character, but she’s real, and it’s not all that difficult to relate to her
Well-written historical fiction with fantasy elements!!
What I Disliked:
Andi sometimes? but, again, really that's just a testament to how well-written and complicated this girl is.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Synopsis:
Andi Alpers’ life is in shambles after the loss of her ten year-old brother, Truman. The pills keep the sadness away, but not forever, and she relies heavily on her music to escape. And with her father gone, her mother’s inability to cope, and the fact that she blames herself for her brother’s death, Andi has a lot to escape. After receiving word from her school that she’s failing, Andi’s father comes to take her away to Paris, where he’s working on an important project. While this would be a dream come true for anyone else, it’s a nightmare for Andi...until she discovers a diary from the time of the French revolution, written by a girl named Alexandrine.
Andi connects with Alexandrine in a way she never imagined, finding comfort in her story of courage and loyalty in a tumultuous time. She even finds a way to enjoy her time in Paris.
But suddenly, after an especially hard night, Andi finds herself in the most unlikely situation, and now she must find a way home as well as find herself again.
What I Liked:
Much like Andi, it was so easy for me to get into this book and get lost in it.
Andi’s a mess, and she’s not the most lovable main character, but she’s real, and it’s not all that difficult to relate to her
Well-written historical fiction with fantasy elements!!
What I Disliked:
Andi sometimes? but, again, really that's just a testament to how well-written and complicated this girl is.
Rating: 5/5 stars
leighmowzer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This was sort of a historical fiction in disguise. Not a big fan of historical fiction but if I was, I would have loved it.
butyougotmysoul's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a good book but definitely be on alert for multiple trigger warnings throughout. I enjoyed my time with it though and the audiobook narrator did a fantastic job with the content.