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stephxsu's review
4.0
I savored this book. I purposely read only a bit of it each day so that I could make it last. Jennifer Donnelly had already captured my heart with her previous YA book, A Northern Light. REVOLUTION is in many ways very different, but it is still a powerful, engrossing, and incredibly well-researched read.
At first, Andi comes off as a self-absorbed, apathetic, and emo teenager. But the book quickly becomes so much more than a typically angsty YA novel. While Andi’s attitude may get tiring at times, it is very obvious that she has been through a lot, that she has deep emotional pain that has been building for years and years. Her pain, in fact, makes her beautiful, the way she pours her soul into her music. It is an incredible honor that we get to see Andi on her healing journey.
The research that Jennifer Donnelly pours into REVOLUTION is lovingly evident. From Andi’s classical guitar knowledge to the contents of Alex’s diary, everything is incredibly well-researched and inserted into the story so naturally it almost feels like Andi’s story exists outside of the novel format.
REVOLUTION is an absorbing, interesting, and heartbreaking accomplishment of a novel. It defies categorization and should appeal to a wide range of readers. I don’t care that it took Jennifer Donnelly many many years to come out with her second YA novel: it was well worth the wait, as her future books will no doubt also be.
At first, Andi comes off as a self-absorbed, apathetic, and emo teenager. But the book quickly becomes so much more than a typically angsty YA novel. While Andi’s attitude may get tiring at times, it is very obvious that she has been through a lot, that she has deep emotional pain that has been building for years and years. Her pain, in fact, makes her beautiful, the way she pours her soul into her music. It is an incredible honor that we get to see Andi on her healing journey.
The research that Jennifer Donnelly pours into REVOLUTION is lovingly evident. From Andi’s classical guitar knowledge to the contents of Alex’s diary, everything is incredibly well-researched and inserted into the story so naturally it almost feels like Andi’s story exists outside of the novel format.
REVOLUTION is an absorbing, interesting, and heartbreaking accomplishment of a novel. It defies categorization and should appeal to a wide range of readers. I don’t care that it took Jennifer Donnelly many many years to come out with her second YA novel: it was well worth the wait, as her future books will no doubt also be.
aepstone's review
4.0
Started off as painfully emo--and the overload of rich, society, "intellectual" NYC references made me gag. Something about the writing made me keep reading, though, and once the main character gets to France the book unfolds beautifully into a stunning read! Ended up loving it.
4saradouglas's review
2.0
I was surprisingly not a big fan. I really enjoyed A Northern Light, but this one fell flat. Parts of it seemed so forced and heavy-handed. I don't like getting beaten over the head with metaphors and allusions. I also feel like the handling of all the history could have gone better. If you read this and already know quite a lot about France at that time period you'll be bored to tears by all the history and explanations written in. If you are not that familiar with the time period then all of the names and places will just be overwhelming. From the description of the book I thought the two girls' stories would overlap a lot more, but that part turned out to be just a chapter or so at the end. Kind of disappointed.
barefootmegz's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book. A few things that reviewers complain about:
1. Too many musical references I don't understand - reading isn't like watching a movie. You can't do it and vegetate. Well, I guess you can vegetate with some books, but not with this one. Don't get all the references? Use Google. Magic.
2. Too much angst and suicide and drama - I suppose, yes. It was probably the part that annoyed me a bit too. But it is a book about a teenage musician. Teens have angst and drama. And teens exaggerate their angst and drama. It's part of the reason they annoy us so much, yet we write books about them. I tried just to get past the angst. I've read many MORE angsty books than this one.
3. There should have been more diary entries / the diary entries weren't descriptive enough - I thought this was pretty realistic of Donnelly. Very few people can keep a diary religiously every day. Even more so when you're in the MIDDLE OF A REVOLUTION and trying not to get killed. Also, diaries kept by normal people are not usually crazy detailed. Because they don't realise that it won't be familiar to someone who reads it. If anyone ever reads it. So this didn't bother me too much because I thought it was realistic.
Anyway - I liked the book. The romance annoyed me a bit, but it wasn't overwhelming. Andi's "denseness" annoyed me a bit, but again - not too annoying.
I think the best part of the book is the undercurrent. The prodding into what past revolutions and wars and tragedies have really meant for us.
The ending is a little treacle-sweet, but it made me a little emotional too. I thought the history and the academic nature of the story was very well done as well.
1. Too many musical references I don't understand - reading isn't like watching a movie. You can't do it and vegetate. Well, I guess you can vegetate with some books, but not with this one. Don't get all the references? Use Google. Magic.
2. Too much angst and suicide and drama - I suppose, yes. It was probably the part that annoyed me a bit too. But it is a book about a teenage musician. Teens have angst and drama. And teens exaggerate their angst and drama. It's part of the reason they annoy us so much, yet we write books about them. I tried just to get past the angst. I've read many MORE angsty books than this one.
3. There should have been more diary entries / the diary entries weren't descriptive enough - I thought this was pretty realistic of Donnelly. Very few people can keep a diary religiously every day. Even more so when you're in the MIDDLE OF A REVOLUTION and trying not to get killed. Also, diaries kept by normal people are not usually crazy detailed. Because they don't realise that it won't be familiar to someone who reads it. If anyone ever reads it. So this didn't bother me too much because I thought it was realistic.
Anyway - I liked the book. The romance annoyed me a bit, but it wasn't overwhelming. Andi's "denseness" annoyed me a bit, but again - not too annoying.
I think the best part of the book is the undercurrent. The prodding into what past revolutions and wars and tragedies have really meant for us.
The ending is a little treacle-sweet, but it made me a little emotional too. I thought the history and the academic nature of the story was very well done as well.
jgintrovertedreader's review
4.0
Andi has pretty much hit rock bottom and kept falling. She's a gifted musician and student, but her younger brother's death has sent her into a destructive downward spiral. When her mostly-absent father finds out that she's in danger of flunking out of school, he hauls her off to Paris with him for winter break, in order to monitor her progress on her all-important senior thesis. When Andi finds Alexandrine's diary, she feels an instant connection to this young woman from another time. Alexandrine was a born player, or actress, living during the French Revolution. Will Alexandrine's diary help Andi with her own problems or will they make them worse?
The biggest thing that stands out to me is the one drawback I found in the novel. The set-up showing exactly how bad Andi's life has gotten lasted about twice as long as I had the patience for. That's an entirely personal thing, so don't let me dissuade you from reading this book based on that alone. I have a low tolerance for "the earth is a black pit of despair" attitudes and that's where Andi is at the beginning and periodically throughout the book. I won't deny that she had ample reason to feel that way, I'll even admit that I would probably feel the same, but as a reader, it just went on too long for me.
On to the good stuff.
I just love Donnelly's writing. I read [b:A Northern Light|64481|A Northern Light|Jennifer Donnelly|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1257539114s/64481.jpg|3337093] last summer and it immediately became one of my favorite books. There's just an unnameable beauty or grace to it that shines through, even when she's describing this dark, dark period of Andi's life.
There's a lot going on in this story. There's guilt, grief, family problems, mental illness, following your dreams and not selling out, how reaching out to help others is sometimes the best way to help yourself, and how sometimes when you don't make a stand you unwittingly assist the very people you should be standing against.
"Wild with fear, barely hearing him, I scrambled to my feet and ran off. The streets I stumbled down were dark and so were the houses along them. I knocked on doors, hoping someone would let me in, for I did not know if I could make my legs carry me all the way to the Palais. No one answered. The decent people of Paris had hidden themselves behind closed doors as decent people always do. Massacres could not happen if it were not for decent people."
Makes you think, doesn't it?
Music lovers will love this book. Andi is an excellent guitarist with an encyclopedic knowledge of music. Her senior thesis is on a composer named Amadé Malherbeau and how his music has influenced music from the late eighteenth century to now. She's constantly referencing musicians and composers, some of whom I know and some I don't. Someone with more time and energy than me should put together a playlist of all the songs mentioned in this book. I would love to check it out!
There were a few more quotes I liked in the book.
"'A human heart isn't made of stories,' he says.
'Every heart is made of stories,' G says."
"'Life's all about the revolution, isn't it?' he said. 'The one inside, I mean. You can't change history. You can't change the world. All you can ever change is yourself.'"
All quotes are taken from an ARC and may be different in the final version.
This isn't a new favorite, but it was still mostly an enjoyable read. Readers of all ages will find something to relate to and something to learn. With Donnelly's beautiful prose, this book is sure to be talked about.
The biggest thing that stands out to me is the one drawback I found in the novel. The set-up showing exactly how bad Andi's life has gotten lasted about twice as long as I had the patience for. That's an entirely personal thing, so don't let me dissuade you from reading this book based on that alone. I have a low tolerance for "the earth is a black pit of despair" attitudes and that's where Andi is at the beginning and periodically throughout the book. I won't deny that she had ample reason to feel that way, I'll even admit that I would probably feel the same, but as a reader, it just went on too long for me.
On to the good stuff.
I just love Donnelly's writing. I read [b:A Northern Light|64481|A Northern Light|Jennifer Donnelly|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1257539114s/64481.jpg|3337093] last summer and it immediately became one of my favorite books. There's just an unnameable beauty or grace to it that shines through, even when she's describing this dark, dark period of Andi's life.
There's a lot going on in this story. There's guilt, grief, family problems, mental illness, following your dreams and not selling out, how reaching out to help others is sometimes the best way to help yourself, and how sometimes when you don't make a stand you unwittingly assist the very people you should be standing against.
"Wild with fear, barely hearing him, I scrambled to my feet and ran off. The streets I stumbled down were dark and so were the houses along them. I knocked on doors, hoping someone would let me in, for I did not know if I could make my legs carry me all the way to the Palais. No one answered. The decent people of Paris had hidden themselves behind closed doors as decent people always do. Massacres could not happen if it were not for decent people."
Makes you think, doesn't it?
Music lovers will love this book. Andi is an excellent guitarist with an encyclopedic knowledge of music. Her senior thesis is on a composer named Amadé Malherbeau and how his music has influenced music from the late eighteenth century to now. She's constantly referencing musicians and composers, some of whom I know and some I don't. Someone with more time and energy than me should put together a playlist of all the songs mentioned in this book. I would love to check it out!
There were a few more quotes I liked in the book.
"'A human heart isn't made of stories,' he says.
'Every heart is made of stories,' G says."
"'Life's all about the revolution, isn't it?' he said. 'The one inside, I mean. You can't change history. You can't change the world. All you can ever change is yourself.'"
All quotes are taken from an ARC and may be different in the final version.
This isn't a new favorite, but it was still mostly an enjoyable read. Readers of all ages will find something to relate to and something to learn. With Donnelly's beautiful prose, this book is sure to be talked about.
sophiecountsclouds's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The audiobook for this book is an absolute must! I never thought the narrator using a French accent in certain parts of the story would have such an impact but it made the story SO MUCH more immersive. Thoroughly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual harassment
debs4jc's review against another edition
4.0
I was thoroughly engrossed by this story about a teenager--Andi--who fights her own personal demons while vividly encountering the world of the French Revolution.
Andi is, in short, a mess. Her younger brother Truman's death has reduced her to popping anti-depressant pills just to make it through her days at the elite private school that she attends in Brooklyn. All her mother wants to do is paint pictures of her dead brother, and her father has long been absent from the picture. Only her music holds any interest for her. Then her father suddenly shows up, puts her mother into a mental hospital, and takes Andi to France with him where he wants her to finalize her proposal for her senior paper (so she can get into a good school). Andi is able to research Amade Malherbeau, the French composer she is writing her paper on, but she becomes more intrigued by an old diary that she discovers. It tells the story of Alexandre Paradis, who lived in France during the time of the revolution and became a companion to Louis Charles, the son of Marie Antoinette who was doomed to die alone, locked in a tower, after his mother was beheaded. Alex's story comes alive for Andi in a most unusual way--a way that helps her find her way out of her depression and back to those that love her.
This is a stunner of a story which weaves together pieces from history with the problems of modern day life. I found it extremely vivid and even though it was a stretch to believe what was going on at times the poignancy of the story kept me riveted as I listened. The audiobook is extremely well done, with the differing voices I had no trouble following the switches from present to past. I haven't been to France, but the French accents sure sounded authentic and lent a lot to the story. I truly felt transported into the world of this story. I highly recommend it, especially if you like a good coming of age story, stories where people overcome adversity, history, or just plain good fiction
Andi is, in short, a mess. Her younger brother Truman's death has reduced her to popping anti-depressant pills just to make it through her days at the elite private school that she attends in Brooklyn. All her mother wants to do is paint pictures of her dead brother, and her father has long been absent from the picture. Only her music holds any interest for her. Then her father suddenly shows up, puts her mother into a mental hospital, and takes Andi to France with him where he wants her to finalize her proposal for her senior paper (so she can get into a good school). Andi is able to research Amade Malherbeau, the French composer she is writing her paper on, but she becomes more intrigued by an old diary that she discovers. It tells the story of Alexandre Paradis, who lived in France during the time of the revolution and became a companion to Louis Charles, the son of Marie Antoinette who was doomed to die alone, locked in a tower, after his mother was beheaded. Alex's story comes alive for Andi in a most unusual way--a way that helps her find her way out of her depression and back to those that love her.
This is a stunner of a story which weaves together pieces from history with the problems of modern day life. I found it extremely vivid and even though it was a stretch to believe what was going on at times the poignancy of the story kept me riveted as I listened. The audiobook is extremely well done, with the differing voices I had no trouble following the switches from present to past. I haven't been to France, but the French accents sure sounded authentic and lent a lot to the story. I truly felt transported into the world of this story. I highly recommend it, especially if you like a good coming of age story, stories where people overcome adversity, history, or just plain good fiction
shanwowww's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
emmadkreads's review
4.0
I've loved all the books I've read by Jennifer Donnelly, so I decided to give this YA novel a try. To be honest, I almost gave up after a few pages, but I'm glad I didn't. Donnelly writes about two young women, Andi, in 21st century Brooklyn, and Alexandrine, in 18th century Paris. After Andi stumbles upon Alexandrine's diary she discovers amazing parallels between their lives and becomes obsessed with Alex's story. Not a light-hearted book, but definitely worth a read!