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graypsps's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
halynah's review against another edition
5.0
Truly amazing, unforgettable and precious book! I love Jennifer Donnelly's style of writing - it's exquisite and brilliant, I loved the plot, though it cost me a big box of Kleenex and plenty of tears, the characters were so well-crafted, that they felt alive to me. The book is very difficult emotionally, but doubtless a must-read - I'm mad at myself, that I haven't read it earlier! I can say without hesitation, that it is one of the best books I've ever read!
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
2nd CD: so far, so excellent! narrator is superb, story is full, references to popular songs makes me want to listne to them in a whole new way.
excellent all the way through, both the story and the reading of it! hialternating between the french revolutionary period and today, two young women struggle through terrible ordeals. there is a small amount of magical realism and the need to suspend incredulity toward the end, but its just an excellent story!
excellent all the way through, both the story and the reading of it! hialternating between the french revolutionary period and today, two young women struggle through terrible ordeals. there is a small amount of magical realism and the need to suspend incredulity toward the end, but its just an excellent story!
iceangel32's review against another edition
5.0
Wow...I was not sue what I would think of this book, but I loved it. I was not sure if I would like the historical part of the book(I am not a big history reader), but it added so much to the story. I may look for more books in the genre now. The book pulled me in at the beginning and I did not what to put it down. I related to Andi at the beginning when she was struggling girl form Brooklyn through her journey to Paris. I got pulled into not only Andi's story but Alex's story. I love the addition of music and art and how it showed how the arts can help. It also in my option showed that too much of anything is not good. I like the way at the end Andi finds happiness and even though she losses, she gains too.
brianne_k's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 / 5
Just not at all what I was hoping for or expecting. I was super excited to read this one.. and it was such a let down.
Just not at all what I was hoping for or expecting. I was super excited to read this one.. and it was such a let down.
vegprincess's review against another edition
4.0
I was torn between giving this 3.5 stars or 4. Some of the books was a little over the top for me but I really enjoyed Alex's diary from 18th century France.
shhchar's review against another edition
4.0
I've never read a book about the French Revolution before, so I had no idea to expect. I'm glad this was the first one I read, because it had a beautiful story and message. I've read A Northern Light by the same author, so I already loved her writing and had some high expectations. Those expectations were matched.
It took me a while to actually relate to Andi. Sure, I could empathize with her, but it was hard to really get to know her. That changed by the time she was in Paris, and her stubbornness got more endearing than annoying. Something I especially liked was the lack of romance. That sounds weird, but I'm sure you've heard Paris called something along the lines of 'the city of love' before. This book showed the total opposite of that and I love it for that reason. Sometimes you need a book that shows you the bloody truth, and Revolution is that.
My favorite part of the whole book was Alex's diary and Louis-Charles. By having access to this, I saw a completely different side of the whole Marie-Antoinette situation. I never sympathized with her before, I knew only snippets of facts and quotes like 'let them eat cake'. But through Alex's/Jennifer's words, I grew to realize that you can not judge a situation you are not in. There's a quote somewhere in the book that says something along the lines of - you wouldn't beat a dog for being a dog, and you wouldn't beat a king for being a king. (That's not exactly it but I'm too lazy to look it up.) I just wish that there would have been more about Louis-Charles in the second half of the book. He was my favorite part.
Unlike A Northern Light, I am not 100% satisfied with this book. I still have a lot of questions about the ending. I can't go into it for fear of spoiling people who haven't read it yet, so I'll put it in spoilers: I also thought the book took too long to get where it was going plot-wise.
Besides the ending, I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of history fiction. Even if you haven't read much, or anything, about the French Revolution--I urge you to try this book. I want to go watch Les Mis now!
It took me a while to actually relate to Andi. Sure, I could empathize with her, but it was hard to really get to know her. That changed by the time she was in Paris, and her stubbornness got more endearing than annoying. Something I especially liked was the lack of romance. That sounds weird, but I'm sure you've heard Paris called something along the lines of 'the city of love' before. This book showed the total opposite of that and I love it for that reason. Sometimes you need a book that shows you the bloody truth, and Revolution is that.
My favorite part of the whole book was Alex's diary and Louis-Charles. By having access to this, I saw a completely different side of the whole Marie-Antoinette situation. I never sympathized with her before, I knew only snippets of facts and quotes like 'let them eat cake'. But through Alex's/Jennifer's words, I grew to realize that you can not judge a situation you are not in. There's a quote somewhere in the book that says something along the lines of - you wouldn't beat a dog for being a dog, and you wouldn't beat a king for being a king. (That's not exactly it but I'm too lazy to look it up.) I just wish that there would have been more about Louis-Charles in the second half of the book. He was my favorite part.
Unlike A Northern Light, I am not 100% satisfied with this book. I still have a lot of questions about the ending. I can't go into it for fear of spoiling people who haven't read it yet, so I'll put it in spoilers:
Spoiler
what was her actual connection to Alex? Did either of them actually see dead people? I also would have liked to hear more about Louis-Charles' heart. Once her father confirmed it was real there was no more mention of it That was the most intriguing part of the book and it was forgotten!Besides the ending, I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of history fiction. Even if you haven't read much, or anything, about the French Revolution--I urge you to try this book. I want to go watch Les Mis now!
stephxsu's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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.