Book Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Pages: 472

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: October 12, 2010

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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 is not your stereotypical rich teenager.  Yes, she does attend a prestigious private school and is overflowing with mandatory teenage angst, but she is much more than that. She is a talented musician who is seriously depressed and only finds happiness in her music.  She's not really living, but rather going through the motions ever since her younger brother, Truman, died.  Her mother is the same way; she hides in her brownstone prolifically painting pictures of her dead son and not really interacting with Andi, let alone the outside world.  They both have never allowed themselves to get over his death and to make matters worse, her father, a genius Nobel Prize winning scientist, has moved on and is never home.  That is until he gets wind that Andi is not going to graduate unless she completes her senior thesis, which she could care less about.  Her father demands that she come to Paris with him over break and work on her thesis there while he sends her mother to a much needed rehab facility.  Andi goes along with her father, kicking and screaming, and while in Paris she finds a diary from the French Revolution amongst her family friend's (historian) artifacts.  Andi connects to this diary and the girl's story even though it happened over two centuries ago.  Ultimately, the diary ends up changing her life forever.  Jennifer Donnelly's Revolution is one of the best historical fictions I've read and is, in my opinion, one of the best books of 2010.


Revolution, for me, really encompasses what historical fiction is all about.  Andi's tale was weaved effortlessly and was well researched.  At times the story was fun and whimsical, but there were some very dark parts as well, which in turn, took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Also, I felt the theme of this novel was important and focused on lessons surrounding love, life, death, and forgiveness.  Unlike a lot of the other young adult historical fiction novels that I've read recently, this book was intelligent and profound.


Revolution is first book that I've read by Donnelly and I am extremely impressed.  She truly has a way of capturing the human condition and while I would have probably wanted to strangle snarky Andi if she were written by another author, Donnelly, surprisingly, made me feel sympathetic towards her. Revolution truly spoke to me and even though a lot of the story's details were focused on events that occurred many, many years ago in the diary, readers can still identify with the story and Donnelly's message.  I'd say that, in itself, is the mark of a great novel.


Jennifer Donnelly has easily become one of my favorites and I will be getting my hands on a copy of A Northern Light as soon as possible. With that said, if you sit down to read only one book this holiday season, make it Revolution.  This is a book you do not want to miss!

*Buy Revolution

*Read the first four chapters

*Watch an interview with Jennifer Donnelly