PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. 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. It was a moving and heartfelt read that shows the complexity of history and the idea of revolutions.BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. Still, the amount of research put into this, and the way Donnelly weaves it in set me on an online search-hunt for the true events, and I love when books do that. There were a lot of parallels between characters from the revolution and from Andi’s present life, and it seemed like too much of a nudge of “oh what a coincidence- but no not really”. God, both Andi and Alexandrine did a good job in that. Of course, that’s not to say that I didn’t choke up with tears. I also wished she was much closer to the other members of the royal family, like Marie-Therese

And there were holes in her character– like, if she was as poor as she described, how was she literate? I would have loved to know that. I felt that Donnelly only used her to skim over the revolution’s events. Surprising, I felt little connection with Alexandrine and her diary entries. Her sarcasm was cutting but engaging, and her narration heartfelt. I find that I’m usually tough on those “tortured” characters, but I really sympathized with Andi, and I loved her voice. I really loved Andi, despite her meanness and messed up self. I’m glad to say that Revolution is a great addition to many historical fiction books on that topic. There are A LOT of material on both, especially since there are never any solid records. For example, the anime T he Rose of Versailles was the intro I got about the subject (I was 12 then, I think), and from there on, a couple of books as a teen (those will be mentioned below). Even though the courses of two centuries divides them, Andi feels a connection– a connection to Alexandrine’s Paris, and to the lost prince of France.Įver since I was young, I was always intrigued by the French and Russian revolution. Before she even gets to the bottom of it, however, Andi stumbles upon a diary belonging to a girl.

Her only ticket back home- her senior thesis. It’s only when she’s nearly failing school that her father intervenes and decides to take her to Paris. Angry that her mother isn’t coping with grief, and that her father left them in the wake of such a tragedy, all she has left is her music. Summary: After losing her brother in a terrible incident, Andi Alpers is close to losing it herself.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly