Book Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Two girls, united in a quest to save a young prince, but separated by over two hundred years. Andi lives in present-day New York and is dealing with the aftermath of her brother's accidental death. Alexandrine lives in Paris and is desperately trying to save a young boy from the ravages of the French Revolution.
Their paths collide as Andi unlocks a route into the past which might just hold the key to reconciling herself with her own history- and her future.
A romantic, utterly engrossing story of two girls, two boys and the heart-wrenching thread that binds them together across the centuries.
Bestselling, award-winning author Jennifer Donnelly has written an incredibly evocative portrait of lives torn apart by grief and mended by love.

I only recently read Jennifer Donnelly's first book, A Gathering Light so I knew she was good. However, Revolution is not just good, it is brilliant, as with her first book I think it will easily cross over into an adult audience.
The book revolves entirely around the two main female characters who are completely believable, I felt as though I knew them so well by the end of the book. Andi is from present day New York, she is extremely intelligent and musically gifted. Her life and that of her family have been torn apart by the death of her younger brother, Truman. Andi blames herself, she feels her father blames her and Andi's mother is barely holding on to life and reality. When Andi's father gets a call from her prestigious high school about Andi's slipping grades, he steps in and places his ex-wife in a psychiatric hospital and takes Andi to Paris with him so she can concentrate on her thesis which she needs to complete in order to graduate.
It is Andi's trip to Paris that introduces us to the second main character. Andi is staying with friends of her fathers and comes across an old guitar case; she discovers that she can open a secret compartment in the case with a key that once belonged to her brother. The case is from the time of the French Revolution  and it contains Alexandrine's diary. She was not trying to save just any boy but the son of Louis XVI who she was the companion of. The young boy is orphaned after his parents are killed and locked in a tower with very little care shown to him. Alexandrine describes in her diary the horrors of the revolution and her struggles to free the boy who she dearly loved.
Louis-Charles was the same age as Truman when they both died, this is something that Andi cannot ignore. She becomes engrossed in Alexandrine's story just as the reader does; she is looking for answers, not only about Louis-Charles's fate but also her own as she struggles to continue on without Truman.
Jennifer Donnelly's writing completely blew me away. She describes the horrors of the French Revolution in great detail so you feel as though you are standing by watching it all happen. I have to be honest in that the French Revolution has never been something that I have been particulary interested in, but having read Revolution I know that I will look into this period of history to find out more.
As the synopsis states, these two young girls are connected by love and grief, emotions that have the same effects no matter what century they are experienced in. Both Andi and Alexandrine are carrying around the burden of guilt which has huge consequences for both of them. Obviously Alexandrine's fate cannot be changed but I kept turning the pages in the hope that Andi will find some kind of resolution.
Revolution is right at the top of the list of my favoutite books this year. The plot and characters are absorbing and the attention to historical detail is amazing. Jennifer Donnelly has written a book that children and adults will greatly enjoy.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review, Revolution is published today.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly is being published next week and there is blog tour that you can follow. There is a button at the side of my blog but I do not seem to be able to make it any bigger so thought I would do this post so it is clearer. I loved A Gathering Light by the same author and there is a lot of excitement about Revolution, review hopefully coming up next week.

Book Review: A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Based on a real murder at the turn of the century, this outstanding debut novel is a powerful and moving coming-of-age book. Mattie is torn between her familial responsibilities, her desire to be a writer, and the excitement of a first romance. Her dilemmas and choices are reflected in the life of a young woman that Mattie only gets to know through reading her letters.

When finally the tales of Mattie and the drowned girl merge, their stories beautifully combine in a brilliant and perfect conclusion.

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly is in the children's section of the Bloomsbury catalogue but it is one of those great books that will appeal to readers of many ages as the author has created a story that many will identify with.

Mattie made a promise to her dying mother that she will look after the rest of the family so she is torn when she has the opportunity to go to college in New York to persue her dream of being a writer. I loved the way that the author uses Mattie to explore the ways in which a writer thinks. Mattie views the world and the people around her in a very particular way. When Grace Brown's body is discovered, Mattie has to know more; she understands that Grace must have a story that should be told.
Jennifer Donnelly does not shy away from the poverty and daily grind that Mattie and her family face. You begin to understand just how difficult Mattie's decision is. On the one hand she must feel that she has the opportunity to escape and realise her dreams but on the other hand she has to face the tremendous guilt were she to leave her family in those circumstances.
Some reviewers have said that this book is a little slow; I can understand what they are saying but in many ways it is important for the book to be like this. It is the slow-paced, mundane life that Mattie wants to leave behind. She has to decide whether this is just the life that she has been dealt; should she just get married and help run the farm or should she go out there and see what else life has to offer?
The death of Grace Brown is an event that really did take place. Jennifer Donnelly weaves it into her story and Mattie learns more and more about Grace from the letters that she left behind. Grace brown's fate brings Mattie's choice into sharp focus; I thought that the author tied these two characters together brilliantly.
A Gathering Light is a fantastic book that I would highly recommend. There are so many different aspects to the story that you cannot help but become engrossed in it, even when I reached the last page, I wanted to know more about Mattie's life.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book, Jennifer Donnelly has a new book called Revolution out in October so look out for that one!