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 Andis 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 Andis classical guitar knowledge to the contents of Alexs diary, everything is incredibly well-researched and inserted into the story so naturally it almost feels like Andis 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 dont 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.

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I really enjoyed the different layers of this book. Also the mini-history lesson was fabulous. It would be a great book for teens and adults. Deals with alot of emotional issues!

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Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com

Andi Alpers is angry. Angry at her father for abandoning their family; angry at her mother who can't seem to keep it together; angry at herself for being the one who let it get to this point. Andi is imploding - all because she thinks she let her younger brother, Truman, die.

Her social life is non-existent, her grades are slipping into oblivion, and she has almost given up on the one thing that she truly loves the most, music. Grief-stricken, Andi is on the verge of being expelled from the prestigious school she attends.

Because of this, Andi's father intervenes and whisks her away to Paris where he is working on a ground-breaking project. Andi has absolutely no idea how much Paris, its history, and her father's project will change her life......for the better.

Jennifer Donnelly has done an exceptional job of intertwining historical fact with a contemporary tale. Andi is thrust into the life of Alexandrine Paradis, a girl who lived during the time of Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution. Andi feels a connection with Alexandrine while reading her diary. Alexandrine's words resonate within her, slowly turning her naïve fascination into obsession.

Much like A NORTHERN LIGHT, this story will grip you from the very beginning and not let go until the last page is turned. I highly recommend this novel. It is truly an excellent story.

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I loved this book. I LOVED this book!!

I can't say what tipped me into truly loving this book without spoilers, so I won't. But goddamn. I LOVED it.

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Absolutely amazing! I finished this novel a couple of days ago and still cannot stop thinking of the characters...Andi, the senior in high school whose guilt over her brother's death is crippling her; Louis-Charles, the little prince secluded and tortured in a tower; and Alexandrine, the hero who is determined to save them both.

The connections between the 21st and 18th centuries are incredible, and I couldn't put this down. Donnelly doesn't disappoint. Her knowledge of the French Revolution is not only vast, but she tells it in a way that is so interesting!

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3.0 out of 5 stars Slow moving and not as good as I had hoped..., October 4, 2010
By Denise Crawford "DC" (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews

After reading the reviews on this product page, and with much anticipation for a great historical fiction story, I opened this book and found...boredom. I am not sure what novel the others read, but it couldn't have been this one?! I am afraid that I will be one of the few dissenters in raving about this book. In case I have totally missed the point of the novel, I'm going to pass it on for a true "teen test" by giving it to one of my Library Science students at the high school where I'm the librarian. I will post back and amend this review to include her reactions and thoughts. I thought the story was "ok" but in the latter section toward the end I had to stop myself from shouting out, "You've got to be kidding!" The suspension of disbelief required for me to finish the novel was immense.

The heroine, Andi Alpers, was quite annoying and totally addled -- certainly didn't act like the brainy private school girl that she was supposed to be. Her self medication treatment, depression, suicidal ideation, and fixation on her music was interesting enough to portray the teen angst so popular in YA fiction today, BUT the side story of her trip to Paris and her "involvement" in the life of Alexandrine Paradis was just a bit too far-fetched. I'm not a European History expert so I can't say how accurate the portrayal of the famous royals and the other characters was, but I will definitely will be researching that out of curiosity.

This novel is supposed to be about the "struggles of the human heart" and certainly these two girls endured their private personal struggles -- quite differently. I do not think that this book, however, will touch the teen reader nearly as effectively as did Jennifer Donnelly's previous novel (which I loved), A Northern Light. I was not impressed but I will see if the students check out and read this book. I would guess most won't finish it!

Hesitate to recommend.

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