Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly - review

http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/mar/22/review-jennifer-donnelly-revolution

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From the wealthy streets of Brooklyn where Andi Alpers is slowly drifting away from her family and friends, to the horrific carnage of the French revolution where Alexandrine Paradis is hiding in fear of her life, this is a compelling, historical adventure, which brings the past to life- literally.

After the death of her younger brother, Truman, Andi feels alone and relies on anti-depressants to get through each day. Her grades are dropping, her mother is depressed and her father has gone to live with his pretty young girlfriend, abandoning his family. When he asks her to accompany him to Paris over the Winter break, she feels even more miserable, especially since she has had to leave her mother in a mental hospital. But when she discovers a diary in Paris she is drawn deeper and deeper into the bloody heart of the French revolution.

I have to admit, I really disliked Andi at the start. She was a very difficult heroine to get along with. Of course, she had to deal with the grief of losing Truman, but I didn't feel like that was an excuse to try and inflict pain on everyone she met. She spends all the rest of her time dwelling on pessimistic thoughts and complaining about her privileged lifestyle.I also had a problem with the way she considered suicide without thinking about the impact on her already grieving mother. However, her narration picked up after a few chapters and I felt like I started to understand her anger and sadness. Maybe she still wasn't my favourite heroine, but I loved the way she expressed herself through music, and her dedication to her mother was admirable, when she wasn't suicidal.

In Paris, we discover our other heroine, Alexandrine, the author of the diary. She greets her rather tragic circumstances as a poor travelling player with courage and spirit and is more cunning and resourceful than Andi. When she is hired as a companion for Louis-Charles, the son of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette, her life is changed forever, as she witnesses the horror of the revolution firsthand and fights to protect him. When they are separated she must find a way to save him.

I like Alex's story better than Andi's, it seems more realistic and I prefer her as a heroine. I love the little snippets of her story that are told through diary entries and I wish there had been more of them. Andi's story takes centre stage but I would have preferred if they shared the plot a bit more equally. Having said that, the two story-lines are woven together exceptionally well. The two perspectives were distinctly different and they flow perfectly, keeping readers interested.

I liked the historical fiction side of this story, looking at it from an original angle but still bringing the horror and bloodshed to life. Although the two characters that the 16th century side of the novel focuses on are purely fictional, they definitely felt real. I was very disappointed that I wasn't able to listen to the music of Amadé Malherbeau, a 16th century composer about whom Andi writes her thesis, having read the novel I was convinced that he was real!

Less convincing was the romance in this book. Just when Andi seems to have stopped moping and started to fall in love with Virgil, a talented young musician, it seems that Virgil already has a girlfriend. We have have to wait about five chapters before it is revealed who she really is. I have seen this plot device used before and it's predictability really annoyed me, not to mention Andi's heartbroken angst. The rest of their romance was well written though and I think its beautiful intensity and their shared love of music nearly made up for my earlier frustration, although I had to suspend my disbelief at how quickly they fell in love.

Having looked at a few reviews online, many people seem to dislike the plot twist towards the end of this book. Without spoiling anything, the plot changes very dramatically and becomes more out-of-the-ordinary, but I actually didn't mind it and it added to what could have been quite a pedestrian storyline.

Ultimately I feel like this original take on historical fiction transcends its flaws with its clever interweaving of stories and satisfying conclusion. While sometimes I had to suspend my disbelief or became impatient with the storyline, I learnt lots about the French revolution and it was extremely compelling. I would recommend it to fans of historical fiction and romance looking to try something a little bit different.

• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.

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