Revolution (utgåvan 2011)

Revolution.
Obsession.
Despair.
Redemption.
Hope.

Torn by grief and anger over the death of her brother, 21st century Andi finds herself on the brink of taking her own life. Driven to desperation by betrayal, 18th century Alex finds herself running for hers. When Andi finds Alex’s diary, past and present become one. Jennifer Donnelly’s Revolution is a wonderfully epic story of two girls struggling to survive when their worlds descend into madness.

Donnelly’s meticulous research of late 18th century France is painlessly and seamlessly woven into the tale; her characters are fully-fleshed and draw you deeply into their world. As Andi finds herself compelled to follow Alex’s account of the days of the French Revolution, you will find yourself holding your breath as you turn the pages. At turns heartbreaking and exhilarating, Revolution is a fantastic read with depth and heart. I’ll be adding Jennifer Donnelly to my “must read” list.

"I will rain down silver and gold for you. I will shatter the black night, break it open and pour out a million stars. Turn away from the darkness, the madness, the pain.

Open your eyes. And know that I am here. That I remember and hope.

Open your eyes and look at the light." ( )

This book was amazing. Captures a moment in history where many were struggling. Helps one realize that no one has it easy in this world but there is always someone out there who can help make it better. ( )

By swapping the point of view and time period throughout the book, Jennifer Donnelly captures the legacy of the French Revolution and uses a fictional character to develop the story. Andy's brother was hit by a car and her mother became depressed, and her grades dropped significantly, so her dad makes her go to France with him t0o write her senior project. At first, Andy was stubborn and hesitant about leaving home but eventually gets engulfed in the culture. Finding a journal of someone living through the revolution, Andy gets involved with rewarding that book and using it as a coping mechanism. This story, although historical, touches on many issues including guilt and mental health.

In Revolution, Donnelly attempts to weave together the French Revolution and teen angst. An ambitious combination, right? The story comes across as a lazy attempt by an older person to capture teen depression mixed with an overlying theme of the French Revolution.
I'll try to start with the good stuff first. One of the only positive aspects of the story is the well-rounded account of the French Revolution. The parts of the story in which Donnelly wasn't trying to teach the main character some lesson provided to be an engaging experience. The hunt for clues that the main character undergoes was the only thing that kept me reading (and of course that I had to write an essay on it for school). Donnelly does a sufficient job of showing the historical aspects of the French Revolution and really is able to convey the way that the mob mentality works.
Any form of ingenuity that is contained is completely wiped away by Donnelly's persistence in creating this depressed, distraught, angsty teen. In no way does she successfully create this character, but instead just uses her writing to categorize depression as just feeling bummed out and annoyed. The main character is offended and angered by everything just because the author just felt like throwing that in to convey her main point. The cliche of the dad who works too much was just lazy and didn't add to the story as a whole.
Even the "twist", the climax of the story leaves the reader scratching their head and wondering why they were still reading. It made no sense and was utterly laughable. Overall, Donnelly, while still having some commanding aspects, completely missed the mark on the narrative she was trying to promote ( )

Best book I have read this year. Period. ( )