30 DBC Day 25

.27 Book you love, but most people haven’t read

-Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

 

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. 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. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break. PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape. Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

As a once troubled teen I really connected with Andi and Alexandrine is also a wonderful character. Donnelly really draws you into both worlds. When Andi starts to become engrossed in the diary you feel like you are too and then in the end (I won’t give it away) you feel what Andi is feeling, it’s wondrous and scary. Donnelly has a way of making everything so vivid and real. If you like historical fiction with a hint of fantasy you should really read this book. It’s amazing.