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    Blut der Lilie
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    Blut der Lilie
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    Blut der Lilie
    Audiobook7 hours

    Blut der Lilie

    Written by Jennifer Donnelly

    Narrated by Lotte Ohm and Josefine Preuß

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Wie versteinert fühlt sich Andi, als ihr Bruder bei einem Unfall stirbt und sie sich die Schuld an dessen Tod gibt. Als ihr Vater sie zur Aufheiterung nach Paris entführt, fi ndet sie in einem alten Gitarrenkoffer das geheimnisvolle Tagebuch einer jungen Frau, die einst den Sohn Marie Antoinettes betreute. Bald erkennt sie, dass ihre Schicksale untrennbar miteinander verbunden sind, denn auch die Französin konnte den Tod des geliebten kleinen Jungen nicht verhindern. Und so begleitet Andi Alexandrine auf deren gefahrvollen Wegen durch die Wirren der Französischen Revolution - in der Hoffnung, dort den Schlüssel zur Rückkehr ins Leben zu finden.
    LanguageDeutsch
    PublisherDer Audio Verlag
    Release dateNov 21, 2014
    ISBN9783862310593
    Unavailable
    Blut der Lilie
    Author

    Jennifer Donnelly

    Jennifer Donnelly writes books for children and adults, including the novel The Tea Rose. She lives in Brooklyn and upstate New York, with her husband and two greyhounds. She has a passion for tea and roses.

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    Reviews for Blut der Lilie

    4/5

    598 ratings120 reviews

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    • 5/5
      There are books that you want to read forever, ones where you want to live in the world of the authors creation. Others that show you a world that is already around you. One where you hear the author's voice follow you, whispering in your ear. I have touched music, I'm a clarinetist but it was a chore, I even dabbled in writing music but that was an experiment. This book made music real, I see it floating around me: showing more then I could ever imagine. I read this book cried, read more and cried again. I see Andi's brother and feel her her heartbreak, I look at my family and see what I have. This was my first Jennifer Donnelly book and I can't wait to read northern lights. My life changed, please read this book
    • 2/5
      For me, Revolution was a novel that tried to be far too much. To speak of the positive, I did really enjoy the world of Alex's diary entries. While there aren't many of these, they do provide an eye-opening glimpse into what life was like for an ordinary peasant during the Great Terror. These sections were fantastic for building tension. The reader knows that Alex's story can't end well, and yet I still rooted for her as she grew closer to the Dauphin and became increasingly keen to risk her life for him.However, I'm not sure how accessible this novel would be if you didn't already know about the history of Revolutionary France. There is a lot of name dropping in this story and not much by way of explanation, as even Andi seemed to be an expert on this time period (as it was apparently taught at length in her school). Perhaps this is a difference between the English and American school systems, but I didn't study this period until I was in 6th Form. If you don't at least know who Robespierre, Marat and the Jacobins are, I think you're likely to be confused.I also felt that Andi's contribution to the story was ultimately a lot weaker. This half of the story was an exploration into the protagonist's depression, guilt complex and suicidal thoughts, making it very hard to read. In part, this is because Andi isn't greatly likeable. She's rude to pretty much everyone for no good reason, and actively pushes away anyone who extends an olive branch to her. Her plot line also resolves incredibly easily, with many plot threads unceremoniously tied up in the epilogue, which also showed a lack of care.I also didn't really enjoy the final act. I don't want to spoil anything here, but the last hundred pages suddenly pitch towards science fiction as Andi travels back to 19th Century France (or possibly hallucinates this). While this section is far more descriptive than Alex's letters, finally getting across the ugliness of the period, it felt out of place. It also led to some incredible plot conveniences, though I won't spoil these for you here.All in all, Revolution could have been excellent but I felt as though it tried to be too much. The novel was massively too long and felt like a weak merging of Contemporary, Historical and Time Travel fiction. People with an interest in French history might get a kick out of it, but I found it to be forgettable on the whole.
    • 4/5
      I am having a difficult time deciding between 3 and 4 stars for this one. Quite a bit about the book bothered me yet there is something that keeps me thinking about it.
      This book was rather different from Donnelly's Northern Light. As opposed to her debut novel, this one is about 65% modern-day young-adult novel and 35% historical. Plus a little bit of weird fantasy thing going on in the middle. I was pretty cool with the whole thing until I got to the kind of supernatural stuff about 3/4 of the way through. However, I have a difficult time saying that it ruined the novel, because it certainly added a lot. I guess it was just so unexpected that it through me for a loop.
      However, overall, this book is very well written. There was a neat parallel between Andi and Alex, two girls separated by 200-odd years yet similar in so much. As far as a historical fiction novel goes, I found it a little lacking, as so much of it was in the present, however, for a light young-adult read, it was great.
      One thing that I thought was especially neat was the parallel to Dante's Inferno. Each of the three sections gets its title from one of the three parts of the Divine Comedy and the epigraph at the beginning of each section is taken from his work as well. And, of course, we have Andi's guide though her difficult times, none other than Virgil himself. Finally, what really tied it all together for me was how the last word of the novel (not including the epilogue) was "stars," the same word with which Dante ended each of his works. Having just finished Inferno in school last week, the parallels really stood out to me. I think that it is this more than anything that really grabbed me. Andi certainly does go through hell and purgatory before she can get to heaven. And even better, she emerges from the depths of the catacombs and revels in the stars at the end of her journey, just as Dante does in his Commedia.
      Overall this was a very well-written and well-researched book. I would certainly recommend it for a rainy day read.
    • 5/5
      This book has been on my to-read list for two years! TWO YEARS PEOPLE! I really have no idea what took me so long, but a big thank-you to my husband for buying this for me for Christmas. I first saw this book on the shelves of a now defunct Borders and the concept intrigued me at once. For some reason I thought the entire book would be about some sort of time-travel, which it wasn't. I'm not disappointed though.This book far exceeded every expectation I had and I'm so glad that I have a copy of my own.

      I have to admit that I'm not well-versed in French history, especially the French Revolution. Prior to this book I possessed a small arsenal of knowledge, but the topic didn't ever pique my interest enough to learn more. Donnelly takes a time period that I'm not all that interested in and makes it come alive. All of a sudden I've found myself wanting to know more about the key players and I want to read as much about this period as I can. Sometimes history can seem so drab so when someone has the ability to make history interesting, entertaining and relatable, then I know they possess a rare gift. Donnelly has that.

      Andi Alpers isn't what I would call a relatable character by any means. She is full of angst and depression and just frankly doesn't give a shit. I don't know that the average human being can completely relate to her unless of course like Andi you have been through something tragic and life-changing. My tragedies are nowhere near her tragedies so I honestly couldn't even begin to comprehend where it was that she was coming from. At times I found her to be a tad too much. She's a tough pill to swallow, but give her and the story a chance.

      She goes with her super-star scientist father to Paris because she is in danger of not graduating and needs to complete a senior project. Those were a complete joke at my school, but not at Andi's. While in Paris she meets friends who will change her life forever. She also discovers a journal that reveals a piece of history that no one really knew about. Along the way she finds purpose again and even herself.

      My final thoughts upon completion of this novel were, "Wow, just wow." This was a fabulous tale that is not to be missed. I can hardly wait to get my hands on the rest of Donnelly's work.
    • 4/5
      Loved how Jennifer blended Andi's contemporary story with Alex's historical. Well crafted!
    • 5/5
      Thoughtful, painful, beautiful, hopeful.

      I read the author's earlier YA A Northern Light a few years ago and thought it was readable but not quite for me. But some combination of the compelling cover, the Parisian setting, and the intriguing plot summary (two parallel stories, one in contemporary Paris, one during the Revolution) kept drawing my attention back to it. But I think the thing that really made me half to read it was this quote, referenced in one of the reviews I read: "The world goes on stupid and brutal, but I do not. Can't you see? I do not."
      I didn't know the context, but those words kept ringing in my brain, until I finally sought out the book and read it, almost all in one sitting. And I still love that quote, and how the book leads to that recognition, how the characters deal with the stupidity and brutality of the world, and their own terrible losses. But it wasn't just the themes that made me love this one: it was the characters, the humor, the weaving together of different lives and goals.
    • 4/5
      Wow, did I enjoy this book. Really, really couldn't put it down.
      High school senior Andi is on edge of a breakdown, having witnessed the tragic death of her younger brother two years ago. Failing out of her classes at a prestigious Brooklyn prep school, she barrels through her days in a haze of antidepressants and a bad attitude, fending off the increasingly more intense urge to kill herself. The only thing that keeps her going is her love for music. She plays the guitar and has an interest in a particular 18th century musician named Amade Mahlerbeau. Following a contentious interaction with her distracted genius of a father (a renowned genetics expert), she finds herself in Paris, staying with family friends. There, while fiddling with an antique guitar, she finds a hidden compartment containing an old diary and a tiny portrait of Prince Louis Charles, the "lost king of France." Hence forth, the story weaves back and forth between modern day Andi's struggles and an incredible first hand account of the French Revolution, written in the diary by another 17 year old girl musician.

      There are many other details of this story that are too complicated to explain. But wow. What a fun, interesting, informed read. What a great way to bring the French Revolution to life for a younger crowd (or anyone, really). I am far from being an expert on 18th century Paris, but I did think that the story seemed meticulously researched and I appreciated how Donnelly didn't flinch from the horribly bloody reality of that time period. Many descriptions of the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of that period had me cringing and wretching. I'd be curious to know what any of my more well-informed historian friends would think of this book. (I'm looking at you, Laura Prieto!).

      Also, it's worth mentioning that I didn't mind the tortured teen narrator's voice. As a big reader of YA, I am often turned off by the whiny, maudlin, or overly flippant voice of many young narrators. But Andi, while sometimes all of those things, still seemed true to me. I believed her pain, and I was rooting for her all along.

      Great great read. I highly recommend it to anyone, but especially someone who enjoys historical fiction and/or young adult fiction.


    • 5/5
      Wow, just wow. I pretty much picked this book to read based on two things: one, it's by Jennifer Donnelly, and I've read and loved all her books so far, and two, the French Revolution plays a part in the plot. Having gone to France the year before the 200-year anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in high school, that period of history has always interested me. Now that I'm finished, I'm very glad I chose it.

      Andi Alpers is in trouble. She's fighting the guilt and depression that her younger brother's death has left her with. She's dealing with a mother who most days isn't dealing with anything herself at all. She's angry with her father for deserting his family, in spirit long before he physically left them. And she's in real danger of being expelled from her prestigious private school. Once her father hears from the school about her current status, though, Andi finds herself wisked off to Paris over winter break so she can work on her senior thesis under her father's supervision.

      Once there, she finds the two-hundred-year-old diary of Alexandrine Paradis, an ambitious wannabe actress who unwittingly becomes embroiled in the drama surrounding the French Revolution and the doomed life of the young prince of France. Soon, the diary becomes more real to Andi than her own life, and when it ends in a way she can't accept, she nearly loses everything. A new friend helps her to cope, however, and an unexpected dream--or it?--gives her more insight into her own place in the world than she ever dreamed possible. An amazing book!
    • 4/5
      I liked this novel quite a bit, but can't say I loved it. I've not read Donnelly's "A Northern Light", although have read a couple in the "Tea Rose" series and I think she does a good job with historical fiction. I suppose my main issue was the fact that I couldn't get over not liking the main character of Andi. Yes, there was a traumatic incident in her past and her family life was less than perfect, but after a point she needed to move on and I don't feel her character did that very well. Enough of the whining & self pity -- grow, develop, and get on with your life. But the plot itself was interesting & entertaining. I learned more about the French revolution and I liked the alternating past vs. present points of view. There was also a little of the supernatural element thrown in, which worked, for the most part. I don't think this was probably Donnelly's best work, but still definitely worth the read.
    • 5/5
      Excellent, excellent, excellent! Ms. Donnelly has captured my mind, heart and soul. Again!!!

      "The world goes on stupid and brutal, but I do not. Can't you see? I do not."
    • 4/5
      Another book about spoiled rich kids going to a swanky school in New York City? Lord help me! These young people are so soulless that they gather each morning before school to get themselves chemically enhanced in order to get through the day. And it doesn't help that the protagonist, Andi, is not only spoiled, with a falling apart family, she's also depressed and basically unlikable. Her only redeeming feature is that she plays a mean guitar. I was about to set Revolution aside, but the beauty of A Northern Light kept niggling at me. Okay, I'd give it one more chapter--and it just happened to be the chapter where Andi agrees to go with her father to Paris for winter vacation. They are staying with friends of the family who live in a warehouse in Paris, which G plans to turn into a museum of the French Revolution. Boxes of Revolutionary artifacts are everywhere! G hands Andi a guitar circa 1795, and tucked into a secret compartment in the guitar's case, she finds a diary written in 1795 by Alexandrine Paradis, a lower class girl who has developed a relationship with the Royal family. I won't go into spoiler territory here, but will just say that my interest--and the book's pace--picked up dramatically at this point. In the end, this was a fascinating look at life during Revolutionary times, with a healthy dose of music, both pop and classical. Give it a chance, and don't be put off by the slow start!
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars. Enjoyed the story, although the main part happens in the last 50 pages or so. Also learned a lot about music history and the French Revolution.
    • 5/5
      This is the second book I've read this year that has touched on the French Revolution--i guess i never understood what a blood bath it was! This book was well written jumping between present day and two hundred years past seamlessly. I truly enjoyed this read!
    • 4/5
      A beautifully written, richly layered story. Starts out sluggish but picks up steam.
    • 2/5
      Eh, this was okay. The idea was pretty cool, but the execution was poor. The music references were a little heavy handed and the french revolution stuff occasionally felt like reading a text book. It was not done in a subtle way, it was very forced.
    • 4/5
      If forced to give an overall statement on this book, I suppose that it was good and I liked it well enough. Really though, I have to break it down into quarters, because I found the book to be very uneven. Some sections I hated and others I really thought were clever.

      The opening of this book was amazingly similar to Adios Nirvana, which I read a couple of months ago: a self-destructive guitar player wants to follow their sibling into death, because they feel responsible for it having happened. There is definitely some Gossip Girl in their too, what with the spoiled prep school kids who skip school, do drugs and weave a tangled web of who has dated (or hooked up with) whom. This section was awful. I hated Andi (and I never came to like her much) and almost everyone else. The star of this section (and my favorite character in the whole book, even though he makes only cameo appearances) is her best friend Vijay. He is a genius, who is calling every potentate imaginable for quotes for his thesis and actually getting them. He also comes up with the most hilarious nicknames for his mother.

      The next chunk focuses more on Alexandrine's diary and is, to me, much more interesting. This follows more along an Iain Pears for teens type of line. The diary entries are really interesting, as is the historical focus. I was a little confused by the order of the entries and could not figure out how it had been constructed, as the first ones were further ahead in time than the middle ones, but oh well. They may not be in the order they would be most likely in a historical sense, but they do make a logical progression weaved into this story.

      The third part is really frustrating again. For one thing, Andi gets super mad that they guy she's been dating in Paris was kissed by another girl, even though the French kiss all the time. She runs off and almost commits suicide...again. Then she hits her head on a rock and the plot goes somewhere absurd. I know what Donnelly was trying to do here, but I really think it's over the top. And obvious. I don't want to say what happens to avoid spoilers, but you'll probably know.

      The last section, the epilogue, was to me reminiscent of what Dostoevsky did to Crime and Punishment or J. K. Rowling did to Harry Potter 7. Everything has been terrible through pretty much the entire book, until the chapter before the epilogue, but her future is made of sunshine and rainbows. She is suddenly completely happy without the drugs and no longer feels guilty for her brother's death (which is absolutely absurd by the way, by which I mean how Donnelly staged his death). In addition, her mother's all better too and she has a fantastic new life in Paris with her boyfriend. It all feels saccharine, especially after the story was so dark. It also feels a bit like what made a lot of the difference was the boyfriend (which is gross).

      That came out more negative than I perhaps intended. Though flawed (obviously), Revolution is a good read once you get past the first part. Once the diary entries began, I became intrigued to discover the answer to the historical mystery within its pages and thus did not want to stop reading anymore. Definitely a good teen novel for historians!
    • 5/5
      I listened to the audiobook narrated by Emily Janice Card and Emma Bering, and it was so beautifully done. Jennifer Donnelly really captures the lives of two teenage girls, Andi and Alex, who live at different times but become connected to each other. Whether she's plumbing contemporary Andi's despair or bringing the French Revolution to life through Alex's narration, Donnelly creates a superb story arc that will have readers enthralled to the end.
    • 4/5
      There is only one thing I fear now - love. For I have seen it and I have felt it and I know that it is love, not death, that undoes us. Page. 302The only thing keeping Andi from taking that final step towards oblivion is her music and the medication she pops daily like we breath air. A family tragedy sends her whole family on a downwards spiral and her only hope of making it to the next minute is a guitar, her only solace. A trip to Paris with her father, an unexpected discovery of a diary by a girl named Alexandrine, the tragic story of a prince held captive in a tower during the French Revolution, all colliding forces that push Andi to the brink of madness. Somehow she must find the strength to overcome the darkness that pervades her life and the secret to doing so may very well be found in between the pages of a tattered and forgotten diary. Donnelly shares a captivating story about the end days of the French Revolution that is both heartbreaking and immersive. In some ways, Andi's present day struggles and difficulties take a back seat to the historical aspect of the story and I found myself anxiously waiting for the next diary entry. Along the way there are numerous musical references that often times was beyond my scope of comprehension, but for musical lovers, would probably add to the authenticity of the story. Revolution blends two stories about two girls who lived hundreds of years apart, yet similarly show us what we can do in the face of pain that cripples us, and the courage it takes to come out on the other side. Well recommended.
    • 5/5
      wonderful mix of history, mystery, adventure and romance
    • 4/5
      This book is fantastically loaded with historical detail! Teenager Andi Alpers is a brilliant musician, but deeply depressed. There are the recreational drugs her friends take, the drugs she is prescribed, thoughts of suicide, the heavy weight of guilt and the disintegration of her family after the tragic death of her ten-year-old brother. Andi's father puts her grief stricken mother into care and then takes Andi with him on a business trip to Paris where he hopes she will work on her thesis. In Paris Andi discovers the desperation of another teenage girl, Alexandrine Paradis, through her secret journal written two centuries early during the French Revolution.A fantastic book, great for older teens. I think I would read this one again :o)
    • 3/5
      Mixed feelings on this random F-Rev selection - the premise was intriguing, and the history interesting, but I think Jennifer Donnelly over-reached herself slightly. I couldn't stand the 'modern day' narrator, tortured teen Andi, and her eighteenth century counterpart, Alex, never really developed a separate personality. Not to mention my general quibbles with the diary format - far too detailed and flowery for the daughter of a travelling performer ('the fog curled its pale fingers around the street lamps, muting their glow') - and the source of tension for the novel: history is a done deal, there is no fear or expectation to be had from the past.Andi Alpers lives in Brooklyn with her 'artistic' mother, and goes to an elite school for precocious kids, but she is miserable. The opening chapter reads like a scene from Beverley Hills 90210, and Andi's binging, stuck up school friends are straight out of Bret Easton Ellis. The overdose of angst and pretentiousness nearly put me off, but then, I'm not a teenager. I think the St. Anselm's crew are supposed to be cool and witty, but 'one-liners' like, 'Dude, hey. I'm not radicchio' (which needed explaining) didn't really do it for me. Also, Andi is not tragic or sympathetic, merely self-involved and angry. Wracked with guilt over an accident which killed her brother two years earlier, she is either near-suicidal and constantly doped up on anti-depressants, or lashing out at other people to make them feel as bad as she does ('It's all about the pain, isn't it?') I got the point, but Andi is so bitterly self-aware that, instead of pitying her, I wanted to shake the girl and tell her, 'Get over yourself and think about your family!'In a bid to save Andi from herself, her father - a Nobel-winning geneticist, naturally - takes her to Paris with him, while he and an old friend are investigating the scientific and historical proof that a petrified human heart is that of Marie Antoinette's son, the Dauphin Louis-Charles. Now, this angle - and the catacombs of Paris - fascinated me, but Deborah Cadbury's non-fiction account of the heart is equally instructive about the life of the young prince, and the Revolution which killed his parents, without all the surrounding teen drama. While in Paris, Andi finds the diary - in the possibly one of the most contrived coincidences of post-Victorian fiction - of a young girl who was the Dauphin's companion, and tried to save him from his fate in the Temple prison. The novel is split between Andi's modern life in Paris, and Alex's rather more turbulent days during the Revolution, mirroring people, places and angst. Andi's narrative is perhaps meant to echo the reader's rapt attention in Alex's plight - 'My heart's pounding as I finish the entry' - but I didn't honestly care about Alex, and unlike Andi, knew perfectly well how Louis-Charles' story must end ('Please let this have a happy ending'). And the final twist was one too many, turning Andi's angst fest into Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.For all the hokey devices and heavy-handed symbolism, I did keep reading, however - and started to enjoy the story. Andi breaks out of her epic sulk (and compared to Alex's memoirs of the Revolution, at least she comes across as 'real'), the dialogue improves, and there are some really effective, realistic scenes - Andi's struggle with the archivist, the Duc d'Orleans' cynical (and fairly accurate) take on the causes of the Revolution, plus thoughtful lines like, 'Beautiful people don't need coats. They have their auras to keep them warm' and 'I'm afraid they'll take her away from me. Put her in an acid free box. Make me wear white gloves when I touch her'.Recommended for the intended demographic, definitely - only another teenager could love Andi, or swallow her connection with the past, but Jennifer Donnelly's research into the Revolution, Louis-Charles' tragic life, and the amazing catacombs of Paris, will also grip the imagination.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely love this book. It is a book for all history lovers. If you love the French Revolution then this book is for you. I just could not put it down!
    • 5/5
      Let me start by saying I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction. I have read a few, but not many. In Revolution, Jennifer Donnelly tells a beautiful story that blends together the present and the past in a way that's stunningly real. Two girls, two centuries apart, become one as their stories and griefs intertwine. There are so many paranormal and supernatural stories out there, we sometimes forget that stories like this can still pull us into a new world, much like our own, and leave us feeling compelled to turn the next page. Andi Alpers lost her brother, and it's all her fault. At least, that's what she says. And because of it, she tries to get herself killed to end the pain. Walking in front of cars, looking off the edge of a building one step away from death, she's tried them all. She takes pills to aid her depression, and plays music to get away from it all. Her father, a Nobel prize winning scientist who's almost never home, comes home one day when he finds out Andi is about to be expelled from one of the most prestigious schools in Brooklyn. He takes her with him to Paris during her winter break to work on her thesis, which is required for her to graduate. She goes, but not without a fight. While she's fumbling with a case, she unknowingly stumbles upon the diary of a girl who lived over 200 years ago. Andi's obsessed with Alex's diary, she can't put it away. Alex, the girl who became the caretaker of the young prince Louis-Charles. The prince who looks exactly like her brother, a life stolen because of madmen. Revolution was unputdownable. Everything about Donnelly's writing is compelling - the plot, her writing style, the characters - all perfect. I say, take a break from the vampires, faeries, dragons, and werewolves and dive heart-first into this beautiful and heartfelt story - you won't regret it.
    • 5/5
      Andi's little brother Truman died and her family has never recovered. All her mother does is paint portraits of him, and all Andi can do is play music. She is in danger of failing her senior year b/c she just can't function and doesn't get anything out of class. Then the school sends a letter to her father and he comes home and finally sees what is really going on in Andi's home, so he whisks her off to France so she can begin working on her thesis. While in France Andi finds the diary of a girl her age during the French Revolution and the connection Andi feels is enough to keep Andi caught in the past.

      Jennifer Donnelly is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The writing style is beautiful and does a phenomenal job of expressing Andi's pain and how stuck she feels. There were points in the book where I Andi's depression felt so real it was almost getting to me. Donnelly also did a great job showing how there is hope and there is a point where people are just afraid to let it in.

      So the only thing that I'm still in limbo about is the historical elements. The diary I got used to although sometimes I just wanted to go back and check on Andi, but I wasn't entirely sure if the trip back in time was necessary for Andi. In a lot of ways it did quickly sort of "fix" her life, but it still felt like it was lacking a little bit. The historical detail is great and I loved the composer, he was a phenomenal character and so interesting but I just wasn't sure the trip was necessary, particularly since it was such a long book. All in all I still really liked it though.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this until the twist towards the end. Had a really hard time with that part, but overall a good one.
    • 4/5
      Reeling from the death of her brother and her feelings of responsibility, Andi is barely holding it together. Her estranged father takes her to Paris over winter break as he has to go there to DNA test a heart to see if he belonged to the lost king during the French Revolution. Andi discovers a diary written by Alexandrine two centuries earlier and feels drawn to it. After a night in the catacombs, Andi finds herself transported into the thick of the French Revolution and Alexandrine's life. A story of discovery and pain. I learned a lot about French history and again enjoyed Donnelly's ability to craft a complex story.
    • 5/5
      Andi's little brother died last year and since then she has buried herself in her music, not caring about much else as she blames herself for his death. Trying to cope with her brother's death and trying to look after her mentally ill mother takes it's toll on Andi but she's determined to look after her. So when her father shows up out of the blue, puts her Mother in a Mental Facility and drags her kicking and screaming to France with him, she's understandably peeved. Searching through a friend's attic she discovers an old guitar and a journal, from Alex, a girl who lived through the French Revolution. Reading it, Andi discovers the story of another little boy - the Prince of France - who is locked in a Tower and will die at the age of ten unless Alex can do something about it. Drawn to Alex's story, Andi's heart slowly begins to heal.The story started a little slow and finished with a killer ending. Of all the endings I could have guessed, I wasn't expecting one quite like that. At over 400 pages long this story isn't a quick afternoon read but a really riveting story that I didn't want to put down - or finish! With two strong female lead characters with equally fascinating and mysterious stories, this book should be a hit with Young Adults. I didn't really enjoy A Gathering Light, I found it quite dull, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. Thankfully it's written better and with a much better storyline.The two lead characters that I mentioned are both very different and very similar. Andi is a talented, rich Goth girl with a heavy passion for music and lost her brother a year ago. Alex however is poor but smart - she's gained a reputation and all of the newspapers are calling for 'The Green Man' - as Alex sets off Fireworks every night for her lost friend, Louis - the Prince that is locked in a tower.After taking a little while to really get going, Andi finds herself in Paris and so do you as the life in France is richly described. I felt almost claustrophobic when Andi went down into the Catacombs. I hadn't learnt much about the French Revolution before this book, I found it to be both brutal and shocking.This book has so many strong emotions and feelings - love, hate, passion, life, death and pain. An outstanding novel.
    • 5/5
      Brooklyn teen Andi acts out in her rage and grief over her younger brother's death to the point that she is forced to spend winter break with her estranged father in France; while in Paris, she discovers and becomes obsessed with a journal she finds that belonged to Alexandrine Paradis, an aspiring Parisian actress who lived two centuries earlier and who had a fateful encounter with the doomed French king and his young son. This book has a little bit of everything---history, drugs, teen angst, adventure, mystery and music (rock & roll AND classical.) One of the best YA I've read all year!
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this novel! Both the characterization and mystery were developed brilliantly. I love the way Donnelly weaves the two heroines lives together through their painful circumstances. She writes a story that balances a realistic, graphic representation of the reality of revolution, both internal and external, with a humanistic drive towards hope. I very much enjoy the fact that she framed the story with Dante's trifold view: Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. I also love the representation of time as a spiral, particularly in terms of the influence of the musicians upon one another. I highly recommend this novel!
    • 4/5
      The book world is buzzing about this book, and I can see why. This book is amazing. It's a smart, compelling book with an unlikely but extremely engrossing tale of a grieving teenage girl who stumbles upon an old diary in an antique guitar case in Paris and gets sucked into the intrigue of the author's 18th century dilemma that begins to have strange parallels to her own. Two centuries apart, the girls lives begin to mysteriously mesh in a haunting (literally and figuratively) way. It presents quite a lot of real history of the French Revolution in such an integral way within the story that you don't realize how much you are actually learning (or are reminded of, for those of you with a better background in European history than I do). The same is true for the history of music. I'd say this is historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, and it's definitely a fantastic read--even for grownups.