When I was in High School I read a book by Jennifer Donnelly called A Northern Light. It was brand new at the time, and it was her only book. It was one of the very first historical novels I read, and it may even be the very book that sparked my love of historical fiction. I was so bummed it was her only book. Since then she has written two historical novels Tea Rose and Winter Rose, but I had no idea until now. (I can't wait to read them!)
Over a month ago we received the fall Kids Indie Next Picks List at work. The top book happens to be a brand new Young Adult novel by Jennifer Donnelly, and I had to wait weeks to get my hands on it. So naturally, I finished it in 4 days!
Revolution is about Andi, a 17 year old senior at a prestigious art academy in Brooklyn. She is a rebellious, wounded person because of her younger brothers death which sparked a series of events that completely unraveled her family. Her brother died, her dad left, and her artist mother couldn't cope so she went numb to the world. Andi deals with her pain through her music and drugs.
When her father receives a call from her school informing him that she is neglecting her senior thesis, and failing school, he decides to take her with him to Paris for her 3 week Christmas break so she can work on her thesis. Once in Paris, Andi learns that her geneticist father is there to help his historian friend identify whether a preserved heart believed to belong to the son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette really did belong to the lost prince of France. Andi becomes emotionally involved in the research when she learns that Prince Louis-Charles was trapped in a tower during the Revolution and basically starved to death. He was the same age as her brother when he died.
Andi stumbles across an old diary that belonged to a young girl, Alexandrine, who was hired by Marie Antoinette to be a companion for young Louis-Charles during the Revolution. Alex wrote the diary in the last few months that she and Louis-Charles were alive. At the time, Louis-Charles was imprisoned in a tower and she was doing everything she could to try to save him. As Andi reads the diary she becomes increasingly attached to it and to the young prince.
Donnelly has written another fabulous historical novel. She weaves plenty of fictional characters and events into it, while at the same time immersing her audience in Revolution period France. She also writes a lot about music because Andi is a guitar player. I found it very entertaining and educational. Andi was not a character I felt like I could relate to, and the book did feel a little young at times. But it's perfect for High School. And still a very good read for anyone.
Buy a Jennifer Donnelly novel
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
A few days ago I finished reading Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, a memoir written by Rhoda Janzen. It's nothing like the books I normally choose to read. However, it sucked me in, entertained me, made me think, and introduced me to a whole new genre that I think I'm going to love. Long story short, I'm so glad I picked it up.
I first noticed this book because the cover draws your eye with it's bright turquoise color and oxymoron-esque title :) Then I started to notice a lot of people looking at it and talking about it. I became curious, so I did what anyone would do and read the back. Rhoda, a professor of Literature at Hope college here in Michigan, was left by her husband at the age of 43. Here's the kicker... he left her for a man named Bob whom he met on Gay.com. And in the days following she was involved in a bad car accident that left her in very rough shape. Broken-hearted and broken-boned, she takes a sabbatical and travels back to her Mennonite family to recover.
I decided I would buy it for my mom for Christmas. Then I decided I couldn't wait that long and I would just buy it for her for the heck of it. Then I picked it up to scan the first few pages. Next thing I knew I was 2 chapters in and dying to read some more. Rhoda is hilarious. The spin she manages to put on the horrible events in her life is admirable and extremely entertaining. The way she describes her matter-of-fact, straight-laced Mennonite mother makes you want to be a part of the family. And her raw vulnerability and honesty trick you into feeling like her closest friend at times.
While the book was entertaining and very funny, I did find that it was hard for me at times. But maybe that is the reason why I liked it so much. I felt challenged by Rhoda.I often say that learning from the people and things you disagree with is healthy and necessary to developing your own views and opinions; but I find that I don't take the time to challenge myself as much as I should. I did not read this book expecting to be challenged, but I was, and I appreciate that. Rhoda was raised in such an extremely conservative environment that once she was on her own she completely rebelled. She is a very liberal and very skeptical person. She is very intellectual, career minded, and maybe a bit feminist. There were times I found myself annoyed with her, along with times that I admired her. I was able to agree wholeheartedly with her in one paragraph, and totally disagree in the next. But at the end of the book I found that I really respect this woman. Instead of hating her ex-husband and blaming him for what he "did to her", she reflects on what she did and what she can do to improve herself and her future relationships. She casts out negativity and clings to her optimism. Way to go Rhoda!
On top of all that, she gives her audience a history lesson on Mennonites and an intimate peek into their personal lives, and their recipes!
Read it, its very good.
Buy Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
I first noticed this book because the cover draws your eye with it's bright turquoise color and oxymoron-esque title :) Then I started to notice a lot of people looking at it and talking about it. I became curious, so I did what anyone would do and read the back. Rhoda, a professor of Literature at Hope college here in Michigan, was left by her husband at the age of 43. Here's the kicker... he left her for a man named Bob whom he met on Gay.com. And in the days following she was involved in a bad car accident that left her in very rough shape. Broken-hearted and broken-boned, she takes a sabbatical and travels back to her Mennonite family to recover.
I decided I would buy it for my mom for Christmas. Then I decided I couldn't wait that long and I would just buy it for her for the heck of it. Then I picked it up to scan the first few pages. Next thing I knew I was 2 chapters in and dying to read some more. Rhoda is hilarious. The spin she manages to put on the horrible events in her life is admirable and extremely entertaining. The way she describes her matter-of-fact, straight-laced Mennonite mother makes you want to be a part of the family. And her raw vulnerability and honesty trick you into feeling like her closest friend at times.
While the book was entertaining and very funny, I did find that it was hard for me at times. But maybe that is the reason why I liked it so much. I felt challenged by Rhoda.I often say that learning from the people and things you disagree with is healthy and necessary to developing your own views and opinions; but I find that I don't take the time to challenge myself as much as I should. I did not read this book expecting to be challenged, but I was, and I appreciate that. Rhoda was raised in such an extremely conservative environment that once she was on her own she completely rebelled. She is a very liberal and very skeptical person. She is very intellectual, career minded, and maybe a bit feminist. There were times I found myself annoyed with her, along with times that I admired her. I was able to agree wholeheartedly with her in one paragraph, and totally disagree in the next. But at the end of the book I found that I really respect this woman. Instead of hating her ex-husband and blaming him for what he "did to her", she reflects on what she did and what she can do to improve herself and her future relationships. She casts out negativity and clings to her optimism. Way to go Rhoda!
On top of all that, she gives her audience a history lesson on Mennonites and an intimate peek into their personal lives, and their recipes!
Read it, its very good.
Buy Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
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