January’s selection for our teen book club, Fledglings, was Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.
Andi Alpers’ life is falling apart. She is haunted by the tragic death of her younger brother. Her guilt has sent her into a spiral of drugs and self-loathing. In a parallel story, Alexandrine Paradis survives during the French Revolution dependent upon her skills as an actress and spy. She becomes a servant to the royal family and a companion to the young dauphin, Louis-Charles. Andi finds Alex’s diary, and is drawn into France during the 1790s.
- Really like the parallels between the stories
- Description really draws you in
- Book freaked out some readers.
- Loved the musical interconnections and the historical aspect.
- Beautiful and raw.
- Historical aspect was fascinating
- Unsure that Andi really needed to do the time slip as journal provided that.
- Characters were well developed, both primary and secondary.
- Setting was very much a character.
Final scores averaged to 8.8 out of 10.
The next Fledglings meeting will be Tuesday, February 21st at 4:30pm. The book up for discussion is Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka.
From the book’s description:
In the isolated rural community of Unity, the people of The Movement live a simple life guided by a set of religious principles and laws that are unique to them. Polygamy is the norm, strict obedience is expected and it is customary for young girls to be assigned to much older husbands.
Celeste was born and raised in Unity, yet she struggles to fit in. Perhaps it’s because of Taviana, the girl who has come to live with them and entertains Celeste with forbidden stories, or Jon, the young man she has clandestine meetings with, or maybe it’s the influence of Craig, the outsider she meets on the beach. Whatever it is, she struggles to accept her ordained life. At fifteen she is repulsed at the thought of being assigned to an older man and becoming a sister wife, and she knows for certain she is not cut out to raise children. She wants something more for herself, yet feels powerless to change her destiny because rebelling would bring shame upon her family.
Celeste watches as Taviana leaves Unity, followed by Jon, and finally Craig, the boy who has taught her to think “outside the box.” Although she is assigned to a caring man, his sixth wife, she is desperately unhappy. How will Celeste find her way out of Unity?
If your a teen in grades 10 through 12 and are interested in joining Fledglings, please email us at owlsnestbooks@shaw.ca, call us at 403-287-9557 or just drop into one of the meetings.
