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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
French Revolution violence depicted including executions, imprisonment, and the terror
Language
Some
Some profanity throughout
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild romantic content in both timelines
Substance Use
Some
Significant drug use by the contemporary protagonist as she processes grief
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Strong psychological content: grief, depression, and the parallel traumas across centuries create sustained emotional weight
What this book is about
Andi Alpers is a Brooklyn teenager consumed by grief after her brother's death, held together only by music. When she discovers the diary of Alexandrine, a French girl who tried to save the young orphan Louis-Charles during the Revolution, the two girls' stories intertwine across centuries. Jennifer Donnelly's historical YA is ambitious, emotionally powerful, and depicts the French Revolution with period-accurate violence and genuine historical weight.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
French Revolution violence including executions and the Terror
Drug use as a grief response in the contemporary storyline
Reader Verification
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