Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague | Geraldine Brooks

Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague | Geraldine Brooks | I'm Loving This Author

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Year of Wonders: A...

	Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague Geraldine Brooks Viking Adult, 2001 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 313 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

This gripping historical novel is based on the true story of Eyam, the "Plague Village," in the rugged mountain spine of England. In 1666, a tainted bolt of cloth from London carries bubonic infection to this isolated settlement of shepherds and lead miners. A visionary young preacher convinces the villagers to seal themselves off in a deadly quarantine to prevent the spread of disease. The story is told through the eyes of eighteen-year-old Anna Frith, the vicar's maid, as she confronts the loss of her family, the disintegration of her community, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit love. As the death toll rises and people turn from prayers and herbal cures to sorcery and murderous witch-hunting, Anna emerges as an unlikely and courageous heroine in the village's desperate fight to save itself.

Exploring love and learning, fear and fanaticism, and the struggle of science and religion to interpret the world at the cusp of the modern era, Year of Wonders is at once a story of unconventional love and a richly detailed evocation of a riveting moment in history. Like Arthur Golden's Memories of a Geisha and A. S. Byatt's Posession, Year of Wonders blends learning and romance into an unforgettable read.

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Unexpectedly, A Great Read

A story about the plague that is set in England in the 1600's isn't one that I would have likely read had it not been chosen by my book club. However, I'm glad that I read it, and highly recommend it to others. Even if you're someone who doesn't generally read books set in a different time period, don't shy away from this one. It may take a few pages to adjust to the language, but the story is compelling and moves quickly. Dire circumstances bring out the best in some people and the worst in others, and this author does an outstanding job of demonstrating this through the experience of the residents of a small village that is nearly decimated by the plague. Based on a true story and told through the eyes of Anna, reading about this small village is an emotional experience that offers opportunities to examine ones own reactions to the decisions and actions of the village members.

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I'm Loving This Author

After reading March, I had to immediately read this novel by the same author. It's the story about the plague hitting a small village in England and how the people in the small town change as a result of it. I've been fascinated with historical fictions about plagues since reading Connie Willis' Doomsday Book. I still think I enjoyed Doomsday Book a bit more, but they are, after all, two entirely different stories.

I found it interesting how this particular plague tale focuses on a real plague in a real town. The Puritans of the town don't know whether to blame God, Satan, or witches for the plague. It's interesting how they looked to their pastor (who wasn't a Puritan) as a leader to tell them what steps to take next: quarantine their town, burn all their possessions, etc. The main character, Anna, was dreamed up by the author when she read that the town's minister's servant was spared in the plague. Curiosity about the servant led to the author creating a historical fantasy in her mind about the town, its inhabitants, and the ministers servant.

This was a great first fiction novel for Brooks. However, it doesn't have nearly the power that March has. The only semi-unfulfilling parts for me were the unfinished relationships and an ending that felt rushed. Of course there are going to be unfinished relationships in a time of plague, but there are too many that are senselessly cut short. And when the main character is suddenly thrust into a new life toward the end, we merely get a detail-starved synopsis that leaves us wishing there was more. I suppose that an author has the prerogative to end their story however they want, but I wish they wouldn't take the story to such a different turn and then just stop.

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Great read!

This is wonderful read, both from the perspective of the insights into the way of life at the time in question, and from the perspective of the development of the personalities and motivations of the charachters. I am a fan of non-fictional histories, so this was a bit off the track for me, but it was a wonderful diversion. Having recently read The Great Mortality by John Kelly, I found the intimate details of life in these times even more fascinating.

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