**“Plague stories remind us that we cannot manage without community . . . Year of Wonders is a testament to that very notion.” – The Washington Post
An unforgettable tale, set in 17th century England, of a village that quarantines itself to arrest the spread of the plague, from the author The Secret Chord and of March, winner of the Pulitzer Prize**
When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna’s eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition. As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love. As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a “year of wonders.”
Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England, Year of Wonders is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history. Written with stunning emotional intelligence and introducing “an inspiring heroine” (The Wall Street Journal), Brooks blends love and learning, loss and renewal into a spellbinding and unforgettable read.
A wonderful historical fiction that has lingered with me many years after my first reading. While not perfect – no spoilers here – it is immersive and un-put-downable. If you enjoy history from a female perspective, especially from the lower echelons of society, this is definitely worth you while.
This book is excellently written for what it is. A historical novel based on true events that took place during the mid 1600’s in Europe. A time during which the Great Plague took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. This particular story offers perspective from a widowed housewife in a small Village where often times woman had to play the role of doctor. It gives insight into her internal and external conflicts and her struggle to survive.
I read this book years ago as part of my graduate program in Epidemiology. It speaks volumes to the work in that it is not solely isolated to a historical novel lent to entertain, but can it can offer insight to the fields of medicine and disease management. It was an enjoyable read. 4 stars.
A friend recommended Year of Wonders to me recently and so, particularly having read Geraldine Brooks’s most recent novel, March, I thought I would give it a go. Year of Wonders has going for it the fact that it’s historical fiction (which regular readers will know is my prefered fiction genre), as well as Brooks’s wonderful prose and dialogue. These are the real strengths of the book. Brooks notes in the author’s note the extent of research she did for this book, not only on the plague (more on that in a minute), but on the minutiae of rural, English, seventeenth century life.
Year of Wonders is the story of a small English village infected by the plague in 1666. The protagonist, Anna Frith, is an 18-year-old widow with two small boys and a position as a parlourmaid at the rectory. As the cases of black death mount, the town’s citizens make the bold and unselfish decision to seal themselves off from the rest of world, lest the plague reach other villages. This part of the story is based on the true story of the English village of Eyam, as Brooks explains. The characters, however, from Anna to the Rector Michael Mompellion and his wife Elinor are fictional.
As I’ve said both the writing and the research are impeccable. My complaint, however, lies with the character of Anna Frith. A few years ago, I read Annette Vallon: A Novel of the French Revolution, which I enjoyed immensely, except for the way in which Annette consistently got herself into (and out of) situations that absolutely beggared believe and also made her seem a bit too self-righteous and/or martyresque for me to be deeply invested in her as a character. I have the same issue with Anna Frith. From taming wild horses to delivering premature, breech babies, Anna does it all, when if she’d done just a bit less, I might have liked her more. (The midwifery scenes brought to mind The Midwife of Venice, set slightly earlier than Year of Wonders, but with many similarities.) Also, although this may be splitting hairs, Anna’s obsession with Elinor was definitely weird.
Finally, and I’ve heard this from the friend who recommended Year of Wonders to me as well, but the ending simply does not make sense. The last 10-15 pages seem to belong to another book, which is a shame because there are any number of more believable endings Brooks could have conjured and still kept with the overall story.
(This review was originally published at http://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2014/02/year-of-wonders-novel-of-plague.html)
Not as well written as I would have preferred, but very interesting
Brooks is a great writer.
The books is based on a real village in rural England that quarantined itself when the plague made an appearance there in 1665. The villagers voluntarily sealed themselves off to avoid infecting any neighboring towns. Heartrending as 2/3 of the people died; children were left to fend for themselves after all their relations succumbed; survivors went mad; farm animals roamed untended, fields lay fallow, craftsmen died leaving no one to shoe horses or mend tools, and roads grew over in grass from lack of use. Yet, there were moments of wonder in the form of people who sacrificed themselves to help others.
We have heard much about the plague. This book puts you there in a realistically imagined world with particularly strong women characters, both good and evil. We see how various people are affected by this crisis, often dependent on the limited knowledge available or the intelligence of the individual. With our hindsight, we can see what is happening and why and which characters show the beginnings of understanding of the plague. There is also a strong plot among the main characters to keep us turning pages.
Whew—what a great read! Couldn’t put it down.
Plodding
Beautifully written story that takes place during the tragedy of the plague with a surprise ending. Loved it
Interesting story line of a village dealing with the plague. I loved the characters and plot until the last few chapters where it took an unexpected twist. Up to that point the story was believable and interesting. I thought the end was contrived and far fetched but not so bad to discredit the rest of the novel.
If you like historical fiction this may be for you. Information about the Plague was so interesting, educating. The character development and interaction was compelling, though the characters were primarily fictatious. Researching later I found the character of the minister was based on an actual person. Very well done. Title wonder year becomes evident as story unfolds.
It was one of the best books until the ending. Worst ending ever
Year of Wonders is an eloquent and memorable historical novel. I completed reading it some weeks ago, but the story has lingered in my mind. I found Anna Frith to be courage beyond words. If you enjoy historical novels that are well-written and realistically told, you should read this book.
Love her books. What a wonderful writer she is.
Enjoyed immensely.
My favorite book, have read it more than once.
Wonderful concept; that from horror and tragedy can come beauty and growth.
This is one of my all-time favorite books. Very memorable!
I liked it a lot