Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague

YEAR OF WONDERS by Geraldine Brooks This is a fictional account of the events that occurred in the “Plague Village” located in Eyam (pronounced “Eem”) England from 1665 to 1666. Main character and narrator, Anna Firth, is a young widow raising two children. She becomes helper to the town’s charismatic leader/rector, Michael Mompellion and his wife Elinor after the Black Plague takes over their village. Through Anna we are witness to the townspeople’s grievances, worries, hysteria and fears as the pestilence spreads throughout their community. The first half of this was engaging and I was very much invested in the characters. However, toward the end the plot veers off into a melodrama. I usually don’t mind an odd twist here and there, but I feel the ending/epilogue should have been a sequel. Aside from that, this accurately captures the ways people deal with an existential threat. The histrionics, the superstitions, the scapegoating, the violence etc. I can’t help but compare it to our recent past/present. Overall, a compelling, well researched and worthwhile read if you’re so inclined. Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

What a great book! Year of Wonders is excellent in every way. It is beautifully written. Every page has some delicate description that made me stop to think of the simple grace words can have when they are in the hands of a talented writer. The story is powerful from beginning to end as we watch what happens when plague ravages a small, isolated village northwest of London in 1666. It is based on a true story and told through the fictional character, Anna Frith. She was a woman on an ordinary path in life who finds herself surrounded by death and discovers her own extraordinary strength. The story is well developed and builds with every page. There are unexpected and exciting twists in the end that lead to a very satisfying conclusion which holds up until the very last sentence. I was only sad the story ended and can only dream of what happened next to my beloved heroine. I say encore! What will Geraldine Brooks write next? I will definitely read it.

I work at a bookstore while going to college. My manager was kind enough to place the advanced reader at my feet. From the moment I opened the cover...I was hooked. How can you not be? I fell in love the simple yet elegant writing style of Miss Brooks. I grieved along side Anna when she lost her family, her children, a potential love interest ( that we all secretly wanted to work out ), friends. I don't know how or where to begin describing how much I loved this book. But I do know this IF YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE ONE BOOK THIS YEAR PLEASE LET IT BE THIS ONE. You will not be disappointed with the writing style, character development, or the emotional commitment you can't help but have with the characters. Geraldine Brooks weaves an intricate web of humanity at it's worst and at it's best with Anna.One more thing. I hate to compare any author but if you love YEAR OF WONDERS then I suggest you pick up a copy of GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING by Tracy Chevalier or THE BONE HOUSE by Betsy Tobin. I definitely not would pass up the chance to read YEAR OF WONDERS. Hopefully you won't either.

Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonders is a terrific novel. I encourage all to overcome the intimidating fact that the novel is about the plague and diver right in to the work. Year of Wonders is an intelligent, engaging, emotional read--very well done indeed. Anna Firth is a survivor, in many ways. She survives the plague which utterly decimates her village. When the plague arrives, she has already lived through much. Her father abused her and her husband has died in a mining accident, left her a widow with two young children, at the ripe age of 18. As disease rips through her village, Anna works with the minister's wife, trying to provide some solace, some comfort to the rest of the village. The plague is not the only killer in these times for several townspeople are killed by hatred, jealousy and prejudice. The plague ultimately leaves the village and Anna is a changed person, which sounds trite, I know, but in the novel, it's not. This novel is so fabulous, Anna's emotions so real. There were parts of this novel that literally had me in tears. I highly, highly recommend this novel. It is a wonderful and most enjoyable read.

When I was first given this book, I thought, "Oh great, a book about The Plague. How depressing." To be honest, if it had not been lent to me, i probably would not have even picked it up. But by the third page, I was hooked. Not only is the story, about a small English village that tries to control the spread of The Plague, brought in by a bolt of fabric, by quarantining themselves, it is the story of a remarkable woman, Anna Frith. Anna is a widow (her husband being killed before the Plague) who loses nearly everything-her children, her friends, her sanity-to this terrible disease. While The Plague ravages her friends and neighbors, Anna does everything she can to save them, and completes feats (midwifery, iron mining) that she never thought hersef capable of. The book is incredibly well written; Brooks uses the vernacular of the time to great effect, but in such a way that it seems completely normal. It sounds cliched, but I truly could not put this book down. A truly surprising delight; I recommend it for any fans of Anita Shreve (who gives an endorsement for the book.)