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The Rory Gilmore ...: Any Devotees of Historical Fiction (And should I convert!?)	23	72	3 hours, 1 min ago
The Rory Gilmore ...: Any Devotees of Historical Fiction (And should I convert!?)	23	72	3 hours, 1 min ago
The Next Best Boo...: More historical fiction?	7	44	4 days ago, 04:00PM

Rebecca rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

06/06/08

Read in May, 2008

recommended to Rebecca by: LisaMM
recommends it for: people who like historical fiction.

Year of Wonders is a historical novel about a small English town 100 miles outside of London. It's the year 1666, and the town has been struck by plague, brought to them by a London tailor boarding with our narrator, Anna. The village is so remote that when the plague first appears the villagers don't recognize it for what it is. Once they learn the horrors of the disease, the villagers are asked to make a decision whether to flee in order to save themselves, or to stay put in order to ke...more Year of Wonders is a historical novel about a small English town 100 miles outside of London. It's the year 1666, and the town has been struck by plague, brought to them by a London tailor boarding with our narrator, Anna. The village is so remote that when the plague first appears the villagers don't recognize it for what it is. Once they learn the horrors of the disease, the villagers are asked to make a decision whether to flee in order to save themselves, or to stay put in order to keep the disease from spreading any further.

In the end, everyone in the village agrees to stay, aside from the only rich family in town - the only family with the means to run far from the reaches of the disease. As we follow the rest of the town through its year of isolation, we watch Anna, who begins as a lowly maid, transformed into a strong woman who the town begins to depend on for herbal remedies to just about every malady, in addition to becoming the only midwife in town (after an unfortunate incident that leaves the former midwife dead).

When I first saw this book I knew it was going to be an easy read, merely because of its length (only 336 pages!). What I didn't know was how much I'd enjoy reading it. This book packed in a ton of information, along with many vivid scenes. Time and again I found myself being shocked by how much I learned from this book and how many different places/people were described in so few pages. Brooks is an amazing writer for both her economy of words and her ability to tell a story well. Also, she does a wonderful job of using old English without it seeming cumbersome. I have read other historical books and been completely put off by them because it's so difficult for me to figure out what the characters are saying to each other.

I really enjoyed watching Anna grow as a person. One of my favorite parts of the book was when she went to the mine with Elinor (her partner in seeking herbal remedies to the plague) to save Merry from losing her family's mine. I was surprised Brooks made these women so independent in a novel about the 17th century, but in the interviews with her in the back of the book she talks about the necessity of women taking a leading role during that time and the fact that women were starting to gain more freedom during that century in England.

There were some cringe-worthy moments in this book - from the witch hangings to a couple of scenes where women are physically abused - but I think it added to the authenticity of the book. We live in such a sterile world today, it was difficult for me to imagine what it would be like to live in such a dirty place while trying to fight a fatal disease.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it (and already have forced it upon a number of friends). The one thing that really disappointed me was the epilogue, although that was pretty much because it went against what I had imagined and what I was expecting to happen. Normally I'd be glad about this because I hate when books are too predictable (and I probably would have said it was predictable if it had ended the way I had expected it to, so I don't know why I'm complaining), but after all the death and destruction in this novel, I guess I kind of wanted a couple of people to end up "happily ever after."...less

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Laura rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

06/30/08

Read in June, 2008

recommended to Laura by: Kathryn Latour

1666. A young housemaid walks through the empty streets of a village decimated by plague. She attends to the rector, a formerly charismatic leader now sequestered in his empty house, listless and faithless. The previous year a bolt of fabric from London brought bubonic plague to this remote northern village, and as one by one the villagers began to die, the rector convinced them that instead of fleeing the village and bringing plague to others (who probably would drive them away anyway), they s...more 1666. A young housemaid walks through the empty streets of a village decimated by plague. She attends to the rector, a formerly charismatic leader now sequestered in his empty house, listless and faithless. The previous year a bolt of fabric from London brought bubonic plague to this remote northern village, and as one by one the villagers began to die, the rector convinced them that instead of fleeing the village and bringing plague to others (who probably would drive them away anyway), they should quarantine themselves and ride it out. As nearly two-thirds of the inhabitants sicken and die, our 18 year old heroine joins forces with the rector and his wife to minister to the living, dying, and dead, and try to prevent the village from descending into superstition and barbarity. At times they succeed more than others, but watching those who rise to extraordinary challenges and those who don’t is compelling entertainment.

At a dinner recently a friend handed this over to me and said, “You should read it — it’s wonderfully written!” She was right — the prose is beautiful, the story gripping, and the portrayal of human nature fascinating. Then (fun coincidence) I was two chapters into the book when another friend brought me to a book reading by Tony Horwitz, this very funny travel writer, who turned out to be Geraldine Brooks’s husband! Who knew?! Well, obviously he did, as did the book store lady who introduced him. So I grabbed a copy of Year of Wonders and asked him to sign it along with one of his own books, which he did without making me feel too ridiculous. He also told me that this was his favorite of his wife’s books. It’s a fast read, and guaranteed to make you feel really good about living in the 21st century. My only problem is with the ending. All through the book a couple of characters display obviously modern sensibilities, but the end really does seem to go off the rails with bizarre plot twists more suitable to a supermarket paperback than good historical fiction. Added to that is the toll on faith that the plague takes — really, nobody’s faith is strengthened after going through this sort of ordeal?? Granted, who knows if mine would be, especially given the absence of plumbing, medicine, or decent food, as well as the cast of illiterate drunkards I’d have to endure, but shouldn’t we at least hope for characters who come through the refiner’s fire wiser and stronger? Other than that, very interesting and beautifully written.
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Callie rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

12/02/07

Read in October, 2007

Callie Clifton
Mrs. Ebarvia
Honors World Literature
November 29, 2007
Online Book Review
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks is both an entertaining and unbelievably realistic novel about England during the Black Plague. Geraldine Brooks has received critical acclaim for her other novels, including March, Foreign Correspondence, and Nine Parts of Desire. Brooks, originally from Sydney, Australia, has attended both the University of Sydney and Columbia University. Year of Wonders is a captu...more Callie Clifton
Mrs. Ebarvia
Honors World Literature
November 29, 2007
Online Book Review
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks is both an entertaining and unbelievably realistic novel about England during the Black Plague. Geraldine Brooks has received critical acclaim for her other novels, including March, Foreign Correspondence, and Nine Parts of Desire. Brooks, originally from Sydney, Australia, has attended both the University of Sydney and Columbia University. Year of Wonders is a capturing adventure through life during the Black Plague in 17th century England. As told by Anna Frith, the reader is taken on an emotional rollercoaster through one year filled with both despair and hope.
However personable and relative Geraldine Brooks’s characters are, the ending to Year of Wonders was rather disappointing. The ending seems rushed and forced, like Brooks did not have enough time or patience to finish to its full potential. Not only did the ending seem contrived, but it was not pragmatic. The situation that Anna is faced with in the end is not entirely believable, which takes away from the novel. Though it may have been the ending that Geraldine Brooks wished to create, I did not find it suiting for the novel.
Geraldine Brooks’s novel was a spectacular read that I could not put down. In only 304 pages, Brooks is able to describe and recreate one whole devastating year. She brings to life Anna Frith, whose character and passion pushes her past total destruction to a new beginning. Anna Frith is one of the most realistic and enrapturing characters to ever be created. The way Brooks is able to convey emotion through Anna is seemingly effortless, yet flawless. Anna Frith’s passion, fear and anxiety are practically tangible throughout the whole novel. Not only is the writing exceptional, but the variety of the book as well. It is historical, suspenseful, thrilling, and romantic all at the same time.
Despite the lack of a perfect ending, Year of Wonders was a wonderful and entertaining read. The book was exciting and completely engrossing, making it hard to put down. Geraldine Brooks’s writing style is descriptive and expressive, making her characters come to life. Romance novel fans will also find this book a delight. Readers who enjoy historical fiction will especially enjoy the realism that Brooks’s is able to create.
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Susan rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

04/18/08

Read in March, 2008

At the heart of the book is an account of how a community deals with crisis (another subject close to our modern hearts, especially in New York City). The year is 1665-66; the place is England, recently emerged from its Civil War and reestablished, to the accompaniment of a fair amount of post-Puritan debauchery, as a monarchy. The Black Death has ravaged London and now, in the person of a journeyman tailor, finds its way to an obscure mining village in the north. Geraldine Brooks, a journalist-...more At the heart of the book is an account of how a community deals with crisis (another subject close to our modern hearts, especially in New York City). The year is 1665-66; the place is England, recently emerged from its Civil War and reestablished, to the accompaniment of a fair amount of post-Puritan debauchery, as a monarchy. The Black Death has ravaged London and now, in the person of a journeyman tailor, finds its way to an obscure mining village in the north. Geraldine Brooks, a journalist-turned-novelist, based her book on a real town called Eyam, which, led by its vicar, resolved to quarantine itself (no one in; no one out) until the plague had done its worst --- an act of extraordinary altruism and vision.

The tale unfolds through the eyes of an 18-year-old woman named Anna Frith. An escape route from her abusive father had appeared several years before in the form of marriage to a goodhearted but uncouth miner who gave her two sons then was killed in a cave-in. Now she works as a housemaid in the local rectory; she's also taken in a boarder: the tailor who becomes the town's first plague victim. Anna comes under the lucky influence of the vicar, Mr. Mompellion, and his wife Elinor, who teaches her to read and treats her as an equal and friend. Also included in this group of enlightened villagers is the local wise-woman and midwife, Mem Gowdie, and her niece, Anys.
Anna is a splendid, redoubtable heroine. In literature, the servant is frequently the invisible observer who proves to have greater wisdom, imagination, and just plain goodness than her "betters." Jane Eyre, for example (of whom there is more than an echo in YEAR OF WONDERS), scrutinizes her employer with a kind, sharp, yearning eye, and ultimately heals and transfigures him. Anna comes out of this tradition; unlike Jane, however, her destiny does not lie in the conventional state of marriage (even though the Reverend Mompellion is a bit of a Mr. Rochester figure), but somewhere far more exotic.
I found this story very captivating, holding my interest as one see's through the eyes of the heroine, Anna, what this Black Plaque does to this small, remote village. It is interesting to read how people behave when such an extreme illness presses down on the inhabitants. Set in the 1600s, it is probably much different than we react today to such tragedies, but holds similarities in that events do change people. For good, for bad.
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Catsalive rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

06/16/08

Read in October, 2005

recommends it for: anyone

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Absolutely brilliant! I loved every moment of this book. What a wonderful, strong woman Anna was and became. I say "was and became" because she must have been strong to begin with to grow into such a person. It was more than a "Novel of the Plague", it was a novel of the ability of people to grow, of compassion, and of humanity.

SPOILERS. Highlight to read.
I loved this quote whilst reading the book, and I also include the section from the Readers' Guide:

"It is up to the story's heroine - a young, widowed housemaid named Anna Frith - to raise the existential question about the origins of the plague, and she therefore becomes the embodiment of the conflict at the centre of the novel: God Versus Nature.

"It came to me then that we, all of us, spent a very great deal of time pondering these questions that, in the end, we could not answer. If we balanced the time we spent contemplating God, and why He afflicted us, with more thought as to how the Plague spread and poisoned our blood, then we might come nearer to saving our lives. While these thoughts were vexing, they brought with them also a chink of light. For if we could be allowed to see the Plague as a thing in Nature merely, we did not have to trouble about some grand celestial design that had to be completed before the disease would abate. We could simply work upon it as a farmer might toil to rid his field of unwanted tare, knowing that when we found the tools and the method and the resolve, we would free ourselves, no matter if we were a village of sinners or a host of saints."

After suffering the death of her suitor and her two children and despite her own spiritual beliefs and adoration for the rector and his wife, Anna boldly rejects the idea that the pestilence is a call for repentance. And in a time of such turmoil, she shrugs off the social and religious mores that would keep a weaker woman in her place.......
..... Caught up in the struggle between science and religion, Anna's dilemma mirrors that of the world in her time. Ultimately she confesses: "I cannot say that I have faith anymore. Hope, perhaps. We have agreed that it will do for now."" ...more Absolutely brilliant! I loved every moment of this book. What a wonderful, strong woman Anna was and became. I say "was and became" because she must have been strong to begin with to grow into such a person. It was more than a "Novel of the Plague", it was a novel of the ability of people to grow, of compassion, and of humanity.

SPOILERS. Highlight to read.
I loved this quote whilst reading the book, and I also include the section from the Readers' Guide:

"It is up to the story's heroine - a young, widowed housemaid named Anna Frith - to raise the existential question about the origins of the plague, and she therefore becomes the embodiment of the conflict at the centre of the novel: God Versus Nature.

"It came to me then that we, all of us, spent a very great deal of time pondering these questions that, in the end, we could not answer. If we balanced the time we spent contemplating God, and why He afflicted us, with more thought as to how the Plague spread and poisoned our blood, then we might come nearer to saving our lives. While these thoughts were vexing, they brought with them also a chink of light. For if we could be allowed to see the Plague as a thing in Nature merely, we did not have to trouble about some grand celestial design that had to be completed before the disease would abate. We could simply work upon it as a farmer might toil to rid his field of unwanted tare, knowing that when we found the tools and the method and the resolve, we would free ourselves, no matter if we were a village of sinners or a host of saints."

After suffering the death of her suitor and her two children and despite her own spiritual beliefs and adoration for the rector and his wife, Anna boldly rejects the idea that the pestilence is a call for repentance. And in a time of such turmoil, she shrugs off the social and religious mores that would keep a weaker woman in her place.......
..... Caught up in the struggle between science and religion, Anna's dilemma mirrors that of the world in her time. Ultimately she confesses: "I cannot say that I have faith anymore. Hope, perhaps. We have agreed that it will do for now.""

I had an inkling about the situation between the Rector and Elinor but I'm sorry that Anna & he parted as they did. I knew there must have been a point to the early reference to the Musalman so I'm quite happy that Anna found a fulfilling life there....less

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Francine rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

06/05/08

Read in December, 2007

I had read a couple of Geraldine Brooks' essays for my Lit Theory class while I was in grad school, and while I was never one of those ultra-feminist types, I liked what she wrote about women as being strong, independent and intelligent creatures without overtly politicizing femininity as a whole. So I looked forward to reading "Year of Wonders", primarily because I loved the topic, I loved the time period, I loved the location and because I thought Brooks would be able to impart some...more I had read a couple of Geraldine Brooks' essays for my Lit Theory class while I was in grad school, and while I was never one of those ultra-feminist types, I liked what she wrote about women as being strong, independent and intelligent creatures without overtly politicizing femininity as a whole. So I looked forward to reading "Year of Wonders", primarily because I loved the topic, I loved the time period, I loved the location and because I thought Brooks would be able to impart something different to the story.

I was not impressed. As a whole, and academically speaking, the novel was flawless - it had strong characters, it was well-written grammatically, it had everything readers would look for in a novel. And I think that was what set me off. It followed all the rules about Writing The Novel: protagonists were good, antagonists were bad. Good people were redeemed at the end and the bad ones were punished. Scared, ignorant people did ghastly things because they didn't know any better: they reacted more than they thought. Women were strong, intelligent and outspoken, men were either enlightened or bought into the patriarchal hegemony, and in the end, the novel showed how the human spirit overcame everything bad that was thrown at it. Brooks did an excellent job with her research, so the locales were vividly described and she clung to historicity almost to a fault.

But in making the "perfect" novel, she lost something. It was not authentic at all. There were anachronisms all over the place. I found it extremely cloying that the language switched back and forth between modern and early modern (17th century) English. I found some of the characters 2-dimensional (good were good, bad were bad, when in reality, a really decent character would have both qualities - these days, everyone knows about the "flawed hero"). I thought that some of her characterizations and descriptions were better suited for a novel set a century later, not in 1666. She had a tendency to rely too much on idiomatic expressions, which made the writing awkward at times and the reading quite tedious. I had a few eye-rolling moments and honestly, I couldn't wait to finish the book - not because I wanted to know what happened, but because I had lost patience with it....less

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Stephany rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

07/03/07

Read in July, 2006

recommends it for: historical fiction lovers

The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - Recommended
I really enjoyed this book. It is an interesting mix of historical and feminist fiction that brings to mind The Red Tent, or The Instance of the Fingerpost. The book is about the plague in a village near London in the years 1665-1666. One of the most fascinating aspects of this book is that it presents the ending (or almost the ending) at the beginning of the book, and yet still evokes tremendous suspense. I was hungrily compelled to reach t...more

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Boof rated it:

(review of isbn 184115458X)

08/04/08

bookshelves: fiction, read-in-2008

Read in January, 2008

I picked this straight up after having read People of the Book also by Brooks and having loved it. I then read Year of Wonders in a day as I couldn't put it down, and was all set to give it 5 stars until the epilogue (more on that later).

This book is based on the true story of the village of Eyam in Derbyshire in 1665 when the Plague arrived in a trunk of fabric sent from London. The Village of 300 or so people took an oath with their Parish Priest not to leave the village, therefore contai...more I picked this straight up after having read People of the Book also by Brooks and having loved it. I then read Year of Wonders in a day as I couldn't put it down, and was all set to give it 5 stars until the epilogue (more on that later).

This book is based on the true story of the village of Eyam in Derbyshire in 1665 when the Plague arrived in a trunk of fabric sent from London. The Village of 300 or so people took an oath with their Parish Priest not to leave the village, therefore containing the disease and potentially saving thousands of lives. Of the 300 or so villagers in Eyam, within one year over 200 of them were dead. For more than a year, nobody came in and nobody went out. They were left food and supplies in a hole in the wall of the boundary stone up on the hills by kind people from the surrounding villages. The story is told by Anna Frith, an 18 year old widow, who loses her 2 tiny boys to the plague and then goes on to comfort and help other villlgers through this horrible year as their loved ones too succumb to Plague.

Although some of the characters were real people (George Viccars was the tailor who recived the box of fabric and was the first person in the village to die), and Anna's neighbour Mary Hadfield who lost her husband and 3 children also existed. Other characters have been based on real people, for example Brooks' Priest Michael Monpellion was based on the real Vicar William Mompesson but she changed his name as she also changed his character.

Having been to Eyam several times (you can still visit the Plague cottages there) I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it brought to life a time that seems so beyond our comprehension. However, much as I loved it the ending almost sopilt it for me. I don't want to ruin it so I won't say what happens but I found it slightly silly in that it just didn't seem to fit the story at all.

All in all though, a great story of endurance, love and hope in a truly terrible time in history which is made all the more frightening because it actually happened. I would highly recommed this book and I hope you enjoy as much as I did. ...less

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Katy rated it:

(review of isbn 067091021X)

03/28/08

Read in March, 2008

I have to say that I liked this book. But, I was greatly disappointed in it. I came to the book knowing of the sacrifice of that village and knowing, too, that when people sacrifice in such a way they are abundantly blessed by God. Unfortunately, the latter was completely missing in this book. It is easy to be an onlooker to suffering and assume that you’ve seen the injustice and the loss and the pain and that there is nothing else to see. This is not only completely at odds with everythi...more I have to say that I liked this book. But, I was greatly disappointed in it. I came to the book knowing of the sacrifice of that village and knowing, too, that when people sacrifice in such a way they are abundantly blessed by God. Unfortunately, the latter was completely missing in this book. It is easy to be an onlooker to suffering and assume that you’ve seen the injustice and the loss and the pain and that there is nothing else to see. This is not only completely at odds with everything I believe to be true but also at odds with people I know who have suffered and the tales they tell of the comfort they have received. In the not too far distant history of my own people there is a sad tale of suffering and deaths of the daily “will this never end?” type. However, unlike the survivors of Eyam, we have their own words of the experience and as one survivor said, “The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay.” Surely there were miracles in that village as they sacrificed for the good of their people. Surely God walked with them. Surely there were wonders. Unfortunately there was nothing of this in the book. We are left only with what the author assumes would be left after such a year – a rector who no longer believes and a village that doesn’t either. You can write a lot of things from our atheistic, modern standpoint, but in the matter of a village who sacrificed for their fellow man in the name of a God in whom they all believed, you can not write and get it right. You can not write of such things and leave God out. It leaves out half of the story and the most important half at that. My guess is that those villagers were never the same, but not in the hopeless way the author assumes. My guess is that for those villagers, they never had to look to the skies and wonder anymore if God was there and if He were listening, because my guess is that for them, all doubt had been swept away. They now knew He was there because He had walked with them in their year of wonders. That was the story I wanted to hear....less

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Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

03/16/08

bookshelves: 2008-books-read

Read in March, 2008

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 f...more

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Bernadette rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

04/12/08

bookshelves: desert-island-books, historical-fiction, own-it

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: Everyone

Year of Wonders tells the story of Anna, a young, widowed servant living in an English village in which the Plague is rampant in 1666. The village voluntarily isolates itself completely in the hopes that others will not be infected with the terrible disease and Anna and her employers, the Rector and his wife, help the villagers through the terrible year as best they can.

It is one of the most beautifully written stories I have read. Brooks' descriptions are so vivid and contain just the right...more

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Monica rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

04/24/08

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Monica by: Susan Millar

I've owned a copy of Year of Wonders book for a few years, and, though the cover was beautiful, never picked it up until something prompted me, the long winter, I don't know but thought, "what the hell, it's not too long" and decided to give it a go since goodreads keeps me motivated and I respect the lady who told me about it. The story drew me in fairly quickly. I wanted to keep reading but wasn't especially eager, just interested, and felt no strong compulsion to continue without s...more

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Roisin rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

02/03/08

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: no one

I have to admit that I have never been a huge fan of historical fiction so this is not the kind of book that I would normally read. Having read several positive reviews and been impressed by the author's credentials, however, I started reading with an open mind. The writing style was very welcoming and drew you in from the beginning and I warmed to the strength of Anna, the protagonist. I felt however that the story became so flawed and was so inconsistently paced that by the final page I had lo...more

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Judith rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

08/05/08

bookshelves: adultfiction

Read in January, 2008

I enjoyed this a lot, but with some reservations. First of all, I knew the basic story very well from Jill Paton Walsh's wonderful children's novel "A Parcel of Patterns", so in a way, I didn't feel I was coming fresh to the book.

Secondly, I felt the narrator was a bit of a Mary Sue, in that she seemed to me--a rabid historical fiction fan as a teenager--to be an idealised version of what we think we'd like to have been like if we'd lived in the past. Maybe that's unfair on the au...more

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Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

06/09/08

Read in June, 2008

This is a story that details how a village copes when plague hits. Their charismatic rector convinces the villagers to cut themselves off from the outside world in order to keep plague from spreading to neighboring towns. There is a lot of early discussion about the plague being a trial/testing from God and to be endured with grace. Two-thirds of the village perish before the Year of Wonders is over and the reading of such devastation is riveting.

Given that setting, the story is a good ...more

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Dick rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

07/24/08

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Dick by: Alisa

The problem with reading a recommended book is that there are high expectations. When two or three of my friends read a book and rave, I expect to also read and rave. When this happens, all is well in the little world of reader-friends; we are friends, we think alike, we like the same books. The converse is also true: when I recommend a book to someone, I expect that that person will like it as much as I did.

The problem begins when expectations are not met. Take The Life of Pi for ex...more

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Lois rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

06/28/07

bookshelves: currently-reading

Read in June, 2007

Wow this book is SO good. I kept NOT reading it, knowing it was one of those "how I survived the plague when others around me fell" books.....and you definitely have to be in the right state of mind for that.
Well, I'm actually listening to this on CD, and the narrator is fantastic and the story is one I have to tear myself away from. Possibly a tiny bit of contemporary sensibility transplanted onto the young widowed protagonist, but not enough to be distracting, and probably just ...more

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Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0142001430)

02/03/08

Read in January, 2001

Year of Wonders describes the 17th-century plague that is carried from London to a small Derbyshire village by an itinerant tailor. As villagers begin, one by one, to die, the rest face a choice: do they flee their village in hope of outrunning the plague or do they stay? The lord of the manor and his family pack up and leave. The rector, Michael Mompellion, argues forcefully that the villagers should stay put, isolate themselves from neighboring towns and villages, and prevent the contagion fro...more

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