Year of Wonders

ByGeraldine Brooks

Release Date: 2001-08-06
Genre: Literary Fiction

Score: 4.5

4.5

From 611 Ratings

Description

“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.

Reviews

Dark and depressing story
1
By Shrrwlcx
It was a dark and depressing story. I wish I had never purchased it. Waste of time
Last Year or Long Ago
5
By MFmare
Everyone of us have heard the words black plague or pandemic and knew it was/is bad. Meet Anna here a young married woman who struggles in her world to survive. The influence of God/church in Anna as she is employed by the local preacher
to give care for the home and
then becomes a confidant to the
wife here. Anna learns to read and heals touching a many in the small village here in this gripping story. Does she learn too much?
This read is a must for today! To the very last page of 399 read!
History Repeats Itself
4
By Ksilverty
This was a really good book and I read it during the pandemic and it was interesting to see how similar the reactions to the Plague were to our modern reactions to COVID.
Year of Wonders
5
By 323EL
One of my favorite books of all time. Made me want to read anything by Geraldine Brooks.
Bummer
1
By 12345qwertfdsa
Read this for a book club, so I stuck it out even though I hated it. It’s one depressing scene after another. Her husband is dead. Her two children each die slow hideously painful deaths from the plague. Dozens of horrible plague deaths are described in detail. Her best friend is stabbed to death by a crazy woman. The town mob tortures an old lady and lynches another. Don’t be expecting a happy ending.
Informative
3
By PierresFamily
Good blend of research and fiction to help rhe reader understand what everyday life was like for communities infested by the Bubonic Plague. I appreciated the extensive background research. Good job of allowing the reader to “walk in the shoes” of the victims.
Truly amazing
5
By Mjyoungny
This book is so well written that despite thinking it’s an old period piece, it grabs you and keeps your attention.
A good story marred by numerous typos
3
By AmateurAsian
This iBooks ebook is yet another example of publishers’ abandonment of proofreading. This text has such an annoying number of typos that it is nearly nauseating.

The story itself, while good overall, is undermined by a rushed, fanciful ending that tends to discredit all that preceded it.

If you are looking for a fictional depiction of the plague, then you might enjoy this story. Otherwise, I would recommend that you read something else.
Year of Wonders
5
By PushpushStable
This novel has met all my criteria of a great work. History, medicine, and England. Beautifully written and alive with descriptive prose, the reader will be moved.
B O R I N G
1
By Nandolino19
This book just drags and most of the novel itself is nothing but padding to make it unnecessarily long. It is incredibly dull and the way the author tells the story will leave you scratching your head in confusion.