Year of Wonders
Ratings26
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings26
Average rating3.5
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 with the most likes.
I mostly enjoyed this novel about a plague struck English village in 1666 closing itself off to protect surrounding villages from the spread of the disease. The details of daily life, the background of Puritanism, and the restoration of the monarchy made the story so interesting. The different ways that people responded to the threat of the disease really resonated now that I have experienced living through a pandemic. The main character, Anna Frith, a young widow with two small boys who works as a maid for the parish clergyman and his wife, is a calm and intelligent person who thinks through all she experiences and manages to help people this way. The story is told by her character, so everything is seen through her eyes. I did suspect her of being a little anachronistic at times in her thought about how disease spreads, but I thought her loss of traditional religious faith after what she had experienced made sense and was evidence of growth in her character.
The last 30 or so pages seemed like the ending to a different book, though. I was disappointed in what seemed like a flip flop in the character of the clergyman, Michael Mompellion, and in a fantasy-adventure ending for Anna. If you've read this book, let's chat about it.
Beautifully written and wonderfully depressing with an ending that leaves one if not happy, then at least satisfied. I had to stop many times in my reading to let myself breath a bit, but I think this is one that will I carry in my heart for a long time to come.
