Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
A housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely hero and healer after a plague-infected bolt of fabric spreads from London to a remote town. We follow the events of the tragic year 1666 through Anna’s eyes as she and her fellow villagers struggle against the spread of disease and superstition. The dissolution of her society and the allure of illicit love must be faced by Anna as death creeps into every home and the villagers switch from prayer to bloodthirsty witch-hunting. An annus mirabilis, or “year of wonders,” replaces a year of calamity as she strives to live and develop.
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
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Year of Wonders is a vividly detailed portrayal of a unique period in history that was inspired by the historical story of Eyam, a community in the rough hill region of England. With breathtaking emotional intelligence and the introduction of “an inspiring heroine,” Brooks creates a compelling and enduring novel that combines love and learning, grief and rejuvenation. It’s intriguing and expertly written.
Anna Frith, a young servant to the local minister and his wife, tells the story from her point of view.
In a nutshell, and without giving too much away, it tells the story of a little English village in the lead mining region that becomes infected with the plague after a tailor who stays with the narrator, Anna, brings a bolt of flea-infested cloth into the community. He is the first to pass away, and then over half of the village’s residents do so within a year. The people accept the village minister’s suggestion to quarantine itself in order to safeguard their neighbours from the plague. The start of a year full of horrors and miracles. Without any rhyme or reason, the Plague flies quixotically from home to home, killing some occupants and sparing others.
headed by the pastor’s wife. Nothing hamlet comes up with seems to help, and the death toll keeps rising as they attempt to understand God’s plan and purpose in afflicting them. After a year and some shocking disclosures, the Plague eventually loses control.
The book has excellent writing. The voice of the 20-year-old widow narrator, who has lost everything but her common sense, is audible. When she finally decides to take control of her future in a way that would be unheard of today, you will have watched her develop from a somewhat 2-dimensional character to a fully realized one as she progresses from crisis to crisis…
