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Year of Wonders
 

Year of Wonders

by Geraldine Brooks

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... (read more)

Top tags: historical fiction,  plague,  fiction,  england,  medieval (all tags)

Discussions

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  • Sarah A

    sarah a said:

    “A lot of people have been commenting about the surprising ending. Although it is quite sudden and unexpected, I never really minded it, though I sometimes wish it was different. I think the ending is supposed to be a full contrast to her previous life, down to the two daughters as apposed to the two sons and the highly educated and exotic husband and life of relative leisure and pleasure contrasting the mates and lifestyle she experienced throughout the story. ”

    posted 7 days ago
  • mama2three

    mama2three said:

    “I totally agree with the disconcerted ending. I found that I had to read it twice to even grasp why the author would go that direction, and even then, still don't understand why the ending took that turn. The only thing I could come up with was the obvious light/dark contrast with not only the "blinding light" of the island, the obvious dark skin of the Arab etc...
    Any more thoughts anyone???”

    posted Thursday, October 9 2008
  • Sandy B Groovy

    sandy b groovy said:

    “Great story, but the end seemed like a different book. What was with the porno sex and marriage to an arab ... What?”

    posted Thursday, September 25 2008
  • Cindy A

    cindy a said:

    “This reminded me of Thomas Mullen's The Last Town on Earth - much more contemporary history of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic in a small town in Washington state.”

    posted Wednesday, June 25 2008
  • Brianne

    brianne said:

    “Liking the way this book is starting out. Took me a few pages to adjust to the different language/writing style (formal english)...but am intrigued by the story...”

    posted Monday, June 9 2008
  • jody s

    jody s said:

    “Don't let the cover fool you, a somtimes brutal account of a time we are lucky enough to not have lived through..Enjoyed it though..need to read a book about kittens being born in a born now...something LIGHT!”

    posted Tuesday, March 25 2008
  • Kim R

    kim r said:

    “One of the best books I've ever read!”

    posted Wednesday, March 19 2008
  • Courtney S

    courtney s said:

    “I'm only on about page 40, and I LOVE this book. Brooks is a brilliant writer, and the characters and plot are full of depth and intrigue.”

    posted Friday, February 8 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • AMO

    amo said:

    “I will never forget the smell of the plague: rotting apples. Yummy! An interesting book, rather weak ending, but... The herbalism and midwifery elements where what fascinated me the most. Also found curious that, much like the germ warfare established by the "civilized nations" in the twentieth century, it is generally understood that you will only lose half your population in any endemic. Ah, hope for us all. ”

    posted Thursday, July 26 2007 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Pepi

    pepi said:

    “I enjoyed the book because I am fascinated with disease management in the 17th century and the plague is especially intriguing. We are so fortunate to live in times of medical control of infectious disease! A good read. ”

    posted Tuesday, July 17 2007 ( | view 1 reply )
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