The Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague
by Geraldine Brooks
Review by Carole (craftnut)
Sounds a little depressing doesn’t it, but Year Of Wonders was foremost about the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
The book begins in the fall of 1666, with a confrontation between the rector and a wealthy landowners daughter. The housekeeper witnesses the confrontation, and then begins trying to survive poverty in a rural English village. Hope comes when she agrees to take in a border, a tailor from London who unwittingly is the carrier of the plague due to an infected bolt of fabric he brought with him. As people begin contracting the plague and the deaths mount, the rector asks the town to voluntarily quarantine itself so as not to spread the contagion. What follows is a heartbreaking story of love and loss, faith and hope, weakness and strength
Most interesting in this book are the well-developed characters. The thoughts and interactions of the people reveal the depth of their characters whether good, bad, or just trying to survive as best they can. Ms. Brooks endowed her characters with a toughness born of poverty and hard work, yet not all are good. Shaded with the ideas of the time of mistrust, superstition, and ignorance, these are flawed people who make mistakes. There are scenes within the book that are hard to imagine as some exact a terrible price on others. Yet, this is entirely consistent with the time as cruelty was not unusual.
The style of writing is compelling to read. The author gives descriptions of the town and scenery in an unusual way. Far from the usual catalog of this looks like that, she weaves the imagery into memories of the characters. It draws the reader in and makes the book very hard to put down.
In an afterword, the author discusses her inspiration for the story. The book is a fictionalized account of a real event in the small rural village of Eyam in Derbyshire. She found the Plague Village while hiking in the English countryside, and read the account of the ordeal in the local parish church. Her research into medical texts written at the time gives authenticity to the story, even if the descriptions are occasionally gruesome. Her research into the thought processes of the time is also apparent. She brings this village to life with characters that are fully explored.
This is a not a book for the squeamish, but a haunting story for those who admire deep characterizations and imagery intertwined with action.
Thanks for writing about this book, it has intriqued me.
This is one of my favorite books of all time, and it’s one that helped to draw me into reading historical fiction as an adult! 🙂
Great review…
I really enjoyed this book. The title was a bit off-putting (don’t think anyone has ever said ‘hoorah, a novel about the plague’…lol) but the story was great. Good review. 🙂