Book 59: Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague

NUMBER: 59
TITLE: Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague
AUTHOR: Geraldine Brooks
STARTED: August 24, 2005
FINISHED: August 27, 2005
PAGES: 308
GENRE: Fiction

FIRST SENTENCE: I used to love this season.

SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated mountain village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes, we follow the story of the plague year, 1666, as her fellow villagers make an extraordinary choice. Convinced by a visionary young minister, they elect to quarantine themselves within the village boundaries to arrest the spread of the disease. But as death reaches into every household, faith frays. When villagers turn from prayers and herbal cures to sorcery and murderous witch-hunting, Anna must confront the deaths of family, the disintegration of her community, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit love. As she struggles to survive, a year of plague becomes, instead, annus mirabilis, a "year of wonders." Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged mountain spine of England. Year of Wonders is a detailed evocation of a singular moment in history.

REASON FOR READING: It was there.

THOUGHTS: This book was a joy to read. The prose was so lyrical and descriptive that I could almost smell apples on the air. Anna and Michael are amazing characters that I wish interacted more. The way that Brooks sets-up and describes the "year of wonders" is absolutely addicting.

The book made me think about what I would do in the character's situation. Any book that makes you think about something outside of the plot is okay by me. The amount of detail and description that went into writing this text made reading it all that more enjoyable.

MISCELLANEOUS: Note to self: Death by plague is not the preferable way to go.

KEEP/SHARE/CRINGE(?): Putting up on paperbackswap.com
RATING: 8/10 [Terrific]

CR: Devil Takes a Bride by Gaelen Foley
RN: I'll be deep into school work soon... I can't think that far ahead.