“Good yield does not come without suffering, it does not come without struggle, and toil, and, yes, loss. Each one of you has cried for the crop blighted by drought or pest. Cried, as you did what you knew you must, and ploughed each plant under, so that the soil could be renewed in the hope of the better season coming. Cry now, my friends, but hope, also! For a better season will follow this time of Plague, if only we trust in God to perform his wonders!”

Perhaps only the deeply religious or the deeply deluded (some might say both...), could refer to a plague year as a year of wonders. However, for Anna Frith, 1666 becomes precisely that. While she is still mourning her own losses, she is compelled to become a savior to her village. As the deadly disease visits each household, dread and desperation have turned to fear and superstition among the townsfolk. Accusations and mistrust run wild as the sufferers attempt to determine if the plague is God's test of faith or evidence of the Devil's work on Earth.

Anna is not convinced it is either. Isn't it wonderful to have a rational, thinking heroine who reads!

“When I have a tallow stub, I read until it gutters... For the hour in which I am able to lose myself in someone else's thoughts is the greatest relief I can find from the burden of my own memories.”

This was Brooks' first book - I still consider it her best. The novel held me just as captivated as it did when I first read it over ten years ago. It is a story that combines elements of history, mystery, and human resilience, making it a truly engaging read.

***SPOILERS HIDDEN***

Year of Wonders is a remarkable work by Geraldine Brooks. The story centers around Anna, a young mother who displays great strength while dealing with a plague-ridden time. The atmosphere is understandably gloomy and oppressive, given that the characters are actively striving to avoid falling ill. Brooks' writing is exquisite as she weaves a tale that, despite its sadness, is not overly depressing.

Brooks has developed a small cast of characters, which keeps the plot concise and easy to follow. A small, unexpected twist towards the end is both astonishing and disturbing. However, Year of Wonders has a weakness. Regarding the death of Anna's sons, Brooks barely delves into Anna's grief. After their deaths, this character scarcely thinks of her sons and almost immediately returns to work. A parent in the best of circumstances who has lost children one after another, and only two years after losing a spouse in a horrific accident, would likely be severely depressed. Her life situation is dire, yet she copes with these deaths on a superhuman level. She has no relatives to rely on, as her abusive father and cruel stepmother hardly count, and she constantly has to worry about the plague. Perhaps Brooks was attempting to showcase Anna's resilience, but instead, she made her seem less human and, consequently, less relatable.

In the final pages, Brooks offers an insight into how she conceived the idea for Year of Wonders. This historical information is valuable as it adds depth and context to complete her story. This is the strength of Year of Wonders - that it vividly and in detail portrays what it might have been like for an ordinary person living during a plague. Bringing the plague era to life is a challenging task, but Brooks has accomplished it. Year of Wonders truly merits more attention.

Year Of Wonders is an engaging and powerful story. It centers around Anna Frith, a young and widowed housemaid. Despite being very young, she is determined and brave. Tragically, she loses her two children to the terrifying plague. However, she soldiers on. She decides to assist the town minister and his wife in the fight against the contagion. The village is quarantined, but Anna doesn't give up.

This novel, set in 1666 England, is both touching and at times, grotesquely explicit. It is filled with numerous heartbreaking stories. These stories depict the most unbelievable cruelty, superstitions, and even the profiteering from the dead. The utter despair left in the aftermath of the pestilence is palpable. But amidst all this darkness, there is also kindness and compassion. There is one specific moment of magic involving a young child with \\"rose petals\\" that is truly unforgettable. It will stay with the reader long after they have moved on to other books.
The epilogue is quite surprising. It is not what one might expect, except for Anna siring the minister's child. Nevertheless, it is filled with hope and a future for the deserving young woman. Overall, Year Of Wonders is a Great Read!

In a Nutshell: The more the expectations, the greater the disappointment. I was utterly dismayed at this ‘Hollywoodised’ version of the Eyam plague story.

Story:
1666. Anna Frith, a young widow, works as a housemaid to support herself and her two little boys. When the rector sends a boarder her way to supplement her income, she readily agrees. Little does she know that this boarder brings with him some cloth infected with ‘plague seeds’. As the disease begins spreading its virulence, the villagers turn to religion as well as superstition. The story comes to us in the first person pov of Anna.

Where the book worked for me:

God warns us not to love any earthly thing above Himself, and yet He sets in a mother's heart such a fierce passion for her babes that I do not comprehend how He can test us so. This profound thought lingers as I reflect on the book "Year of Wonders".

I did not know what to expect of this title, as some of my GR friends loved it, and others loathed it. I'm sort of in the middle with my 3.5 stars. To be fair, I think if I read this at a calmer time in my life, where the reading of it would have been less interrupted, I would have enjoyed it more. The writing itself was beautiful. The author has a way with words that makes the story come alive. I really liked her characters - none of them were drawn in black and white, and they were all fully human. It was interesting to see how individuals respond differently to major trauma in their lives. The theological issues raised were thought-provoking.

The Story: In 1666, plague swept through London, driving the King and his court to Oxford in an attempt to escape contagion. The north of England remained untouched until, in a small community of leadminers and hill farmers, a bolt of cloth arrived from the capital. The tailor who cut the cloth had no way of knowing that the damp fabric carried with it bubonic infection. So begins the Year of Wonders, in which a Pennine village of 350 souls confronts a scourge beyond remedy or understanding. Desperate, the villagers turn to sorcery, herb lore, and murderous witch-hunting. Then, led by a young and charismatic preacher, they elect to isolate themselves in a fatal quarantine. This story is a gripping account of survival, faith, and the human spirit in the face of灾难.

Rounded up from 4.5

When we talk about rounding up from 4.5, it means that we are taking a number that is 4.5 or greater and increasing it to the next whole number. In this case, 4.5 rounded up would be 5. Rounding is a common mathematical operation used in many different fields, such as finance, science, and engineering. It helps to simplify numbers and make them easier to work with. For example, if we are dealing with a large number of measurements, we may round them to a certain number of decimal places to make the data more manageable. Rounding up from 4.5 can also have practical applications in everyday life. For instance, if you are shopping and the price of an item is $4.50, the store may round up the price to $5.00 for simplicity. Overall, rounding up from 4.5 is a simple but important concept that has many uses in both mathematics and the real world.

This spellbinding story is “inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged mountain spine of England.”

In the spring of 1665, Anna Frith, a young woman of 18, is widowed and left to raise two babies on her own. Life is already difficult for her when a man, referred by the rector, appears at her door seeking lodging. He settles in her attic, and the money he pays helps her to feed her family. But what Anna comes to appreciate the most is the return of laughter in her life.

Soon after, the plague reaches the village. One by one, the village-folk are claimed by the disease. Anna, however, does not sit idly by. She gets involved with herbs and begins administering tonics to the afflicted.

In such trying times, some simple souls turn to superstition, while others become Flagellants, believing that by grievous self-punishment, they can allay God’s wrath. But in the end, Anna’s struggle turns into a wonder.

This beautifully written story brings a vivid picture of a community’s struggle for survival in the face of a deadly epidemic. It shows how even in the darkest of times, there is hope and the power of the human spirit to overcome. @FB/BestHistoricalFiction @https://bestinhistoricalfiction.blogs...

I really enjoyed this book right up until the end.

The beginning of the book was truly great. It immediately captured my attention and drew me into the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story itself. It was engaging, filled with interesting plot twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The characters were also well-developed. I liked each and every one of them, and I felt a connection to them as I read.

Moreover, the book was a fast read. I was able to breeze through it in no time, which is always a plus for me.

However, then the story took a strange turn. The ending was completely unexpected and not in a good way. I did not like the end at all. It left me scratching my head, wondering what the author was thinking.

But, in my opinion, the beginning and middle of the book made up for the ending. Despite the disappointing conclusion, I still found the overall reading experience to be enjoyable.

I would recommend this book to others, but I would also warn them about the strange ending.

This book is based on the true story of a Derbyshire village. The plague arrived, likely in cloth from London. The villagers bravely decided to enforce a voluntary quarantine to avoid spreading the disease. However, the novel has several flaws.

When the story begins in 1666, Anna, a young woman, is a servant. The rector is depressed after his wife's death and the high death toll. Anna has also suffered losses. The lady of the manor's daughter demands the parson see her mother, who is in labor with an illegitimate child. The rector, who has lost his faith, sends her away.

The book then goes back in time to before the plague. Anna takes in a lodger, a tailor who unwittingly imports the plague-carrying fleas. The story follows the year until it reaches the opening period again.

As the story unfolds, there are issues. The deaths become repetitive as few of the deceased are developed characters. The story is told from Anna's perspective, but her views sometimes seem anachronistic.

The real problems with the book, however, are the historical inaccuracies. The portrayal of the cunning folk and the blame for the plague on witches are incorrect. The scene where the village turns on and murders the cunning folk is melodramatic.

Another odd scene is when Anna's son plays with the corpses of black rats. The main part of the story deals with the deaths, Anna's nursing, and her friendship with Elinor. They use a book to learn plant lore.

Things really go wrong when the story parts company from history. There are absurd events like the crucifixion of Anna's father and the madness of her stepmother. The rector's character is rewritten, undermining the story's credibility.

After this, the rest of the story is a rushed mess, with too many elements thrown in. The book, which had potential, ends up being a disappointment, dropping from a 3-star to a 1-star rating.

I picked up YEAR OF WONDERS off my shelf after a stint of disappointing fiction.

I have to admit that I was dubious that a book about the plague would satisfy my desire for a satisfying read.

But, to my great delight, I was wrong.

Yes, this is a book about the plague. It tells the story of a 17th century village that becomes infected and chooses to isolate itself to prevent the spread of the disease.

However, it's not gruesome or overly sad. The voice of Anna Frith, a maid, leads us through a year filled with death, madness, and loss.

Despite the tragedies, we discover how this season could also be called the Year of Wonders.

What I love about this book is Geraldine Brooks' use of language. She plays with words and gives lovely wordplay that appeals to the writer in me.

Also, her characterization is unerring and subtle.

Due to the subject matter, this wasn't an easy book to read, but it wasn't unpleasant either.

I could easily imagine reading it again, and it has earned a place on my keeper shelf.

Highly recommended.

***Wondering why all my reviews are five stars? Because I'm only reviewing my favorite books. Consider a novel's presence on my Goodreads bookshelf as a hearty endorsement. I can't believe I just said "hearty." It sounds like a stew.***

The book takes its title from John Dryden's poem "Annus Mirabilis, The Year of Wonders, 1666" in the epigraph.

That was the year when the black death wreaked havoc in England, and the Great Fire devastated parts of London. Geraldine Brooks transports us to the small village of Eyam, Derbyshire. Here, bolts of cloth from London, infested with fleas, were delivered to the tailor. He was the first villager to fall victim to the plague, and many more followed suit.

The story is told by Anna Frith, a shepherdess who also served in the rectory for a few hours each day. The rector of the church, Michael Mompellion, persuades the villagers to quarantine themselves within the village to prevent the plague from spreading to nearby towns. A wealthy Earl leaves supplies and food on a large stone at the boundary line. The rector's wife, Elinor, works with Anna to nurse the sick and prepare herbal tonics to boost people's strength. The villagers resort to superstitions, magic charms, fasting, flagellation, and devil worshiping, hoping that something will halt the spread of the plague. Digging graves becomes an unending task. How can people maintain their faith and sanity when they are suffering such great losses?

Anna is an intriguing character - a strong woman with many talents, hailing from a troubled family background. There are a few twists and surprises in Anna's life at the end of the story. This historical novel is well-researched and held my interest until the very end.

In 1665, the Derbyshire village of Eyam was severely affected by the Plague. A drastic decision was made to quarantine the village. A kind landowner arranged for regular deliveries of food and other supplies just outside the parish boundaries. The villagers took an oath not to leave until the pestilence was eradicated. One year later, two-thirds of its residents had died. Brooks imagines that the “plague seeds” came to the village in a bolt of cloth delivered from London to the tailor George Viccars, who lived with widow Anna Frith. Viccars was the first victim, and the disease quickly spread from Anna’s home.

Anna had little time to grieve her losses before being called into service. Along with the minister’s wife, Elinor Mompellion, she became a midwife, herbal healer, and even a miner. The village faced several sobering situations. Suspicion of women’s traditional wisdom led some to take vigilante action against presumed witches. Unscrupulous characters like Anna’s father, who became a gravedigger, tried to profit from others’ suffering. Frustration with the minister’s ineffectiveness attracted others to religious extremism.

What I missed most in other epidemic novels was intimate first-person narration, which I got from Anna here. The voice and historical recreation are perfect, and there are many apt passages. I deducted a half-star only because of a far-fetched ending similar to that of The Wonder by Emma Donoghue. Otherwise, this is exactly what I want from historical fiction.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.