Review | Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

Author: Geraldine Brooks
Published: April 30, 2002
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 308
Format: Paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆

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Synopsis
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 witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love. As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a "year of wonders."

Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England, Year of Wonders is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history. Written with stunning emotional intelligence and introducing "an inspiring heroine" (The Wall Street Journal), Brooks blends love and learning, loss and renewal into a spellbinding and unforgettable read.

Review
I liked the book overall, but it was kind of dull. There wasn't much excitement except for the couple times the townspeople rioted over witchcraft and theft. The whole tone was kind of depressing, but it was a depressing time and situation.

I really liked Anna. She was an easy character to understand and sympathize with. It made it really easy to feel sorry for everything she had to go through with her father, step-mother, and plague. It was wonderful to see how strong she became though. Women at the time were viewed as weak, small-minded people. But when in the time of need, it always seems like we hear stories of women coming to the forefront and keeping everything together.

My next favorite characters were Mr. and Mrs. Mompellion. They seemed like a lovely couple. They took care of the town and the people's spirits through everything. And then came the shocking and sick ending that changes your view of them both. I never would have guess something like that!

Anna's ending was also somewhat surprising. It made me think more of her for choosing what she did. Though I'm surprised she ended up where she did, I guess it wouldn't have been too different from how she had been living. I think making the change today would have been much harder.

The title of this book bothers me. "Year of Wonders" makes you think that they would go through a hard time and be saved by some sort of wonderful miracle. Not so. This book would have been more appropriately titled Surviving the Year of Despair.