Rating: 
Summary: God's Silence
Review: YEAR OF WONDERS by Geraldine Brooks is a trip in time back to l666, the plage year, in Eyam, a small English village. The villagers are convinced by their rector, Michael Monpellion, to quarantine themselves when they figure out that the Black Death will decimate their village and spread to other areas. Anna Frith, a maid in the rector's home is the narrator. She suffers the tragic deaths of a male tenant friend and her two young boys. The desinegration of the villager's psyches is frightening. Ignorance, hatred, and mistrust bloom evilly like the nasty rose-colored sores on the bodies of the dying. Anna Frith's growth throughout the narrative is phenomenal. From a simple maid and shepherd she moves into the forbidden and risky area of herbal healer. Two women healers, Anys and Mem, are murdered because of the villager's superstitious beliefs regarding witches and their evil intent. So Anna's transformation is courageous as well as beneficial to the villagers.Brooks, a journalist and war correspondent, lived in England in l990. While hiking through the English countryside she came upon a sign pointing to Eyam with a note beneath: Plague Village. Brooks found the sign intriguing and couldn't let it go. YEAR OF WONDERS IS Brook's first leap into fiction. Many incidents in the story are documented in manuscripts from the times making this story believable. It's a great trip to a terrible time and place and Brooks made the villagers of Eyam live again. The use of archaic terms keeps the reader reaching for a dictionary. For example: "He was fevered, his mouth caked with SORDES, struggling for breath." Three thick dictionaries later and the word--sordes--still hadn't been found. Working with context seemed to be the best bet on finding the meaning of some of the words. The archaic words did lend an antique flavor to the book that is not out of place. The ending seemed to come out of left field with many questions left unanswered like--Why didn't Anna stay in England in another small obscure village where she could have become the local midwife and healer? YEAR OF WONDERS is a wonder-filled story. It's elegant and convincing. Other books by Geraldine Brooks are NINE PART OF OF DESIRE and FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.
Rating: 
Summary: Really 3.5 stars
Review: I liked this book, and loved the premise, and found fascinating the way the author came to conceive of the book, after stumbling in her travles across the 'Plague Village' I also like Geraldine Brooks' writing, having previously read Foreign Correspondence and Nine Parts of Desire. Brooks has brought to life a time which at once is very dissimilar to our own, yet has disturbing parallels. Anyone who remembers the early days of the AIDS crisis in western countries will remember the misinformation, the 'witch hunt' aspects, the manifestations of ignorance. In my country a little girl was banished from kindergarten by a braying mob, for example. She was forced to retreat with her family to another country (New Zealand) to escape the oprobrium. I couldn't help thinking of this as I read this novel. Brooks has been very skilful in her use of language, and I found it poetic and lyrical...she has managed to give an IMPRESSION of the use of language as it may have been. However, it would not have been wholly like that - for a start it was a remote corner of a remote northern outreach of England. Nevertheless Brooks has managed to make it sound uncontrived (most of the time - there were a few lapses where it started to sound a bit self-conscious). In the same vein, the author's point of view, as it emerges through the central character, is never less than anachronistic - she displays attitudes that are those of a 21st century woman. I don't think that is a problem - I think authors are alloed to use historical fiction genre in order to express contemporary viewpoints. What disappointed me most was the final chapter. I think it lets down the rest of the book. Don't let that stop you reading it, but I you are a fan of the more breathless bodice-ripping romance genre, you won't be disappointed! I feel a far less unconventional future for the main protagonist would have been truer to the character and the times.
Rating:
Summary: a fascinating account of this year of wonders
Review: YEAR OF WONDERS, a historical novel, is based on a year in the life of the villagers of Eyam in Derbyshire, England in 1665. When the plague breaks out the summer of that year in the novel, the villagers seek to prevent the spread of the disease by making an oath to isolate themselves from outlying towns, agreeing to remain in the town and allowing no one to come into Plague Village, as their town becomes known. The rector of the local church, Michael Mompellion, leads them to make this difficult decision, and as more and more people become ill and die, the villagers often respond in volatile ways. A mob hangs a young woman who is thought to practice witchcraft, some "slake their dread in drink and their loneliness in wanton caresses," and others steal from those near death. Anna Frith, a young widow with two small sons, tells the story, which includes her pain over the loss of her own sons and her agony as she tries to learn how the plague is spread and the best way to treat it. Although Anna is an uneducated housemaid, she is taught to read by Elinor Mompellion, the rector's wife, and her relationship with the Mompellions evolves from servant to friend as they work together to fight the disease and keep the emotions of the villagers from escalating into violence. In addition to coping with physical exhaustion, they must also face their own fears and losses. Between assignments as a Middle East correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Geraldine Brooks discovered the town of Eyam and learned the history of the villagers' ordeal. She was touched by their decision to let the boundaries of their village become their whole world, and YEAR OF WONDERS grew from her research of actual events during 1665-1666. Although this is her first novel, Ms. Brooks is the author of two acclaimed works of nonfiction, NINE PARTS OF DESIRE: THE HIDDEN WORLD OF ISLAMIC WOMEN and FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE: A PENPAL'S JOURNEY FROM DOWN UNDER TO ALL OVER. YEAR OF WONDERS is a fascinating story of desperate people who lose control of their lives as they see those around them die and face the fear of their own illness and death. Anna, the strongest character, is complex. She lacks formal education but is intelligent, eager to learn, and loves language. Her actions reflect her strength, but like the other villagers, she is fearful of the plague as well as her own sanity. She says, "I fear the line between myself and madness is as fine these days as a cobweb, and I have seen what it means when a soul crosses over into that dim and wretched place." Anna develops an intense relationship with both Michael and Elinor Mompellion, and she has a tortuous bond with her drunkard father, whose depraved behavior includes burying a man alive. She is fascinated by the village healers and comes to their defense when they are attacked by the mob. The Mompellions have an unusual relationship with one another as well as with Anna. The author's writing is descriptive, and it is easy to visualize the people, the place where they live, and the events in this tumultuous year. Her description of the emotions of the villagers is especially strong, and it is evident that her research was extensive. The ending is not one most readers would choose and is somewhat disappointing. The path Anna's life takes certainly can't be called predictable! In spite of this minor flaw, the author has written a story that keeps the reader involved until the very end, and her epilogue makes one hope Geraldine Brooks will reveal more of Anna's story. Geraldine Brooks weaves a fascinating story of this YEAR OF WONDERS, and her well-researched, well-written account of this time in history is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A WONDER OF A YEAR
Review: My goodness, what a long year that was! The story was excellent.
Well written. Not a grabber; not engrossing. Not a "I am dying to read this right now" book. But all the same, its well written, seems like its well researched, well thought out. I agree with my fellow reviewers and say I didn't care for the way the book ended. I see Anna in a different place that would've been more in the context to the story. But the ending does make sense.
The story is about a woman who takes care of the preacher, his family and her whole town during a year of the plague. Man, its terrible. The suffering is brought home, literally. The author doesn't skip on the vivid descriptions. But we want that. I mean, why else would we read this if we didn't want to know what the heck was it like for people during the a plague outbreak?
This story is believable and based on actual events.
Sometimes the character herself gets a little thin on personality, for example, I don't recall ever reading a physical description about her. But...I guess the focus was more about the social atmosphere and how people dealt with their beliefs about God at that time. I was especially impressed by how she could continue to reiterate certain points and overviews; mentioning the title in the context of the story. Not many authors have the quality to do that anymore. QUALITY. Very interesting; indeed, very well thought out book. I hope she'll write another historical novel; I look forward to reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: Heartbreaking
Review: Anna Firth, young and widowed, takes in a border to help ends meet in her small household, not knowing the repercussions that are going to sweep across the small mountain village outside London, England where she lives. George Viccars is a journeyman tailor seeking a small out-of-the-way place to put the hustle and bustle of London behind him. While there, George wins Anna's attention by showing an interest in her oldest son, Jamie. As they begin to talk, George shows even more interest in Anna and makes a dress for her. Just as Anna is entertaining thoughts that George might replace her husband Sam, killed in the lead mines, George falls victim to the plague which he carried with him in the bolts of materials. In short order, the pestilence surges over the village, breaking into every family and killing two people out of every three. The merciless tide turns every day men and women into superstitious and scared people, and only the stern words and brave convictions of Michael Mompellion, the village rector, can hold those people in a somewhat civilized and supportive society. Still, as the deaths continue to mount, hope dwindles and is replaced by vengeful desperation. Murders, thievery, and witch-hunting break loose throughout the village, and Anna struggles with her own dying faith the the lure of a forbidden love. Geraldine Brooks' YEAR OF WONDERS is a 2002 ALA Alex award winner. The Alex is given to only ten books every year that were written primarily for adults but will have high appeal to the YA readers. In addition to this novel, Brooks has also written FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE, NINE PARTS OF DESIRE: THE HIDDEN WORLD OF ISLAMIC WOMEN, IMAZIGHEN: THE VANISHING TRADITIONS OF BERBER WOMEN, SWAN WATCH, and DAMES AND DAUGHTERS OF COLONIAL DAYS. She based YEAR OF WONDERS on actual events that took place in Eyam, Derbyshire, which she researched thoroughly. She is a former war correspondent and NEW YORK TIMES journalist. Told in a rolling dialect that Brooks perfected, the opening pages of YEAR OF WONDERS are mesmerizing, drawing the reader into the bleak and desolate world that her village became after the Plague was unintentionally brought among them. Her characters are rich and full, surely wrought from the same flesh and blood of the poor people that lived and died in Eyam, Derbyshire, the place that Brooks researched and based her novel on. The whys and wherefores of the friendships and disapproval of the women for and against each other in the novel are accurately portrayed. Michael Mompellion's church speeches and the way he throws himself into his work are inspirational and heartbreaking, setting up the losses and the secrets that come tumbling out in the course of the story. Although the larger society of London is not detailed so that the reader can compare what is going on in the village regarding every day life, the village itself is uniquely done. Most readers will feel as though he or she can walk the trails back and forth between Anna's home and the church, or up to the lead mines, or down in the streets and cemeteries. Brooks has a natural gift for dialogue, displaying an educated and cultural ear, stating precisely how different characters would vent their thoughts, hopes, aspirations, and fears. The author is also very frank in detailing the sexual mores at the time while remaining true to the interest level of the characters involved and how women might think of such things. The greatest thing that happens is the total involvement of the reader with the heroine. When Anna cries, the reader will feel the tragedy. When Anna's heart fills and lifts with hope, the reader will feel the lift as well. When at last the plague breaks and people are free again to live, so are the readers then freed from the emotional and frightening burdens they have been carrying. The narrative provides an immersive immediacy that will have most people devouring the novel in only a few sittings. The only thing that didn't seem to fit with the novel was the final eight pages. Although the information was good and needed, the abrupt turn Anna takes and how she gets there is too obscure. YEAR OF WONDERS is recommended to lovers of historical fiction. Brooks' research and world-building skills are amazing. But the casual reader looking for something different, something that will take him or her away from most works they've read before will also enjoy this novel because of the pacing, the beauty of the language, and the total immersive pull of the story.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps your attention
Review: THe book was eloquently written. Brooks is masterful at weaving historical fact into a captivating story.
Rating:
Summary: Medieval Agony and a Silent God
Review: Set in the year 1665, 'Year of Wonders' is a fictional account of the historic 'Plague Village' of Eyam, as remembered by Anna, a maid in the household of Minister William Mompellion. With the emergence of the plague on White Peak, Mompellion persuades his followers to quarantine themselves within the town borders. As the pestilence takes its deadly toll, the faith and courage of ordinary people are put to the test, and a spiritual dilemma arises: how can a loving God allow such pain and misery? 'Year of Wonders' is a remarkable work, for Brooks writes shimmering, elegant prose. Her knowledge of 17th century England is authoritative, and the medieval setting is carefully rendered. Yet this is the type of book that one admires more than loves, for 'Year of Wonders' is relentlessly bleak; social order breaks down in Anna's village, engulfing the characters in a collapsing world with little hope of escape. The mere act of daily living becomes a trial of courage, and as the plague ravages her village, Anna's despair is evident in the passage below: "It became impossible for me to look into the face of a neighbor and not imagine him dead." As the death toll mounts, Anna and the Mompellions show gritty heroism, as they tend to the sick without thought for their own well-being. Yet fear and superstition exacerbates a desperate situation; the two women who could have helped the most--the town herbalists--are suspected of witchcraft and murdered. One gets a keen sense of the precariousness of medieval life, where doctors are no more than butchers, and frightened people turn to sorcery and magic to combat an invisible killer, which Mompellion describes as "a venom in the blood". Despite its contrived ending, there is much to admire in 'Year of Wonders', with its sheer narrative power and sense of place in a distant past, and for the life-affirming message it shares.
Rating:
Summary: Great detail lesser story
Review: I enjoyed reading this book for all the details of life back then and all the information about the plague etc. But the main character never really sparked for me. She was almost too unbelievable and amazing, being able to do just about anything, even mining. And the ending left me questioning why the author felt the need to end with such a silly ending.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read in ages!!
Review: "Book of Wonders" is everything a historical novel should be. It is based upon the true events of a small village which isolated itself with the outbreak of plague; it has finely drawn and believable characters; and the writing is of a style that you could almost imagine it was really written at the time (please don't let this latter point put you off - the writing is not in any way archaic, as is often the trend these days). It is also however, profoundly sad, and I found myself weeping with the characters at their loss in an early part of the novel. I always think that is is a powerful book that can make you laugh or cry. The story of the people of this small village and their trials and tribulations in this terrible time is absolutely mesmerising. We watch them cling to their faith in God, and then turn to earlier more earthy superstitions to help them deal with the wave of death that has struck so many of them down. We also watch the development of the narrator from a simple village girl who thirsts for knowledge into the strong character she is by the end of the novel. Some of the earlier reviewers have commented that the end seems a little pat, almost as if the author wanted to finish the book and be done with it. I must admit that it doesn't finish the way I would have liked it to, but having said that, I truly do not believe that it in any way takes away from the mastery of the book. It is a fascinating, well written and well researched book. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonder of a Book
Review: Year of Wonders, an imaginative work of historical fiction by Geraldine Brooks, is a captivating journey into a time and place so different from our own. Brooks originally became enthralled when, after visiting the town of Eyam in England, she read a plaque about the 'plague village.' When researching the history and medical aspects of the plague, Brooks came across a note from the wife of the village pastor about her maid's continuing good health. It is through this maid, mentioned only briefly in a letter, that Brooks gives voice and life to this period of time. Anna Frith is a simple widow living with her two sons, working in the town rectory, and learning from the pastor and his wife a great deal about life beyond her little town. She is encouraged by the pastor to take in a boarder, a tailor from London who does fine work. When he sickens and dies, however, the town is loathe to call his illness what it is -- the plague. Soon, entire families become ill, and the village realizes that it must stand forth against the disease. Their pastor, Mr. Mompellion, urges everyone in the village to vow to remain within the confines of the town until the plague can be eradicated, to prevent its spread to the rest of England. All the villagers but one agree, and so they take a Sunday Oath to begin their year of confinement, or year of wonders. Anna is our constant companion through this year. She shows us how the confinement and illness bring out the best in some of the townspeople, particularly Mrs. Mompellion, who are willing to go the extra mile for their beloved neighbors by caring for them when they are ill. The plague, however, also brings out the worst in some townspeople, especially those trying to make a living off of the misery of others. Anna's faith during the year both sustains her and gives her reason to pause. Anna's growth as a person throughout the book is a wonderful look into how tragedy and hardship can forge a character, and bring them into the greater good. The end of this book is certainly unexpected, and perhaps overly dramatic. However, it does bring closure to an outstanding read.
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