My goodness, what a story! I have read several books about the plague before or novels that had the plague in their book. But this one was one just about the book. Well, up until the last couple of pages where another book was more or less forced into just one chapter.
Still, I loved this book about a village that struggled during the plague, that hat the idea to shut themselves off from the rest of the world in order not to bring this horrible disease to others. The village existed, the people in the book were based on real people from that time. But it was still a novel.
Apparently, this was Geraldine Brooks' first book. I think she learned not to add such a quick end but I still loved it very much. The author is such a great writer. And I think the Covid-19 pandemic brought the story even closer to us.
From the back cover:
"Spring 1666: when the Great Plague reaches the quiet Derbyshire village of Eyam, the villagers make an extraordinary decision. They elect to isolate themselves in a fateful quarantine. So begins the Year of Wonders, seen through eighteen-year-old Anna Frith’s eyes as she confronts the loss of her family, the disintegration of her community, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit love. Based on a true story, this novel explores love and learning, fear and fanaticism, and the struggles of seventeenth-century science and religion to interpret the world at the cusp of the modern era."
I have several Spanish Flu related novels to read (eventually). As you say, living through Covid makes the reading experience far more vivid & personal.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever read "The Plague" by Camus, Kitten? That's definitely one of the very best books about that topic.
Deletehttps://momobookblog.blogspot.nl/2011/03/camus-albert-plague.html
Yes, I read it back in 2020 during the pandemic... [grin]. EXCELLENT book. Looking forward to reading more by him and about him... VERY interesting guy.
DeleteDefinitely, Kitten. And it was the right time to read it. I also really loved The Stranger by him, I could relate to it so well, having lived in foreign countries more than half of my life.
DeleteI've never read this one. It was her first book?
ReplyDeleteYear of Wonders (2001)
DeleteMarch (2005)
People of the Book (2008)
Caleb's Crossing (2011)
The Secret Chord (2015)
Horse (2022)
@Lark. Yes, it was, well, her first novel. It's incredible.
Delete@Kitten. I have only read the first four of those books plus Foreign Correspondence from 1997, a non-fiction book about penfriends.
She is such a gifted writer and every book is so different! My book group enjoyed this and several others - we liked Horse the best.
ReplyDeleteHorse is still on my wishlist, Constance. So, I have to get it soon. Thanks for that. And yes, you are right, all her books are different.
DeleteI read this novel by Geraldine Brooks ages ago. I think I read it before I stared blogging as I can't find a review for it on my blog. I enjoyed Year of Wonders.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised that you enjoyed it, Lisa. She is a highly gifted author.
DeleteI read this so long ago--loved it for most of the book, but I thought the ending went off the rails for me. Maybe I should reread and see if I feel the same. It was my first Brooks's novel, and the plague in Europe in the middle ages has always fascinated me.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about the ending, Jane. As I said, could have been another book altogether. I'm sure you'd feel the same because I did. As I said to ^^CyberKitten, another great book about the Plague is the one by Albert Camus.
DeleteSounds interesting. If you are interested in reading about the plague, one of my favourite books ever (even without the plague theme) is The Plague Tales by Ann Benson. I still think of this book from time to time, although I read it many, many years ago.
ReplyDeleteOh, thanks, Lisbeth. That sounds great. I think we all should be interested in the Plague. The last couple of years have shown that, don't you think?
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