Year of Wonders

Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks

On the library stacks: Adult fiction
AR Reading Level: 6.9
Awards: Alex Award/Honor; Book Sense Book of the Year 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's 1666 in a rural English mining village when the inhabitants are struck by the Plague. Inspired by their dynamic vicar, most of the villagers decide on a self-imposed quarantine as a way to protect other nearby towns from their same fate. Before the disease has run its course, nearly 2/3 of the population will be dead. But not Anna Frith, the vicar's maid, who is also our narrator.

Let's face it, bubonic plague is kind of depressing, but this is a well-written book. I love that Brooks based her novel on the so-called "Plague Village"--a town called Eyam in northern England. Brooks had not only clearly checked her facts and figures, but I also liked the complexities of her characters. This book not a quick or easy read and I thought the ending was kind of frantic and a little weird. But I do feel more knowledgeable for having read this and I think the story will stay with me.

Also reviewed by: Jules' Book Reviews ~ At Home With Books ~ 1morechapter ~ Linus's Blanket ~ Good Clean Reads ~ Your link here?
Source: BookMooch