I’m a major history nerd and one of my favorite historical events to learn about is the plague. After living through our own type of plague in 2020, I find it even more interesting, and terrifying, now. I was searching for a new historical fiction book and came across Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. The story is based on the true events in Eyam, Derbyshire in 1666; you can read more about that here. This was an excellent book… until the very end. This review will have spoilers.
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.
My Thoughts:
- Rating-
Year of Wonders was an unbelievably heartbreaking story but I would expect nothing less from a book about the plague. Books typically don’t make me cry but I teared up multiple times while reading this, especially when Anna lost her sons to the plague. Anna is such a strong and resilient character. Somehow she manages to keep going and helping others even when she has lost everything.
As for the other characters, and there are many, I didn’t care for them quite as much. It’s not that they were bad, it’s just that most died soon after they were introduced. The exception to this was the preacher and his wife, Michael and Elinor. Elinor was Anna’s best friend until she was tragically murdered. Her death really affected Michael and Anna. The two eventually found comfort in each other but here is where the story took a strange turn.
I don’t think it’s strange that Michael and Elinor ended up together. They both witnessed so much tragedy and each of them loved Elinor so I think it would make sense that they might fall in love… but that’s not what happened.
Previously in the book, Elinor had revealed to Anna that she had gotten pregnant as a teenager and aborted the baby with a hot poker. Later, she married Michael and they weren’t able to have children. However, after Elinor died, Anna asked Michael was he thinking of Elinor when he was with her. He revealed that he was not because he had never been intimate with Elinor. At this point, I assumed that Michael had not been intimate with Elinor because the damage she had caused herself might make sex painful but no; Michael had not had sex with his wife to punish her for the abortion. He also said that he purposefully made her love him more so that his denial would be even more painful…
Up until this point in the book, Michael’s character had been very kind and giving. It’s mentioned multiple times how in love him and Elinor seemed. He even spent like a year in grieving after her death. So to have a character completely flip personalities and be an awful person was unsettling. After his confession to Elinor (and another major event that I won’t spoil), she flees to Oran, an Arabic land far away, and never sees Michael again.
I personally think it would have made more sense for Michael to actually be a good person and the two end up together, rebuilding their lives after the plague. Since it didn’t end that way, though, and I found the ending to be so odd, I can’t give this book a full five stars.
Final Thoughts:
Other than the bizarre ending, this was an excellent read. The setting was described wonderfully and the writing really captured the horror of the plague. If you’re a history nerd like me, you need to give this book a try. Thanks for reading!
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