num_pages: 310
description: In 1666, plague scorched London, driving the King and his court to Oxford, and Samuel Pepys to Greenwich, to escape contagion. The north of England remained untouched until, in a small community of leadminers and hill farmers, a bolt of cloth arrived from the capital. The tailor who cut the cloth had no way of knowing that the damp fabric carried with it bubonic infection. So begins the Year of Wonders, in which a Pennine village of 350 souls confronts a scourge beyond remedy or understanding. Desperate, the villagers turn to sorcery, herb lore, and murderous witch-hunting. Then, led by a young and charismatic preacher, they elect to isolate themselves in a fatal quarantine. The story is told through the eyes of Anna Frith who, at only 18, must contend with the death of her family, the disintegration of her society, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit attraction. Geraldine Brooks's novel explores love and learning, fear and fanaticism, and the struggle of 17th century science and religion to deal with a seemingly diabolical pestience. Year of Wonders is also an eloquent memorial to the real-life Derbyshire villagers who chose to suffer alone during England's last great plague.
language: English
title: Year Of Wonders
titlecomplete: Year Of Wonders
characters: Michael Mompellion, Elinor Mompellion, Anna Frith
genres: Historical, Adult, Novels, Literary Fiction, Book Club, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Adult Fiction, British Literature
ratings_count: 158666
places: Eyam, Derbyshire, England, Derbyshire, England, England
awards: awardedAt: 1009872000000
name: ALA Alex Award
publisher: HarperCollins