Predictably, two village women are accused of being witches and causing the plague. Superstition and fear of witches pervade the rural population. A rich family who could alleviate much suffering, chooses to look out for themselves only. There are several subplots which propel the story to its finish. The quarantined village no longer has a doctor to care for the ill, so these two women work tirelessly to aid the sick. She teaches Anna to read, how to midwife and how use herbs to heal common maladies.

Over the course of the year, Elinor befriends and mentors Anna on many subjects. By the end of the novel, only a few of the named characters are alive.Īnna serves as a housemaid for the village rector and his wife, Michael and Elinor Mompellion.

Everyone who means anything to her fades away. Anna is a wife with two young sons who becomes a widow before facing an increasing amount of loss as the story progresses. The main character is Anna Frith, a dispirited, young woman living in the difficult times of 1665. Therefore, there was no way to write a satisfying nonfiction narrative.' that purport to record the facts were actually written many years later, and historians have found inconsistencies that cast doubt on their accuracy.Apart from three letters by the rector, no narrative account from the year itself actually exists. The author states, 'The written record of what happened in Eyam during the plague year is scant. She has authored a few non-fiction books, but this is her first foray into the world of fiction. Brooks makes the story plausible because she knows how to find information due to her journalism training. But Brooks was intrigued with their actions in taking the unusual step that prevented the plague from spreading through the countryside and decimating the broader population. Real facts are fragmentary regarding the small English village that took the altruistic precedent of closing themselves off from all outsiders once the plague was identified in their community. These factors make the story hard to follow. The storyline takes many twists and turns leading readers on a thread of a trail while valiantly trying to keep up. Characters and their motives are sometimes inadequately introduced as the reader repeatedly finds essential information lacking. Year of Wonders has enjoyed tremendous success and popularity since its debut, but I do not see why. What else could it be since John Cleese was not involved? Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks is a grim, troublesome read. Perhaps I was curious to see how the author would tell the story of the plague in a historical fiction format. Not quite sure why I selected this book to read on a recent road trip.

A year of wonders