Charles II and the court removed themselves to the countryside, and this village decided to quarantine itself. The Black Death had been around for hundreds of years–during the Roman Empire and the late Middle Ages-but this is about the outbreak in Restoration England.

How can people keep their faith and their sanity when they are suffering such great losses? The villagers turn to superstitions, magic charms, fasting and flagellation, and devil worshiping in the hope that something might stop the spread of the plague. The rector’s wife Elinor works with Anna nursing the sick, and preparing herbal tonics to strengthen people. A wealthy Earl leaves supplies and food on a large stone at the boundary line. The rector of the church, Michael Mompellion, convinces the villagers to quarantine themselves within the village so the plague will not spread to nearby towns. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks is narrated by Anna Frith, a shepherdess who also spent a few hours daily as a servant in the rectory. 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.īook Review: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a “year of wonders.”

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.Īs 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. 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. Narrator: First person from Anna’s Point of viewīook Summary: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks Theme: Community and Convention, Female Sexuality and Friendship, Faith, Suffering, and God’s Will, Science and Superstition, Justice and Judgment

Year of wonders