#34 - Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

I enjoy historical fiction, but I was a bit leery of reading this book simply because of the subject matter. The book is about the Plague and its affects on a village in 1665. As a mother of a young child, I have a really hard time reading books that involve the deaths of children. And I knew that this story would include a lot of illness and death.

Brooks' writing caught me by surprise. The book doesn't have a somber, fearful tone at all. The book was serious because of its subject matter, but not overly depressing, morbid or melodramatic.

"Year of Wonders'' is told from the perspective of Anna Frith, a widow who lives through the quarantine of the village and the deaths of many people that she knows and loves, including her two children. The story is very thought provoking and gives a glimpse into the world that was affected by the Plague. So many people died because the people had no clue that fleas from infested rodents caused the plague, and there were no antibiotics to treat the disease. One by one villagers fell ill and died, seemingly at random. Some villagers reacted with violence, paranoia and total despair. Anna immersed herself in the care of others, and managed to survive the plague.

The end of the book seemed a bit contrived and ridiculous to me. I won't go into details as I don't want to spoil the end for anyone. But, all in all, I really enjoyed this book. I must have.....I read it in one day!

For those interested in historical fiction, this is definitely a good read. :)

50 Book Challenge 2007: 14/50