Year of Wonders -- Geraldine Brooks, Paperback

"Plague stories remind us that we cannot manage without community . . . Year of Wonders is a testament to that very notion." - The Washington Post

An unforgettable tale, set in 17th century England, of a village that quarantines itself to arrest the spread of the plague, from the author The Secret Chord and of March, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

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. Written with stunning emotional intelligence and introducing an inspiring heroine (The Wall Street Journal), Brooks blends love and learning, loss and renewal into a spellbinding and unforgettable read.

Author: Geraldine Brooks
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 04/30/2002
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 7.60h x 4.60w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780142001431
Age Range: 18-UP

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 6.9
Point Value: 17
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 68782 / Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague

Award: Book Sense Book of the Year Award - Nominee

Review Citation(s):
BookPage 05/01/2002 pg. 25
New York Times 05/12/2002 pg. 28
Entertainment Weekly 06/14/2002 pg. 91
Newsweek 07/13/2009 pg. 49

About the Author

Geraldine Brooks is the author of five novels: the Pulitzer Prize-winning March; the international bestsellers Caleb's Crossing, People of the Book, and Year of Wonders; and, most recently, The Secret Chord. She has also written the acclaimed nonfiction works Nine Parts of Desire and Foreign Correspondence. Born and raised in Australia, she lives on Martha's Vinyard with her husband, the author Tony Horwitz, and their two sons.