Derbyshire - Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

[chesilbeach]

DERBYSHIRE
 
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
 
Synopsis:
In 1666, plague swept through London, driving the King and his court to Oxford, and Samuel Pepys to Greenwich, in an attempt 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.
 
Other Derbyshire books:
 
The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker
Peveril of the Peak by Sir Walter Scott
The Toll-Gate by Georgette Heyer

[Alexi]

Copied from my book log:

 

I had never heard of this book before embarking on the English Counties Challenge but given its choice for Derbyshire I looked it up and immediately was intrigued by the synopsis. 

 

It didn't disappoint. 

 

Although the Christmas period meant I read the first 100 pages in snatches, when I sat down properly I gobbled this book up. It does deserve to be read in chunks I think and is much improved for it. 

 

Brooks is a wonderful writer who can conjure up vivid descriptions and strong emotions through the power of her words and characters. Anna, our protaganist, is a complex figure and often I forgot she was only 18, she had seen so much of life - most of it horrendous. 

 

This is based on the true story of the villagers of Eyam, who decided to isolate themselves when the plague came to save surrounding villages and their inhabitants. Cut off from the world and seeing friends and neighbours cut down in their midst, this is a wonderful exploration of the human condition and what it might be driven to in the right circumstances, especially in a world of 1666 which was driven by religion rather than science. 

 

It took a dark turn several times in completely unexpected ways and Brooks does have the power to shock even when you think she's dealt everything she can throw at you, more comes. It's a rollercoaster ride through death and life, told in beautiful words. I'm really glad we picked this book - this story deserves to be told and Brooks is the woman to do it. 

 

4.5/5

[JeanW]

I read this quite a few years ago and a couple of years later we visited the village. It's a very moving experience and well worth the visit.

 

I noticed she has just published a new novel called The Secret Chord, about King David set in 1000 BC.   She won the Pulitzer prize for 'March' which is about John March, the father who has gone to fight in the Civil War in Little Women.

[Janet]

I loved this book when I read it several years ago.  The subject matter fascinates me and after reading it I bought A Parcel of Patterns by Jill Paton Walsh which tells the same story. 

 

I'm hoping to find something else for Derbyshire as I'm trying to ensure all the books are new to me (apart from Winnie-the-Pooh) but I could easily re-read this one.

[chaliepud]

I'm glad you loved The Year of Wonders too, it's definitely one of the best books I've read, so poignant.

[Alexi]

I loved this book when I read it several years ago. The subject matter fascinates me and after reading it I bought A Parcel of Patterns by Jill Paton Walsh which tells the same story.

 

I'm hoping to find something else for Derbyshire as I'm trying to ensure all the books are new to me (apart from Winnie-the-Pooh) but I could easily re-read this one.

Wish list extends by one! I'm ashamed to say most of these books were new to me, although I have substituted for Greater London and Leicestershire and reread for Cumbria, the rest are/were new reads. I never even read Winnie the Pooh!

 

I'm glad you loved The Year of Wonders too, it's definitely one of the best books I've read, so poignant.

The fact it's based on a true story really adds to it, doesn't it? Just awful. Edited January 7, 2016 by Alexi

[Janet]

I should probably have mentioned (although doubtless if you've looked at the book then you'll have realised straight away!) that it's a children's book (not really even a YA book from memory), but nevertheless was good. 

[chesilbeach]

I can't believe I would find a book set in the 17th century about a village infected with the plague so fascinating, but I was completely captivated by this story.

 

Brooks writing is wonderful and full of descriptions that brings to life the self-imposed exile of this community.  We see the world through the eyes of Anna Frith, who at 18 is already a wife and mother, and her experiences as the story progresses make you forget how young a woman she is and how her strength of character is the only thing that can keep her going through this horrific period of her life.

 

The opening chapter starts at the end of the tale, and then we go back a year in time to tell the story of the village.  It's a vivid depiction of this deadly infection and the terrible deaths suffered by the victims, how the deaths decimate families, and the effect it has on survivors.

 

There are still some surprises along the way and an unexpected but satisfying conclusion.  I have to say that although it is a very grim subject matter, I never felt despair or gloomy when reading it, I was so engrossed in the story I found it difficult to put the book down at times.  Very highly recommended!

[Janet]

Yay, another fan!  I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

 

We've had some brilliant books in this challenge, haven't we?! 

[chesilbeach]

Thanks Janet.  I hadn't expected to enjoy it, if I'm honest, because I'm not a fan of gloomy books and I thought it would be exactly that, but it wasn't at all ... it was dramatic and even thrilling at times, and just eminently readable.

 

We have had some brilliant books, in fact, I've just started another straight after this one!