These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. “Year of Wonders has it all: strong characters, a tremendous sense of time and place, a clearly defined heroine and a dastardly villain. Year of Wonders essays are academic essays for citation. “A glimpse into the strangeness of history that simultaneously enables us to see a reflection of ourselves.” - The New York Times Book Review Year of Wonders is itself a wonder.” - People “Brooks proves a gifted storyteller as she subtly reveals how ignorance, hatred and mistrust can be as deadly as any virus. “ Year of Wonders is a vividly imagined and strangely consoling tale of hope in a time of despair.” - O, The Oprah Magazine A deep imaginative engagement with how people are changed by catastrophe.” - The New Yorker 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. 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. As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a “year of wonders.” 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.

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. 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.

“One of the first classics of the twenty-first century.”–Frye Gaillard, The Books that Mattered It has a vivid imaginative truth, and is beautifully written.” – HILARY MANTEL “YEAR OF WONDERS carries absolute conviction as an evocation of place and mood.

The year of wonders