When people ask what Year of Wonders is about, the first answer is "it's a story about the plague in England" and as a result, people respond with, "why do I want to read about that?" BUT, you will be pleasantly surprised at how engaged you are when you read the first pages of the book.
Geraldine Brooks brings you back to 17th century England through the eyes of Anna Frith, an ordinary housemaid, who is constantly challenged by tragic events that emanate from the famous plague outbreak in Eyam, Derbyshire. Through her journey, we come across the struggle between religion and science, the practice of herbal medicine, the strength and ability of human nature to self-sacrifice as well as the desperate actions humans are capable of when fear overpowers reason. It's a wonderful book to discuss about!
It's fascinating that this book was based on a true event, where a village decided to voluntarily put themselves in quarantine to prevent the plague from spreading to surrounding areas.
What did we think about the end? We didn't want to spoil it for those who hadn't finished the book, so discussion of the ending was posponed. We will have a brief recap in our next meeting.
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