Year of Wonders

A Novel

By: Geraldine Brooks

Narrated by: Geraldine Brooks

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

“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.

©2010 Penguin Audiobooks (P)2010 Geraldine Brooks

Critic reviews

"The novel glitters . . . A deep imaginative engagement with how people are changed by catastrophe."—The New Yorker

“Plague stories remind us that we cannot manage without community . . . Year of Wonders is a testament to that very notion . . . [The villagers] assume collective responsibility for combating the plague, rather than seeing it as an act of God before which they are powerless.”—The Washington Post

"Year of Wonders is a vividly imagined and strangely consoling tale of hope in a time of despair."—O, The Oprah Magazine

The book was great,but the narrator was not

Loved this book,which I bought after listening to this author's other book,The People of the Book.
This story is fascinating, and I know I would enjoy it in print, but sadly the author is not the best narrator of her own material.

Facinating portrayal of People during the Plague

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although a sad story at times, I found it very interesting and entertaining. What a horrific event they had to live through. Jennifer

Mixed results

The historic event is fascinating as are the customs of the times. The author read her own book which I normally like but this author has a lisp, a sibilant s sound , which I found most distracting. I thought the book needed to end when the plague epidemic ended. The last bit read line a romance novel, which I do not read.

Great story, but maybe a different narrator?

Loved the book, a great story and characters. However, I was having a hard time with the author as narrator. I am not sure if it's her accent or she is a mumbler, but at times (especially during high-emotion passages, such as panic or sorrow) I had to back up and relisten to what she was trying to say. I love it when authors narrate their own works, but this one made listening a bit difficult at times.

I loved it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! This was a selection of our book club and so far, four of the ten who have read/are reading it gave overwhelmingly positive feedback.

What does Geraldine Brooks bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her soft voice with the British accent is spellbinding.

Timely story

I enjoyed reading about how the 17th Century people who lived in a “plague village” coped with containing the deadly outbreak.
by a severe quarantine . The obvious parallels were intriguing. Especially since this novel appeared before the current pandemic.

The characters were a mix of English people from several social classes. And the story is tolls from the perspective of a young servant widowed by the plague who has a foot in the life of the Gentry as well as the village miners, crafters and artisans.

Wonderful story!

Well written with believable descriptions of life during the plague. She captured the class stratification exposing the harshness that the lower class suffered at the hand of the upper class even in times of great peril. I felt the authors voice reflected Anna’s personality and added to the atmosphere, but my husband felt it a little annoying. Overall, loved the book!

Good story, lackluster narrator

In the end, I truly enjoyed this story and will look for more books by this author. There were some parts of the story that were hard to listen to that at the time had me ready to dismiss the author, but in the end, it really was a great tale.
My biggest struggle was the narrator, who I was shocked to see is the author. There is little to no inflection in her voice, and it makes it almost impossible to listen to. I would have given up and returned the book early on due to her performance, but I bought this book as part of a 2 for 1 sale, so I stuck it out. For the story, I'm glad I did, but I'm hoping she doesn't read any of her other works.

Enthralling!

What does Geraldine Brooks bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I thought the writer did a great job reading this book. He voice really captured the tone of the book well. Very compelling story.

Excellent story

This story was fantastic, and I enjoyed it immensely. The one drawback was the narration which was not my cup of tea.