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

A riveting listening read

This book, this audiobook, is an example of a perfect melding of narrator and book... both being excellent. It is a book – – a story – – the telling of which won't let you go and which stays with you, until you shake your head and remember you don't live within it – –and which is almost unimaginable without the voice through which I heard it. Thank you Geraldine Brooks

Audible: WHY WHY WHY do you let authors read....?

Although I did get used to the reader (the author) and you fall into her cadence, she is NOT a professional and it really took a lot away from the story for me.

The story, BTW, was excellent. I loved it, despite a very bizarre ending that comes out of left field. I'm not talking about a typical surprise ending - I'm talking about "W H E R E did T H A T come from..."

Good story but the narrator -ugh.

Authors should never read their own books. The story is just good enough to overcome the reading.

Great historical fiction....but depressing!

Would you consider the audio edition of Year of Wonders to be better than the print version?

I started reading the novel and switched to the audio version. I definitely enjoyed the audio version more though the author's voice, who was the reader, will not please all. It is thin and reedy which took some getting use to.

Any additional comments?

I found the end of the story inconsistent with the overall plot. It seemed that the final chapter was from an entirely different book.

Beautiful

I enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down and was sorry for the end.

Historical fiction lover

Great story but the narrator was awful. It detracted from a wonderful book. If you can, read this book. Thanks

Amazing Story——Amazing Storytelling.

I had listened to and am preparing to share with book clubs CALEB’S CROSSING.
I became aware of YEAR OF WONDERS which I just completed listening to on Audible. I feel like now I must say goodbye to a dear friend, as I have finished the book. Thank you,
GERALDINE BROOKS, for sharing your gifts of research and writing with the world.

Fine historical novel.

Knowledge and imagination underlie this novel of 17th century rural England. The author sweeps us along from one tragic episode to the next, building characters and relationships as we go on. I loved the calm intelligence of the protagonist, who represents the courage I wish I had myself.

Great story, terrible narration

The story is well written, very entertaining, shocking, and sad. Geraldine Brooks, however, does a poor job of narrating it - almost as if she doesn't hear the intonation of her own writing. I almost gave up the book due to the horrible narration, but am glad that I saw it through, as the story is well worth it.

Good example of why authors should not read their own work

This is an engaging story, nearly ruined by the author reading it. We have been spoiled by actors narrating stories. You might think that the author would be the best narrator, but you would be wrong. Brooks uses a “readerly” voice, that is nearly an asthenic monotone. I almost returned it after the first 10 minutes. It gets more bearable and there are moments when she abandons the weak drone with a spark of full voice, but I’d advise reading this one in print.