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Year of Wonders  By  cover art

Year of Wonders

By: Geraldine Brooks
Narrated by: Geraldine Brooks
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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

What listeners say about Year of Wonders

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Story- Awful Narrator

Would you try another book from Geraldine Brooks and/or Geraldine Brooks?

I believe I would have loved this story if the reader had not been a nasal laconic reader. Although I finished the entire book, it was difficult because of the reader. I know it was read by the author so that is her portrayal of what she imagined the characters to be, but it prohibited me from fully appreciating the story. She is a talented author, but should have left the reading to someone else.

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60 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Book, Poor Reader

I gave the book the 5 stars it deserves. However, this recording illustrates, again, that authors are not readers and should not try to be.

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42 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narration suicide!

Year of Wonders is a gripping tale & was well written. But,....and this is a BIG but, as many have stated previously, a writer should never read their own work. Well, OK, if Will Patton ever decides to write a book, please, let him read it too. But in this case, with all due respect to Miss Brooks, someone else should have narrated this important, powerful story. Her voice is thin & watery for starters. She has no ability to change her voice to even hint that another was speaking. At times she sounded like a bored school kid doing an oral report, sometimes trailing off at the end of sentences. There were moments when I felt she might just as well have said 'Yada, yada, yada' or 'blah. blah, blah' for all the enthusiasm she showed. Truly, it was the worst narration I've chosen to sit through. If the story hadn't been as good I'd have given up an hour in. I thought about giving up many times. The fact that I didn't testifies to the strength of the book itself. I know not everyone can read like Davina Porter of 'Outlander' fame, but come on! This was weak & uninspired despite a story that should have fanned at least a little heat. I wish I could say more about what I liked about the story itself, but the reading of it totally overshadowed everything else for me.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary, Deeply Felt Historical Fiction

Any additional comments?

Brooks puts the reader right into the middle of a 17th century English village that has been struck by the plague. Based on real events, the story recounts the village's decision to seal itself off from the surrounding countryside in order to contain the sickness. The first person point of view is from an intelligent, thoughtful young widow who keeps sheep and works as a maid to the Rector and his wife. The bitter conflicts and heartbreaking effects of the rapidly spreading deadly illness within the town come alive in this riveting story. The author is the narrator and I can not imagine a better performance. This is an emotional story that kept me awake late into the night listening.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good Story, Poor Narration

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

Nope! I will be now be purchasing the print version to see if I can finish it in that format.

Would you recommend Year of Wonders to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, it's an interesting account of the plague told through the eyes of a strong protagonist with a moving backstory.

How could the performance have been better?

The reader narrates everything in a board, emotionless monotone that makes it sound as if she's stoned or really uninterested in what she's reading. I fell asleep on two occasions and my mind would wander when I did manage to keep awake and try to listen.

Any additional comments?

I'm sure this is a good book and I'm sure I'll be able to get into it much more in print. Consider listening to a sample before purchasing the audiobook.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I think this is a perfect horror story!

This book is very well written, and the characters are vivid and alive - sorry actually many of them are dead by the end of the book. It is about the plague, after all. The author intensely transports you back to this era and surprises the reader at every turn. The story is so well crafted that I felt like I was watching a movie in my mind. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next, and found myself listening late into the night. Not for the squeamish, there is no lack of realistic detail about the hardships of the period and the nightmare of the plague. I love the author's style of writing, having gotten hooked with Caleb's Crossing. The author reads her own book again, but in a more ordinary spoken style, rather that the careful enunciation of Caleb's Crossing that irritated some readers (I liked it). I highly recommend this book of fiction that relies heavily on historical fact, based on a true story. It is fearful, horrifying, suspenseful, colorful, engaging, and irresistable.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Word Naration Ever

What disappointed you about Year of Wonders?

Every character sounds alike... Reader is not opening her mouth. So if you feel like listening to 10 hours of a mumbling, sleepy, teenage monotone you are in luck! The story could be fantastic but I just can't get past the reader...

What could Geraldine Brooks have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

It is a very, very, very rare case that an author is the best reader for a work. The only exceptions to that rule is David Spade.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Geraldine Brooks?

Anyone....

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Frustration.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best Audiobook, by far EVER

I LOVED this book. I love Geraldine Brooks in general but this was by far my favorite and a must listen. I was sursprised by the few negative comments on the narration, I found it outstanding and perfectly suited to the story. Very, very well done. I was never so disappointed to have an audiobook finish. The story is grim and gruesome, but the detail and perserverance are inspiring. Simply amazing, do not miss this one if you enjoy historical fiction, especially this time period even a little bit.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb Story, Poor Narration

Geraldine Brooks is an exceptional storyteller. Her characters are well developed and she so draws you into the time, you truly feel a part of it. However, her narration is a bit flat and atonal, definitely lacking in emotion. This should not deter one from reading the book. The story is too beautiful to be missed.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary story

Beautiful and heartbreaking....a wonderful historical novel that makes you happy you are living now. Beautifully read by the author. I couldn't stop listening so did all my grocery shopping and driving and house cleaning without stopping it.

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8 people found this helpful