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dustymar's review against another edition
5.0
Captivating
I knew the story of Eyem when it was one of the stories I taught in a reading
I knew the story of the historical town of Eyem because it was in the reading text I used as a teacher. The way Geraldine Brooks brings this incredible tale to life through the intrepid Anna and the townspeople she cares for and interacts with brings the reader right into the village through this horrendous plague-riddled year.
I knew the story of Eyem when it was one of the stories I taught in a reading
I knew the story of the historical town of Eyem because it was in the reading text I used as a teacher. The way Geraldine Brooks brings this incredible tale to life through the intrepid Anna and the townspeople she cares for and interacts with brings the reader right into the village through this horrendous plague-riddled year.
ecconway's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kenderwolf's review
5.0
I'm not usually one for period pieces, but I do have a morbid fascination with diseases which is why I wanted to give this a go. I knocked it out in three days and really, really enjoyed it. Brooks has a strong command of language and the books unrolls before the reader like a soft carpet, enticing you to take each step. Her characters are well-developed, real people that I found myself having deep feelings about. A rich, believable story about a strong woman living in horrible times. I expect this to be one of my favorite books this year.
agenender's review
5.0
Tells about the experience of an English town during an outbreak of the plague. Wonderful book.
kld101's review against another edition
4.0
Read this for my women's book club. Interesting story about a "plague town" in England in the 1600s, loosely based on a real town and people in that town. Protagonist is a woman who looses her entire family, and works as a housekeeper for the town minister and his wife. Character development was OK, but not great. Disappointed in the ending. Good descriptive writing.
saralynnreads1962's review
4.0
This was a great read. Lots to think about, especially in this time of our own quarantine. I highly recommend this.
sheeptracks's review
4.0
Good historical fiction always transports me, and this book did as well. However, it transported me to a time and place that was about as unappealing as could be---1666 England during an outbreak of the plague. It took me a while to really dig into this book, although once I was captivated I had that "must read" experience. It is amazing to me that people could withstand these types of experiences. Life sounded hard enough for regular people (farmers, miners, house servants, children) without the threat of the acute onset of a fatal illness that could change an intact family to a destroyed family within a day.
elleninkansas's review
4.0
Having recently experienced the 21st century version of plague and quarantine, I was intrigued by this story of Eyam's sacrifice during the plague of 1665-1666. The courage and resolve it must have taken for the villagers to isolate themselves from family and trade with nearby hamlets is nearly unfathomable. This is one of Brooks' earlier works, and while it's based on a true event, many facts died with the villagers, so she drew greatly from anecdotal records in telling the tale. The novel is full of vivid characters and descriptions, perhaps aided by Brooks' journalistic background reporting news from Baghdad, Gaza, Bosnia and Somalia. Though not quite the caliber of People of the Book or Horse, this is a solid read.
honeyville's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful story about the horrors of the plague as it decimates a small village and the ways in which it affects the people of this small village.