readingwithhippos's review against another edition
4.0
I surprised myself by how much I connected with the main character in Year of Wonders, a woman in a small village in 1666 that becomes the epicenter of a plague epidemic. It was fun to read something so outside my normal fare, and despite some stomach-churning childbirth scenes (I'm definitely not cut out for the health-care profession) I couldn't wait to see what would happen (or who would get infected) next.
I recently attended an author event in which Geraldine Brooks was interviewed by Laura Moriarty! Brooks is smart and articulate, with a delightful sense of style. You can read about the experience here. (Photo of her kickass red booties included!)
I recently attended an author event in which Geraldine Brooks was interviewed by Laura Moriarty! Brooks is smart and articulate, with a delightful sense of style. You can read about the experience here. (Photo of her kickass red booties included!)
leasummer's review against another edition
4.0
The end was random and did not add to the story. Outside of that I thought it was amazingly well written and told a beautiful story about a terrifying time.
hiltzmoore's review against another edition
3.0
This was an Historical Fiction novel that really veered to the side of Historical rather than fiction for about 60% of the book, and then the author realized that her story was entirely about the plague and so she threw in a smidge of love story to satisfy the "fiction" side. I didn't mind the love story in and of itself, but it seemed disjointed because the rest of the book stuck so strictly to the story of the town and how it dealt with the plague. According to the afterword, much of the book was based on true stories and anecdotes from the actual history of the village, which I liked. It just didn't all flow together as seamlessly as I would have hoped.
april0686's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Self harm
creamyslayergt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jhalloran99's review against another edition
4.0
The last chapter and epilogue ruined the beauty of this story. Overall a good read and it was interesting to reflect on the similarity in reactions during the COVID 19 pandemic.
ponderinstuff's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this book. I'm giving 'Year of Wonders' a 5-star review despite a passage toward the end of the book that did not seem to fit at all with the style and mood of the rest of the story.
It almost seemed as though a nervous publisher may have read the finished manuscript and then advised the author to 'throw in a little steamy stuff' in hopes of appealing to a wider audience. The author's story was beautiful and unique and did not need that little romance-novel interlude. This book is an excellent read.
It almost seemed as though a nervous publisher may have read the finished manuscript and then advised the author to 'throw in a little steamy stuff' in hopes of appealing to a wider audience. The author's story was beautiful and unique and did not need that little romance-novel interlude. This book is an excellent read.
mary_juleyre's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
megea's review against another edition
3.0
Oh, I don't know. I just don't actually like historical fiction. So there's all that baggage. As well, while the girl power message is nice, some of the plot twists that enable it are a bit cringey.