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Year of Wonders

A Novel

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Year of Wonders

Written by: Geraldine Brooks
Narrated by: Geraldine Brooks
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About this listen

“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
Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction England Village Witchcraft
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What the critics say

"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

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Excellent story, narration is not great

The story was beautifully written, but the narration was not great. I switched to reading the book myself partway through and the story is such a good read.

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Love Geraldine Brooks' writing

As always for me, the author's writing is wonderful and fascinating. In this book unfortunately, I found the narrator's voice and expression annoying and irritating, enough to put it down a number times before my wife convinced me to accept the narration and enjoy the read. It wasn't until I listened to the Epilogue that I realized the author is also the narrator. I think she should hire the next narrator!

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The dynamics of life love loss in a period of hardships

Our book club thoroughly enjoyed this book especially as we are slowly able to reflect on our own experiences with COVID

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amazing

wonderful story! was able to connect with the characters and feel their pain . the end was perfect

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Great story

The story is incredible, the way she tells it with such vivid detail, makes the reader feel that he is right there in that little Quaker Town experiencing the ravages of the plague, the morality issues, and the despair that so many of that little town is experiencing. Her research into this period of the 1600s is astounding. This is my second time listening to this story. I loved it again the second time and I was in tears so many times during her telling of this tale. Highly recommended.

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