Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
39 used & new from £1.52

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Year of Wonders
 
See larger image
 

Year of Wonders (Paperback)

by Geraldine Brooks (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.50 (31%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 5 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, July 16? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
25 new from £2.87 14 used from £1.52

Frequently Bought Together

Year of Wonders + March: A Love Story in a Time of War + People of the Book
Price For All Three: £17.47

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

March: A Love Story in a Time of War

March: A Love Story in a Time of War

by Geraldine Brooks
3.9 out of 5 stars (17)  £5.99
People of the Book

People of the Book

by Geraldine Brooks
3.9 out of 5 stars (109)  £5.99
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women

Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women

by Geraldine Brooks
4.6 out of 5 stars (11)  £6.99
The Road Home

The Road Home

by Rose Tremain
3.9 out of 5 stars (74)  £3.20
The Book Thief

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak
4.5 out of 5 stars (447)  £3.99
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Fourth Estate Ltd; New edition edition (2 April 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 184115458X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1841154589
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,574 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #48 in  Books > Fiction > Genre > Historical
    #51 in  Books > Fiction > Historical

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Geraldine Brooks's Year of Wonders describes the 17th-century plague that is carried from London to a small Derbyshire village by an itinerant tailor. As villagers begin, one by one, to die, the rest face a choice. Do they flee their village in the hope of outrunning the plague or do they stay? The lord of the manor and his family pack and leave. The rector, Michael Mompellion, argues forcefully that the villagers should stay put, isolate themselves from neighbouring towns and villages and prevent the contagion from spreading. His oratory wins the day and the village turns in on itself. Cocooned from the outside world and ravaged by the disease, its inhabitants struggle to retain their humanity in the face of the disaster. The narrator, a young widow called Anna Frith, is one of the few who succeeds. Together with Mompellion and his wife Elinor, she tends the dying and battles to prevent her fellow villagers from descending into drink, violence and superstition. All is complicated by the intense, unacknowledgeable feelings she develops for both the rector and his wife. Year of Wonderssometimes seems anachronistic as historical fiction. Anna and Mompellion can occasionally appear to be modern sensibilities unaccountably transferred to 17th-century Derbyshire. However there is no mistaking the power of Brooks's imagination or the skill with which she constructs her story of ordinary people struggling to cope with extraordinary circumstances.--Nick Rennison

Review
'One of the best novels I've ever clapped eyes on' Jenni Murray, Woman's Hour 'Geraldine Brooks's impressive novel goes well beyond chronicling the devastation of a plague-ridden village. It leaves us with the memory of vivid characters struggling in timeless human ways with the hardships confronting them -- and the memory, too, of an elegant and engaging story.' Arthur Golden, author of 'Memoirs of a Geisha' 'Geraldine Brooks's 'Year of Wonders' is a wonder indeed. The novel gives the reader a remarkable glimpse into a 17th century horror, but does so with both compassion and exuberance. Read it for the inventiveness of the language alone -- a genuine treat.' Anita Shreve, author of 'The Pilot's Wife' and 'The Last TIme They Met' 'More than a mountain of corpses, more than a sensual evocation of the Sapphic bond between two women, more than a pulse-quickening tale, 'Year of Wonders' is a staggering fictional debut.' Guardian "Year of Wonders' carries absolute conviction as an evocation of place and mood. It has a vivid imaginative truth, and is beautifully written.' Hilary Mantel

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


 

Customer Reviews

33 Reviews
5 star:
 (15)
4 star:
 (14)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars "Oh, yes, the Devil has been here this night!", 29 Sep 2003
By S. Calhoun "rhymeswithorange" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Set in the Derbyshire countryside in 1666, THE YEAR OF WONDERS details the accounts of a small village ravaged by the Plague. Told exclusively from the first-person account of Anna Firth, a young hardworking widow and mother of two young children, who is employed in the residence of Michael Mompellion, the rector, and his wife, Elinor. After the Plague was incidentally transported to the village inside a bolt of fabric the disease spreads fast and eventually kills one third of the population of the village. The village voluntarily quarantines themselves from any outside contact in a hope to contain the infection. During these desperate months Anna takes it upon herself to help ease the pain of others. In her efforts she forges a strong friendship with Elinor while learning and studying natural remedies and therapies. Helping others aids her in helping ease the pain of her own loss to the Plague.

THE YEAR OF WONDERS is not a typical work of historical fiction. According to the book's Afterword this story was inspired by the true story of the villagers of Eyam, Derbyshire and their own historical account of the Plague. While hiking through the English countryside Geraldine Brooks encountered a finger post pointing the way to the 'Plague Village'. Months of painful research concluded in the writing of this book, and a recreation of how a village struggled against a deadly disease while trying to maintain social order. While Brooks took some liberties in the development of the plot, but some aspects are rooted in truth including several true identities and names. The title of the book reflects worldly events and the strong belief that God works in mysterious ways.

I only wish that Brooks included more social and historical background to the events that were simply alluded to. This would strengthen the plot and make reading more beneficial. Otherwise, I felt left in the dark when events such as the war with the Dutch were briefly mentioned. A very brief summary was included in the Afterword but it seemed too little too late. Otherwise, Brooks did a good job recreating the events occurring in Eyam during the Plague year of 1666.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A true story of the plague years brilliantly fictionalised, 4 Sep 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: A Year of Wonders (Hardcover)
I found this book a great read and a revelation. It is a fictionalised account of the true story of a Derbyshire village struck down by the plague in 1666. The details of speech and local customs -right down to animal husbandry and the arcane rules of lead mining - are so well rendered it's hard to believe the author wasn't there. Yet despite these historical details the imprint of hours in the library does not hang heavy on the story. It is a gripping read, quite dark in places, sexy in others and gripping throughout. I learned a lot from it while being swept along by the suspense and the totally believable characters. There is an air of Bronte about it at times (although it is of a much earlier period)- and I mean that as the highest compliment.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars a book of wonders, 16 Oct 2002
By A Customer
This book was fascinating and compelling reading. Full with so many starling illustrations of the horror of life in the most difficult of times - offset by the caring, gentle and all too human nature of its principal character. One was transported into the heart of England and the simple joys and harsh perils of some of its darkest days.

As a previous reviewer suggested, it would indeed make a wonderful film i the hands of an enlightened director - but it must dispense first with that apalling epilogue.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Wondeful, highly recommended
This was a charity shop buy and a real surprise - she writes brilliantly and this is a real "page turner". Read more
Published 18 days ago by D. M. Hardcastle

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC novel!!!
Year of Wonders is a novel inspired by the true story of the little town of Eyam in Derbyshire, known as the Plague Village, during the years 1665 - 1666. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Amy M. Bruno

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly superb
This is an enthralling tale beautifully written. I can hardly believe that this is the author's first published work: Her scholarship and use of language are awe inspiring, her... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dr. W. H. Konarzewski

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and tragic
A marvellous book, describing the sufferings of this plague-ravaged village, based on the experience of the real village of Eyam in Derbyshire in cutting itself off from the... Read more
Published 13 months ago by John Hopper

4.0 out of 5 stars What a book!
I will be brutally honest and say that my first thoughts as I began reading this book, was shear horror! Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. P. A. Heywood

4.0 out of 5 stars beautfully evoked and intense
Geraldine Brooks copes with great assurance (considering it is a first novel) with the difficult challenge of making an attractive novel out of such an apparently gloomy theme... Read more
Published 16 months ago by allwillbewell

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, odd ending.
I picked this straight up after having read People of the Book also by Brooks and having loved it. I then read Year of Wonders in a day as I couldn't put it down, and was all set... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Boof

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful, entertaining and enlightening read
The Great Plague devastated England in 1666, the villagers of Eyam in Derbyshire decided to close themselves off from the rest of the country to try and stop the contagious... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Lincs Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, but not for the faint-hearted
I saw a review of this book in Writing Magazine and instantly I wanted to read it. It would have been irrelevant what the review actually said (although it was positive) because... Read more
Published 21 months ago by L. Felthouse

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
Good book. A first novel. When she's not writing stories, Geraldine Brooks is a war correspondent/journalist and when she's not filming the aftermath of car bombs in Palestine she... Read more
Published 21 months ago by R. L. Barker

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

Shop The Body Shop

 

More From Geraldine Brooks

People of the...

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

'Brooks expertly guides us to the conclusion that the world is made up... Read more
£7.99 £5.99

 

Up to 50% off Dental Care

Braun Oral-B Professional Care 6000 Rechargeable Toothbrush - Pack of 2
Put a sparkle in your smile with up to 50% off selected Oral-B and Philips rechargeable toothbrushes.

Up to 50% off power toothbrushes

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates