The plague strikes a town in the mid 1600's, and this tale tells the story of a young woman trying to survive during what can only be described as "the year from hell". As she faces trial after trial, she becomes very close friends with her employer, the wife of a pastor. The book goes into great detail about her daily life trying to deal with the death and destruction around her and her changing relationships with her friends and relatives.

I found the part about the plague to be very well written and engaging. However, I did feel that the author took a little to literally the advice that many new writers receive:

Your protagonist must want something. As a writer, you must throw barriers in their way. The barriers must be come increasingly insurmountable."

Unfortunately, because Brooks uses a LOT of drama throughout the middle of the book, it would be easy for the ending to fall flat. So, I think Brooks attempted to create even MORE tension and drama at the end and the book sort of collapses under the weight of it all.

I definitely didn't hate the ending, but I don't feel the body of the book supported some of the character changes that were displayed at the end. It felt forced. I actually think the book could have ended about 25 pages or so earlier with no harm whatsoever.

The epilogue was much worse for me than the ending, and really was an unnecessary bit altogether for me. All in all, I definitely still would recommend this book as an interesting read that does a great job of showing the strength and weakness of the human spirit when facing great adversity. ( )

Meh. I actually forgot that I read this. Not a good sign. ( )

Wow. This is the first Geraldine Brooks book I've read. Now I'm going to have to read [b:Little Women|1934|Little Women|Louisa May Alcott|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309282614s/1934.jpg|3244642] so I can read [b:March|13529|March|Geraldine Brooks|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327935441s/13529.jpg|2643796].
The intricate details of the plot were so well-imagined, I really felt like someone who had been there was telling me the story. It's amazing what she did with this piece of history, something she found out about by chance as she was hiking one day in the English countryside. Great writing-highly recommended. ( )

Well written story of a woman who is a maid in 1066 England in a village that must isolate itself because of the plague. She loses her husband and children but goes on to learn to be a healer and to be more self-reliant. The ending is kind of different but overall it's worthwhile. ( )

Historical fiction about an isolated English village suffering from an outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1665-1666. Protagonist Anna Frith, a widow with two small children, works as a maid for the rector and his wife. She is poor and uneducated, but smart and kind. She has a passion for learning and develops a close friendship with the rector’s wife. Many villagers believe the plague is the wrath of God. Some turn to superstitions, punishing “witches” and wearing talismans. The rector is religiously zealous and attempts to guide the village in containing the deadly disease.

The writing is lyrical, evoking a time and place. Brooks captures what life may have been like in those times, covering such topics as medical practices (primitive as they were), religious views, class status, and the plight of women in a restrictive society. As an example of the writing style, this passage describes the onset of the plague:

“The fair young face of the evening before was gone from the pallet in front of me. George Viccars lay with his head pushed to the side by a lump the size of a newborn piglet, a great, shiny, yellow-purple knob of pulsing flesh. His face, half turned away from me because of the excrescence, was flushed scarlet, or rather, blotched, with shapes like rings of rose petals blooming under his skin. His blond hair was a dark, wet mess upon his head, and his pillow was drenched with sweat. There was a sweet, pungent smell in the garret. A smell like rotting apples.”

The first three-fourths of the novel are very well crafted. The storyline goes a bit far afield toward the end, but it serves as a much-needed break from the numerous tragedies. The book shows how adversity brings out the best and worst of human nature and how fear can lead to mistrust and mistreatment of others. Though this epidemic occurred hundreds of years ago, the message remains valid today.
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