Year of Wonders by Geraldine BrooksGraham's rating: 5 of 5 stars
A friend of mine lent me this book accompanied by her hearty recommendation. I confess it sat, unread on my desk, for a number of months while I caught up on my TBR pile, but at last I finally got around to checking it out. I’d completed it within a few days.
It’s a fabulous historical novel. I wish ALL historical novels were like this. Everything is spot on: the attention to detail is perfect, the pacing just right, the writing style readable and intelligent. Best of all is the author’s grasp of the human psyche. Her characters are living and breathing people who inhabit a 17th century world, not modern-day characters superimposed on the past, like in some historical books.
Although the very nature of the story means that this book is relentlessly downbeat, it’s never depressing. That’s because, right from the outset, Brooks shows the triumph of the human spirit when facing death, destruction and hardship. The book YEAR OF WONDERS most reminded me of was Emile Zola’s GERMINAL: both novels depict a series of increasingly gruesome and unpleasant deaths. The key difference is that where Zola’s novel was almost misanthropic in its depiction of human fallibility, Brooks’ book is uplifting and even warming.
I loved it.
Susan's rating: 5 of 5 stars
Graham's review says it all. This is a great book. I've added the village to our 'To Visit' list and the book itself to my 'To Buy' wishlist. :-)
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