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Year of Wonders
- Narrated by: Geraldine Brooks
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
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Year of Wonders
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Publisher's Summary
A young woman’s struggle to save her family and her soul during the most extraordinary year of 1666, when plague suddenly visited a small Derbyshire village and the villagers, inspired by a charismatic preacher, elected to quarantine themselves to limit the contagion.
In 1666, plague scorched London, driving the King and his court to Oxford, and Samuel Pepys to Greenwich, to escape contagion. The north of England remained untouched until, in a small community of leadminers and hill farmers, a bolt of cloth arrived from the capital. The tailor who cut the cloth had no way of knowing that the damp fabric carried with it bubonic infection.
So begins the Year of Wonders, in which a Pennine village of 350 souls confronts a scourge beyond remedy or understanding. Desperate, the villagers turn to sorcery, herb lore, and murderous witch-hunting. Then, led by a young and charismatic preacher, they elect to isolate themselves in a fatal quarantine. The story is told through the eyes of Anna Frith who, at only 18, must contend with the death of her family, the disintegration of her society, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit attraction. Geraldine
Brooks’s novel explores love and learning, fear and fanaticism, and the struggle of 17th century science and religion to deal with a seemingly diabolical pestience. Year of Wonders is also an eloquent memorial to the real-life Derbyshire villagers who chose to suffer alone during England’s last great plague.
Critic Reviews
'A Year of Wonders is a staggering fictional debut that matches journalistic accumulation of detail to natural narrative flair.' Guardian
‘A lyrically written and emotionally engaging novel.' Independent
'The plot is gripping, I like the psychological subtlety of characters struggling with a shifting world, and it’s packed with historical detail.' Daily Mail
Praise for Foreign Correspondence:
‘An evocative, superbly written tale of a woman’s journey to self-understanding.’
Kirkus Reviews
What listeners say about Year of Wonders
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Peter Crowe
- 17-05-2023
Beautiful book & fascinating story
Geraldine Brooks has a fascinating way of blending fiction layered on historical facts and the story of the plague in an English village come to life as a result. My only critique is that she chose to narrate rather than choose a professional and the work suffers as a result.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-02-2023
A beautiful story!
I loved this story from start to end! Beautiful characters, story and telling. I heard of this novel from a lecture series on the Plague and I was not disappointed.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Love it, holds bottles perfectly. Well made
- 24-01-2023
Beautiful
Beautiful story just disappointed about the narration. Was very difficult to listen to not sure why Geraldine decided to narrate this one herself.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-08-2022
Well written and descriptive
Great audiobook. Really keep me intrigued as to what would happen next. Really glad I chose it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-10-2023
Grim content but a great storyteller
It’s worth rising above the difficult context of a plague-ridden town to appreciate such a fine story teller. Powerful human themes shine through the misery and keep you captivated.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nikita
- 27-06-2022
My first real literary experience
I read this book for the first time in high school. It was the first novel I read that really showed me how immersive a good fiction book can be. It stuck with me all these years as my first favourite read and I was so excited to hear it brought to life as an audio book. It’s held up well and although initially put off by the tone in which Geraldine read it, her performance grew on me and became enjoyable.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sarah
- 01-05-2022
Fantastic book
Really great story, well written. The narrator can seem odd at first but she’s perfect for the book and you love her by the end.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 07-08-2022
Beautiful soothing voice
I liked the narrators voice - soft and lilting tones - and only noticed at the end that it was the author herself!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brianne Cuthbert
- 17-04-2024
Wonderful story
Wonderful story that resonates in a covid 19 world but I would encourage a new narrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Julia Gunnerson
- 22-07-2024
Good listen
Lovely use of language and well written story but the narration was disappointing. Not a pleasure to listen to - bland and soporific. Perhaps this book should be re-recorded with another narrator.
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