Year of Wonders

The fateful year of 1665, the Great London Plague spreads across the country. Together with an infected bundle of cloth, it reaches a remote village. The disease spreads from house to house, and the villagers can only pray. Only a few are capable of resisting the calamity, among them is the servant Anna Frith. Uninfected, she becomes a healer. Meanwhile, the villagers shift from praying to witch-hunting. Together with the local priest's wife, Anna fights not only against the plague but also against the madness spreading among the villagers. Thanks to the selflessness of these two women, the year of catastrophe turns into a year of wonders. The novel is inspired by real events that took place in the village of Eyam in the rugged hills of England.

Remarkably, this story of an epidemic at a time when medicine was in its infancy resonates with our time, when responsiveness and compassion are particularly important. Geraldine Brooks tells of how the resilience and mercy of some help others cope with superstitions, fears, and base impulses.