Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

[hgielak]

I so wanted to like Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks more. I have always found the plague fascinating; I can't even begin to imagine living in a time where most of my family, friends, and neighbors suddenly start dying. It would be brutal not being able to do a single thing about it. There's a difference between listening to (or reading about) someone talk about something, and actually living through it in your mind. The problem with this book, in my opinion, is that it was like listening to someone talk about the plague, but emotionally I wasn't there (if that makes any sense).

I felt no emotional attachment to a single character at all. They could literally all die, and I would not care. I think that maybe had the book started a few months before the plague and really introduced the characters and the way they lived their lives on an average day-to-day basis, perhaps I would've had more sympathy. The book did have a tiny bit of time before the plague, but not enough to transport me there.

The book moved kind of slow at some parts, probably because I didn't really care to hear about who was dying or dead. I just couldn't find it in me to feel sorry for them, and it seems Anna, the main character, couldn't either. I feel like she lacked a great deal of emotion, so maybe that's where the disconnect stems.

****Spoiler**** I don't have children, but I can't even imagine the pure agony of what it must be like to watch not one, but two of your children die right in front of you. I would be an insane, hysterical mess, but Anna's sadness felt more like one would feel when flushing a long time pet fish down the toilet. She screamed once, and maybe cried a little, but then life moved right on. Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe it was supposed to reflect on the times when children dying was more common, and not grieving very much after their death was normal. It still felt weird to me. **** End of spoiler****

Despite all my whining, I might not have minded the book all that much if it had only ended to the flow of the rest of the book. It really wasn't all bad, and I found myself enjoying some of it. I also appreciate the amount of time and research that had to have gone into perfecting the historical accuracy of this book. But sadly, it did not end to the flow of the rest of the book.

When I finished Year of Wonders, all I could think was, "What did I just read? Seriously? Seriously." I went from feeling indifferent towards the characters, to flat-out not liking a couple of them, including the main character. In most cases, that is not how you want your book to end!

****Spoiler**** The last fifty or so pages of the book became trashy and unrealistic. The almost-too-slow-at-times book started moving at neck-breaking speed. Anna ends up fleeing to some Arab village across the world. Keep in mind, this is a girl who has lived in the same place with the same people her whole life, and only recently learned to read. Instead of feeling any kind of culture shock, she somehow fits right in and falls in love with the culture and life there. What? I have been able to read for most of my life, have had the opportunity to travel, live near a big city, even have access to the internet and tv. Even with these advantages I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I were thrown into a culture completely different from mine! I understand some people feel an instant connection with some cultures and absolutely love them, but does that make the transition into them as easy as moving two houses down? Especially when coming from the background of a former Puritan like Anna?

The author must have a passion, or at least a great interest, in Arab culture. I believe she has some other books on it and even had a job involving the Middle East if I'm not mistaken. And that's great. I have absolutely nothing against that, but it did not belong in this book at all. It felt like she was desperate to bring the culture into this book somehow, so she concocted the last fifty pages just to get Anna there so she could write about it. It just felt ridiculous. ****End of spoiler***

Okay, I've rambled on more than I planned and was possibly a bit harsher than I originally intended to be. I'm just going to end this review now before I get started on other reasons why this book distraught me, as there are quite a few. I would not recommend this book, and I do not plan to ever read it again.

What do you think about this book? Am I being too harsh? Were you able to connect with the characters?

Also, I'm new to this site and still trying to figure everything out. Maybe this is a stupid question, but are you allowed to put spoilers in reviews? Most review sites I've been on don't mind, but I have come across a couple that ask you to leave them out. I don't want to break any rules, but I haven't found anything that addresses this issue.

[gali]

Welcome!

Thank you for the review. I have read and loved the book.

It isn't allowed to put spoilers on official reviews.

On unofficial reviews it isn't advised to do so since many don't like spoilers, but you can put spoilers as long as you warn about them beforehand like you did now.

[hgielak]

Good to know! Thank you!

[BexReads757]

I just finished Year of Wonders and I absolutely loved it...although I have read a lot of reviews from people who had many of the same issues with the book that you have. I guess her lack of intense grief didn't bother me, because the story was so macabre, I felt like she was the one ray of light. If she had spent most of the book mourning her family, I just may have been pushed over the edge from bummed out to completely miserable. I have read a lot of reviews which spoke to Anna's character, as in it may be unrealistic to have a female character like Anna around in the 1600's...but that didn't really bother me either. I agree with you on the ending though...it was a little far fetched and kind of random. All in all though, I really enjoyed it. I also did not realize that it was based on a true story...can you imagine being in that town? I'd probably be with the Bradfords, as in get me the hell out of here...although I doubt they'd let me ride with them.