People of the Book

People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks.  372 pages. 2008

      I knew I was going to enjoy this book when I saw that Geraldine Brooks dedicated this novel to librarians everywhere.  This is a story that follows an Australian book conservator who is charged with working on what is called the Sarajevo Haggadah (an illuminated Hebrew codex).  As her work progresses, the mysteries begin to unravel, and we are shown glimpses of where the book has been.  The jumps from the past to present are nice, and help push the narrative along. 
       The characters can be compelling and are memorable, as well as Brooks's description of the Inquisition and the expulsion of Jewish people from Spain.  In each period of the book's history, someone was able to make the necessary sacrifice to preserve it, and I had to say that I enjoyed those parts the most.

Year of Wonders

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, 308 pages.


Based on the plague infection of the village Eyam in 1666, this historical novel offers a horrific telling of life without modern medicine. Told from the perspective of the town rector's housemaid Anna, a vivid picture is painted of how quickly plague demolished the human body, and how desperate people became to try to rid the town of the disease. Everything from witchcraft to flagellation is tried as a means to ward off the plague. If you got it, you had two options: a barber-surgeon, or the local Gowdie family, with their herbs and concoctions. Typically, neither option worked. Every week at church, it is obvious how many have fallen, as the occupied seats keep dwindling. The rector has a revelation that God wants them to suffer so that others will not have to. So, the town quarantines itself and becomes cut off from the rest of society. No one goes in, no one goes out. This decision isn't necessarily the best idea, however.
Historical fiction is a favorite of mine, as I love history but hate reading dry, boring facts and memorizing dates, so it's a good compromise. This book not only gives you a look into the living conditions of the time, it gives you a look at the life of a housemaid and servantry.
This book is an interesting read, just be sure to have a dictionary close by, as she uses much terminology relevant to the time, which involves many words well outdated. Unless, of course, you've got a broad 15th century vocabulary.
P.S. the ending is CRAZY!!!