11 journalers for this copy...
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Journal Entry 1 by Gooner from March, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 05, 2005
 This is a replacement copy for a stalled bookring.
Hopefully, this time the progress of the book down the list of applicants will not be impeded by a lapsed BCer!
The next readers for this book are:
14. dododumpling
15. Winterson
16. Normy
17. blaizezabini12
18. celticstar
19. wilksie
20. angellica
21. Fire-Dragon
22. ReetPetite
23. Gooner
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Journal Entry 2 by dododumpling from St. Neots, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 12, 2005
This was waiting for me when I got home from work yesterday with great timing (it arrived just as I'd finished my previous book). Thanks very much to Gooner for re-starting this ring.
It's yet another book I hadn't heard of BBC (before BookCrossing) but I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy it. I read a few pages last night and had a hard job putting it down.
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Journal Entry 3 by dododumpling from St. Neots, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 19, 2005
This is one of those books that leaves me frustrated that my reviewing skills aren’t up to much and that I can’t do it more justice! All I can do is say how much I enjoyed it, and it’s one of those books I raced through but at the same time didn’t want to finish it.
The language is beautiful and the characters excellently drawn. In particular I was intrigued by the characters of Anys and Mem. It’s interesting how the villagers need their services, and yet are so mistrustful of them. Mompellion is compelling: Brooks really captures his passion and fire when he preaches. Anna’s voice seems older than her eighteen years, but she has lived through so much it is not surprising.
I loved the almost incidental insights into everyday life - the descriptions of childbirth, for instance, and the relationships between the different classes.
The villagers’ sacrifice is hard to contemplate it struck me that such containment of a “plague” in our modern-day world would be next to impossible with the advent of international travel and our expectations of personal freedoms not taken for granted in the seventeenth century (although the Bradfords clearly had a higher level of freedom, due to their social status, than the majority of the villagers).
The only complaint I have is that the ending didn’t feel particularly “right” to me, and even a day or two after finishing the book and mulling it over, it still jars a little.
You can read the journal entries for Gooner's original bookring here and there's an interesting article with discussion points here.
I'll be sending this off to Winterson in the next couple of days, and I'll be looking out for a copy to add to my PC. Thanks very much to Gooner for re-starting the ring!
(The picture shows the cross in Eyam churchyard).
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Journal Entry 4 by dododumpling from St. Neots, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Thursday, July 21, 2005
Sent off to Winterson yesterday.
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Journal Entry 5 by Winterson from Peacehaven, East Sussex United Kingdom on Thursday, August 11, 2005
Sorry I didn't journal when I received this but I've been offline moving house for a few weeks.
I loved this! At times I found the writing very simplistic, but I loved the story, and the characters grabbed me. I've watched a documentary on the village before, and reading this has brought it all to life.
My only moan would be the ending. I thought the book was going for the fairytale ending, which would've been such a waste. Luckily it had a bit of a twist to it, but still grated and seemed an easy way out of the story.
Overall, a fab read. Off to Normy when I get an addy.
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Journal Entry 6 by Normy from Morecambe, Lancashire United Kingdom on Sunday, August 14, 2005
Received from Winterson in the post yesterday, but haven't been able to get into the website to journal until now. Thanks Winterson, and Gooner. This is TBR 5.
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Journal Entry 7 by Normy from Morecambe, Lancashire United Kingdom on Monday, September 12, 2005
Excellent! I started this book on 7th September whilst on retreat, and finished it on the 10th. Despite the early morning rising, I still found myself stopping up late to read!
Like Psychjo I let the unfamiliar words wash over me. I found they helped evoke the atmosphere, and if I had kept stopping to look them up (as I usally do) I think it would have detracted from the atmosphere. I will never forget the meaning of 'clemmed' though :o)
Thanks to dododumpling for the links - they proved very interesting. I don't know if having scanned through the reviews before made me think of the cross in the picture, but it was what I imagined when I came to its description in the book (I'd forgotten the picture had been posted).
It was interesting to see a young maid portrayed as a highly intelligent woman, and to see how she used her intelligence and strength to get along in the world. Personally, I didn't find the ending too jarring - it made sense to me given her connection with herbalism and Avicenna/Ibn Sina.
Which brings me to what I enjoyed most about the book. It really put historical facts into perspective for me in an enjoyable way. I knew about Ibn Sina, the plague, the cages used to scolds, etc, but I had no idea how they interrelated, or what life might really have been like. The images in my head were all from illustrations in books - now they're people, albeit from my imagination.
I was also interested in people's names, and how they've changed, especially the surnames - how did that happen? I hadn't seen the surname 'Mompellion' before, but when I read the afterword and found the character was based on someone called Mompesson, I saw a name I recognised.
My only complaint would be about the character of the rector Mompellion - I didn't find the twist in the tale convincing at all.
I know I've had a good read when I don't want to read another book straight away - I want a couple of days to mull it over and follow up some of the ideas in it. This is one of those books - a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Reserved, awaiting the next name from Gooner.
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Journal Entry 8 by Normy from Morecambe, Lancashire United Kingdom on Thursday, October 06, 2005
This is on its way to BlaiseZabini12 as soon as I can get near a post office. I've included a postcard of Eyam (the village where the book is set) which I was delighted to receive in another book.
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Journal Entry 9 by blaisezabini12 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, October 18, 2005
It's here:) I've picked up this book from the post office today. Thank you for passing the book on and thank you for the lovely postcard:)
6 November 05: loved this book, especially the ending which was quite surprising! It was interesting to notice the way in which the author managed to recreate the mentality of the period - eg: the "witch"'s trial, the justice done in front of the community. Maybe the descriptions of the way in which the disease attacks the system were a little bit too vivid for me.
I have pmed the next reader on the list and I already have her address. Hopefully, the book will be on its way soon! Thank you Gooner for organising this ring!
7 November 05: mailed today to the next participant! Enjoy:)
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Journal Entry 10 by celticstar from Telford, Shropshire United Kingdom on Monday, November 28, 2005
Received this morning, many thanks.
I have a ring to read before this one but I will get to it as soon as I can.
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Journal Entry 11 by celticstar from Telford, Shropshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 17, 2006
I'm really beginning to love historical fiction and this really was a page turner. The author had obviously done a lot of research before writing this book but the way she manages to transport you to that little village is brilliant. Thanks for including the postcard of Eyam (I now know pronounced 'eem') I hadn't heard of the village before either.
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Journal Entry 12 by wilksie from Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, February 18, 2006
Arrived yesterday, thank you celticstar.
I have a couple of other books to read but I'm looking forward to getting on to this one soon :-)
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Journal Entry 13 by wilksie from Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, March 22, 2006
I don’t usually read historical fiction but I live close to Eyam and am familiar with the story so I was keen to read this. I did like the writing, loved the language used and found the story interesting but increasingly unsatisfying. According to the afterword the author used descriptions of the plague to produce a work of fiction. Some of the characters were based on the real people of Eyam but others, mostly the main characters were completely fictional. The true rector, for example, was William Mompesson but his darker, fictional equivalent, Michael Mompellion was invented. This is the part I don’t like, setting something in a real place and real time but changing major characters. And as if the suffering of the real villagers wasn’t enough, lurid murderers and witch trials had to be invented – and what a lot of murders and attempted murders! I wouldn’t have minded the ending (after all people DO end up in strange places) if only it hadn’t seemed so rushed. That spoiled it for me.
Sending on to angellica.
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Journal Entry 14 by  AnonymousFinder on Sunday, March 26, 2006
Received 25/03/2006
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Journal Entry 15 by  angellica from Worksop, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Monday, March 27, 2006
Never trust your other half to do anything!
Anyhow, I received this on saturday.
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Journal Entry 16 by angellica from Worksop, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, August 29, 2006
What they said.
I really enjoyed reading this - until the very end where I couldn't make sense out of it at all. It really felt like the ending was rushed - either the book was getting too long and needed editing or the author just didn't know how to finish it.
I have fire-dragons address and I'll get it in the post tomorrow.
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Journal Entry 17 by Fire-Dragon from San Francisco, California USA on Sunday, September 03, 2006
The book has arrived safely and I look forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing!
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Journal Entry 18 by Fire-Dragon from San Francisco, California USA on Tuesday, September 05, 2006
What a wonderful book. I found it utterly entrancing - the characters, setting and plot just sang to me and I could hardly put it down. This is very well written and strikes the perfect chord between research and imagination. I wish I could write like this.
Thank you for sharing. I will PM ReetPetite now and send the book on asap.
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Journal Entry 19 by ReetPetite from Beeston, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Thanks Fire-Dragon. Book arrived with a postcard of Eyam & some notes :)
This is next on the TBR pile.
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Journal Entry 20 by ReetPetite from Beeston, Nottinghamshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, September 19, 2006
This book described very well the miseries of the plague & the uncertainty - not knowing who would be next. It took a while to get used to the language, I thought she could have used modern words & it would still have been right. I couldn't understand why the names have been changed if it's about Eyam & the names are known. I agreed with others who didn't like the ending, how many women from Derbyshire with her background end up in a harem?!
I know Eyam I went there after Christmas, it's an isolated village out on the moors, worth a visit.
Thanks Gooner, I've got your address so I'll pop it in the post back to you.
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Year of Wonders (Replacement copy for stalled Bookring)
