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Quick answer: If you read Year of Wonders, read Geraldine Brooks's March and People of the Book, then Hamnet, Fever, A Journal of the Plague Year and The Plague. All bring a historical epidemic or crisis to life through ordinary people.
Geraldine Brooks's 2001 debut novel is set in 1666 in the English village of Eyam, which chose to quarantine itself when the plague arrived, and follows Anna Frith, a young widow who becomes a healer and a witness. It is moving, tense and richly researched. The books below offer similar historical fiction, plague stories and portraits of communities under pressure.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | Geraldine Brooks | Adult | Pulitzer winner |
| People of the Book | Geraldine Brooks | Adult | history of a manuscript |
| Caleb's Crossing | Geraldine Brooks | Adult | colonial America |
| Hamnet | Maggie O'Farrell | Adult | historical grief |
| Fever | Mary Beth Keane | Adult | Typhoid Mary |
| A Journal of the Plague Year | Daniel Defoe | Adult | London in 1665 |
| The Plague | Albert Camus | Adult | existential classic |
| Doomsday Book | Connie Willis | Adult | time travel history |
| The Pillars of the Earth | Ken Follett | Adult | historical epic |
| Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel | Adult | Tudor intrigue |
| The Physician | Noah Gordon | Adult | medieval medicine |
| Burial Rites | Hannah Kent | Adult | last execution in Iceland |
| Girl with a Pearl Earring | Tracy Chevalier | Adult | art and class |
| Station Eleven | Emily St. John Mandel | Adult | literary post-collapse |
| Sarah's Key | Tatiana de Rosnay | Adult | secrets of the past |
1. March by Geraldine Brooks
The absent father from Little Women recounts his experience in the Civil War. Moving and thoughtful.
Best for: Pulitzer winner.
2. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
A conservator traces the story of a rare Haggadah through centuries. Rich and layered.
Best for: history of a manuscript.
3. Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
A girl on Martha's Vineyard befriends the first Native American graduate of Harvard. Lyrical and based on real history.
Best for: colonial America.
4. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Shakespeare's family and the death of his son. Lyrical and moving.
Best for: historical grief.
5. Fever by Mary Beth Keane
A cook is blamed for spreading typhoid in early 1900s New York. Humane and detailed.
Best for: Typhoid Mary.
6. A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe
A fictional account of the plague in London. A classic of epidemic writing.
Best for: London in 1665.
7. The Plague by Albert Camus
A town is quarantined and its people respond in different ways. Short and thoughtful.
Best for: existential classic.
8. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
A historian travels to the Middle Ages just as a crisis hits the present. Moving and well researched.
Best for: time travel history.
9. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Builders, monks and nobles struggle through twelfth-century England. Vast and gripping.
Best for: historical epic.
10. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Thomas Cromwell rises in Henry VIII's court. Rich, long and brilliant.
Best for: Tudor intrigue.
11. The Physician by Noah Gordon
A boy from England becomes a healer and travels to Persia. Long and rewarding.
Best for: medieval medicine.
12. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
A servant awaits execution in 1829. Atmospheric and sad.
Best for: last execution in Iceland.
13. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
A maid works for the painter Vermeer. Quiet and visual.
Best for: art and class.
14. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
A travelling company performs Shakespeare after a pandemic. Elegant and moving.
Best for: literary post-collapse.
15. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
A journalist investigates the Vel d'Hiv roundup in Paris. Poignant and haunting.
Best for: secrets of the past.
How to Choose
For more Brooks read March, People of the Book or Caleb's Crossing. For plague stories choose A Journal of the Plague Year, The Plague or Doomsday Book. For historical fiction with strong women pick Hamnet, Fever or Burial Rites. For epic history read The Pillars of the Earth or Wolf Hall. Year of Wonders is emotional and tense, so these picks suit readers who like history made human. Eyam is a real village in Derbyshire, and its decision to isolate during the 1665-66 plague is a true story. Visitors can still see the plague cottages and markers, which makes a nice companion to the novel. If you like Brooks's historical detail, Caleb's Crossing and People of the Book show her range. If you want more plague fiction, Camus and Defoe are classics. If you want fiction about quarantines and community, Station Eleven and Doomsday Book are good. Audiobooks bring out the dialect and voices of the English village.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Year of Wonders about?
A village quarantines itself during the plague, seen through a young woman's eyes.
Who wrote it?
Geraldine Brooks.
When was it published?
2001.
Is it based on real events?
Yes, on the real village of Eyam in 1665-66.
Is it a sad book?
It deals with death and loss, but also resilience.
Is it a good book for fans of Hamnet?
Yes, for its themes of grief and community in the seventeenth century.
Is it graphic?
It describes plague illness and death, but with restraint.
What should I read next?
Try March or Hamnet.
Why is it called Year of Wonders?
The title comes from a poem by Dryden about the year 1666, which also saw the Great Fire of London.
Is Anna Frith a real person?
No, she is a fictional character, though Eyam and its events are real.