Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks

In 1666 England was hit by bubonic plague. Year of Wonders is an wonderfully imagined story of what happened in a small town when the disease was brought there from London. It is based on the actual experience of the town of Eyam in Derbyshire. The fictional protagonist is a maid whose life takes fascinating twists and turns as she tries to help people around her who are dying. It is a crisis that brings out the best and worst of human behavior. Good read.