the secret chord geraldine brooks review

Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England, Year of Wonders is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history. As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a 'year of wonders.' As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition. When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Brooks has an uncanny ability to hear and transform characters from history, and this beautifully written, unvarnished saga of faith, desire, family, ambition, betrayal, and power will enthrall her many fans. We see David through the eyes of those who love him or fear himfrom the prophet Natan, voice of his conscience, to his wives Mikal, Avigail, and Batsheva, and finally to Solomon, the late-born son who redeems his Lear-like old age. The Secret Chord provides new context for some of the best-known episodes of Davids life while also focusing on others, even more remarkable and emotionally intense, that have been neglected. Peeling away the myth to bring David to life in Second Iron Age Israel, Brooks traces the arc of his journey from obscurity to fame, from shepherd to soldier, from hero to traitor, from beloved king to murderous despot and into his remorseful and diminished dotage. Now, Brooks takes on one of literatures richest and most enigmatic figures: a man who shimmers between history and legend.

With more than two million copies of her novels sold, New York Times bestselling author Geraldine Brooks has achieved both popular and critical acclaim. A rich and utterly absorbing novel about the life of King David, from the Pulitzer Prizewinning author of People of the Book and March

The secret chord geraldine brooks review