Year of Wonders Chapter Summary
Year of Wonders: In excruciating detail!
Structure
YOW is a novel in 3 parts: 1. Prologue: Leaf-fall 1666 Now
2. Main: Spring 1665 Year of Wonders/Year of the Plague 3. Epilogue: Leaf-fall 1666 Now
Why this structure? To hook the readers into the story straight away.
Prologue p.3
Apple picking time
“I used to love this season.” p.3
“…where he sits still and silent.” P.3, paragraph 3, line 1 Readers: Who’s this guy and why is he depressed? What’s happened to him?
p.4 “It was the first time he’d looked at me in days.”
p.4 “…even if they could remember how to do so.”
p.4 “Finally, when I’d run out of things to pretend to do, I left him.”
Reading strategy: Read the first line of each paragraph.
p.6-8 Details of Anna’s brief marriage to Sam Frith and his death in the mine. There are also details of her father and step-mother and The Puritans.
p.9 Why does Anna love to read? It’s a great escape from reality! It still works today!
p.12 The introduction of Elizabeth Bradford.
How do we know she’s a social superior to Anna? Typically, she didn’t even bother with a greeting.
p.13-18 Anna and Michael Mompellion confront Elizabeth Bradford. We learn that the house that Mompellion is living in used to be the Bradford house before the Bradford’s abandoned the town when the plague arrived.
p.19 Michael Mompellion makes an overt attempt to seduce Anna. At this point we realise that her attraction to him is a mutual feeling. They are both attracted to each other but neither one dares to admit it directly.
Ring of Roses p.23
p.23 Introduction of George Viccars: A tailor from London who she accepts as a lodger to receive some income from his rent.
Kind, and good with children, knows how to have fun. Isn’t a Puritan.
George Viccars is well travelled and worldly compared to Sam and the other villagers. Anna likes this.
p.26 “When he entered our cottage, he brought the wide world with him”
p.29 “Mr Hadfield had ordered a box of cloth
Structure
YOW is a novel in 3 parts: 1. Prologue: Leaf-fall 1666 Now
2. Main: Spring 1665 Year of Wonders/Year of the Plague 3. Epilogue: Leaf-fall 1666 Now
Why this structure? To hook the readers into the story straight away.
Prologue p.3
Apple picking time
“I used to love this season.” p.3
“…where he sits still and silent.” P.3, paragraph 3, line 1 Readers: Who’s this guy and why is he depressed? What’s happened to him?
p.4 “It was the first time he’d looked at me in days.”
p.4 “…even if they could remember how to do so.”
p.4 “Finally, when I’d run out of things to pretend to do, I left him.”
Reading strategy: Read the first line of each paragraph.
p.6-8 Details of Anna’s brief marriage to Sam Frith and his death in the mine. There are also details of her father and step-mother and The Puritans.
p.9 Why does Anna love to read? It’s a great escape from reality! It still works today!
p.12 The introduction of Elizabeth Bradford.
How do we know she’s a social superior to Anna? Typically, she didn’t even bother with a greeting.
p.13-18 Anna and Michael Mompellion confront Elizabeth Bradford. We learn that the house that Mompellion is living in used to be the Bradford house before the Bradford’s abandoned the town when the plague arrived.
p.19 Michael Mompellion makes an overt attempt to seduce Anna. At this point we realise that her attraction to him is a mutual feeling. They are both attracted to each other but neither one dares to admit it directly.
Ring of Roses p.23
p.23 Introduction of George Viccars: A tailor from London who she accepts as a lodger to receive some income from his rent.
Kind, and good with children, knows how to have fun. Isn’t a Puritan.
George Viccars is well travelled and worldly compared to Sam and the other villagers. Anna likes this.
p.26 “When he entered our cottage, he brought the wide world with him”
p.29 “Mr Hadfield had ordered a box of cloth