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Book - "Year of Wonders"

ridgetop01 (zone 5b)

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I'm just wondering if folks here have read "Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks? If so, have you also seen "Anna's Herbal", a PDF based on the herbs used in the book? It's well worth checking out. The book is fascinating, a story of a plague in England in the 1660s when one town isolated itself to protect other surrounding towns. It's historical fiction, well written, and has LOTS of info on uses of "simples" and herbs. Here's that link: http://www.fairmontstate.edu/collegeofliberalarts/sites/default/files/ANNAS%20HERBAL.pdf

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Comments (2)

chervil2
8 years ago
Thank you for sharing this great book.
rusty_blackhaw
8 years ago
Based on what's been reported on plague in ancient times, it's far more likely that a village would isolate itself to keep infected outsiders out, rather than isolating itself to protect others (not that understanding of infectious diseases was advanced enough in those days to make such connections).

The book might serve as a reminder that if herbal remedies are all you have, they're not going to stop a major epidemic of infectious disease.
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Herbs (Chaste tree)

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