A young girl named Matilda living in 1793 Philadelphia finds herself caught up in the dreaded yellow fever epidemic which has afflicted her mother and many close to her. She journeys to a neighboring farm at her mother’s bequest and encounters many others who have been affected by the plague. Matilda does her best to help herself and others survive as they await the winter frost that is the only thing strong enough to finish off the fever for good.
Likes
- The setting. I was unfamiliar with the American yellow fever epidemic of 1793, so this was enlightening to read more about the era as well as the ways that people coped with the illness (compared to the recent pandemic that we experienced).
- Inclusion of historical facts and quotes from historical documents. Introducing each chapter with news excerpts from real writers of the day and concluding the book with a historical appendix added to the strength of the book as an addition to the historical fiction genre.
“Bring out your dead!” The hoarse voice echoed off the cobblestones and brick houses … The cart was not heavy, but the man walked slowly, as if he were pushing the weight of the world.
Fever 1793, page 150
Dislikes
- The protagonist. While I admired her determination to help those around her, Matilda came off as a bit of a flat character to me. She just seemed to be the subject or product of her circumstances/environment and sort of let that drive her versus letting her own characteristics do so.
Author
Laurie Halse Anderson is an author whose books I am familiar with. I remember reading Speak in school and I recently came across her book Chains and the series that follows. She’s written in quite a range of genres for young audiences, including historical fiction, realistic fiction, and fantasy.
