Reviews

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

librarianboston's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

5.0

3ducks's review against another edition

challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

lyramadeline's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was enjoyable, but not one I’m going to think about all the time. It was fast-paced and didn’t take long to read. The characters were a little flat, but I still liked them. There was a lot of emotion in this story and it taught me about a little-known, short time of history.

Full review to come

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Blood and Vomit

reasteen's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

hollyxbear's review against another edition

5.0

Such an accurate portrayal of 1700s America. I also greatly enjoyed all the detail in the historical portion at the back of the book. It really helped to bring the book to life.

books_blackcats's review against another edition

informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

slushysands's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.25

sxkitty91's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

protoman21's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this, but it never grabbed me like I thought it would have considering its accolades. Mattie is relatively bland and even when exciting things happen, she doesn't really add to the moment. I thought Anderson did a good job of making the past relatable to kids and add excitement, but it almost came off as inauthentic and no longer historical. Still, I can see assigning this to kids to give them an idea of what it was like during this time.

saritaroth's review against another edition

4.0

This book chronicles the horrifying hardships and aspects of illness that the residents of Philadelphia had to endure during the summer and fall of 1793 when the yellow fever was at its peak. It was told through the eyes of Mattie Cook, a fourteen-year-old girl forced to survive the death of her grandfather and the disappearance of her mother. With no other kin available to care for her, she must not only make sure that she survives but that a little girl named Nell, who has been orphaned by the disease, overcomes her exposure and subsequent struggles with yellow fever while, at the same time, getting the nourishment that both she and Nell need to thrive.

This book was most likely written with pre-teens to teenagers in mind, but even though I am a middle-aged woman and mother, I still enjoyed it. I liked the fact that Mattie progressed from being a timid young girl who really has no idea of her place in this world or how to survive all the many hardships thrown her way to a young woman who manages to rise above it all and survive against unspeakable odds. I would definitely recommend it; I think it is worth a read.