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A review by jhbandcats
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I recently saw the movie The Wonder, so I wanted to read the book. The movie follows the plot of the book closely; both are excellent. Emma Donoghue writes wonderful historical fiction, well-researched and with strong female characters, and I always learn something new from her.
This story exposes the idiocy of blindly following a mystical religion in the face of all evidence that a girl is starving to death rather than that the spirit of the Catholic god is keeping her alive as one of his miracles. Nurse Wright’s change of heart as she comes to know Anna, from skeptical and angry at the fraudsters, to loving and frightened as the girl wastes away, is masterfully shown through interior monologue.
With detailed scenes of Ireland only a few years after the Great Famine, two compelling main characters, and an unusual and mysterious plot, this is a fascinating and intriguing story.
This story exposes the idiocy of blindly following a mystical religion in the face of all evidence that a girl is starving to death rather than that the spirit of the Catholic god is keeping her alive as one of his miracles. Nurse Wright’s change of heart as she comes to know Anna, from skeptical and angry at the fraudsters, to loving and frightened as the girl wastes away, is masterfully shown through interior monologue.
With detailed scenes of Ireland only a few years after the Great Famine, two compelling main characters, and an unusual and mysterious plot, this is a fascinating and intriguing story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Grief, Medical content, Child abuse, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Child death, Colonisation, and Pedophilia