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katiescho741 's review for:
THE BLACK DEATH An Intimate History
by John Hatcher
I had trouble finding books that focused on the Black Death in the 1340's. Luckily, I discovered this one and it was a fascinating read!
It's non-fiction but most of it reads like a novel. I think it's been referred to as a "docu-drama" type thing, which I think is accurate. Each chapter starts out with an overview of the month or year, and then the chapter is about the people living in the village of Walsham and how their lives were directly or indirectly affected by the plague.
The sources Hatcher uses are things like court rolls and church sermon records, which sound extremely boring! But, using these tools, Hatcher weaves a little soap opera drama of the village in the late 1340's....we learn who is having arguments and what they're about, and how the church influences daily life.
It's very hard to understand the people in the medieval period because their lives were so different from ours...the main difference being religion. We read about people who really did believe that, if they went on a pilgrimage, or prayed enough, or confessed every small sin, that they would be saved. Because God would never let his loyal flock catch this horrific disease.
The affect the plague had on England was huge. The chapters that tell the tale about the months after the plague had ended are full of changes and new ways of thinking.
This book is a great read and really helped me understand the events, and impact of the Black Death.
It's non-fiction but most of it reads like a novel. I think it's been referred to as a "docu-drama" type thing, which I think is accurate. Each chapter starts out with an overview of the month or year, and then the chapter is about the people living in the village of Walsham and how their lives were directly or indirectly affected by the plague.
The sources Hatcher uses are things like court rolls and church sermon records, which sound extremely boring! But, using these tools, Hatcher weaves a little soap opera drama of the village in the late 1340's....we learn who is having arguments and what they're about, and how the church influences daily life.
It's very hard to understand the people in the medieval period because their lives were so different from ours...the main difference being religion. We read about people who really did believe that, if they went on a pilgrimage, or prayed enough, or confessed every small sin, that they would be saved. Because God would never let his loyal flock catch this horrific disease.
The affect the plague had on England was huge. The chapters that tell the tale about the months after the plague had ended are full of changes and new ways of thinking.
This book is a great read and really helped me understand the events, and impact of the Black Death.