My Review (5 stars out of 5)
In the 1660s, bubonic plague sweeps through the Derbyshire village of Eyam. New rector, William Mompesson and his family, must try to work with the community to combat the disease but his faith is at odds with that of the people and their Puritan rector Thomas Stanley. Eventually, the village isolates itself to prevent the plague spreading to neighbouring villages and towns.
I remember watching a BBC drama about the village of Eyam many years ago. This book brought it back to life for me, highlighting the place the village has in English history. The story revolves around Rev William Mompesson and his Puritan predecessor Rev Stanley, and how they instigated a plan to quarantine the village. Much is made of Mompesson’s position as a Church of England priest trying to win over the Puritan village and we really get a sense of the difficulties faced by both men.
The central characters are likeable on the whole, and while I didn’t particular identity with any of them, I can appreciate the struggles they must have had, coming to terms with their situation and the possibility of an horrific death. There’s a lot of attention to detail focusing on the lives and daily habits of the villagers, with the Mompesson family at its centre. The regime of prayers, sermons and hymn singing did get a little tiresome at times, but it does portray how the lives of the villagers were bound up in religion and the belief that God would somehow save the day. The pace of the story is occasionally a little slow but also reflects the endless routine of village life. Overall, this is a solid piece of historical writing that highlights an important event in history.
Colin Garrow 