Fever 1793
Laurie Halse Anderson
Aladdin Paperbacks (March 2002),
Paperback, 265 pages
Rated 4 stars of 5 possible
The Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793 and its aftermath have been historically documented, providing much factual information on which this novel is based. Other reviewers have done a good job summarizing the story, so I won't repeat their efforts here. Instead, I'll just tell you why I think you should read the book.
Following the novel is an 8 page appendix revealing that many of the events portrayed in the novel actually did happen and that some of the characters were based on real historical persons. While I like seeing such a feature in books that are based on actual events, a bibliography of source material used would also have been a nice feature for a book like this one.
The nearly seamless blending of historical fact with fiction, and her believable, historically consistent characters that help make Laurie Halse Anderson's novel a page turner; one of the best reasons for reading it would be pure enjoyment. The characters are well-developed and the writing exceptionally good. The story is told from start to finish in about 240 pages and moves forward at a nice pace, so it's not overly long and certainly not boring either, with the rich historical content on which the novel is based.
I recommend this novel to readers age 14 and up who are interested in historical events told through fiction. While written specifically with young adult females in mind, this book should appeal to all ages and both genders through it's strong characters and well-defined story. This review has been simultaneously posted on Dragonviews and Library Thing.
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