Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson is an historical fiction novel about the yellow fever that rages through Philadelphia in 1793 causing many families to either flee or fight for their lives. Mattie Cook is a young girl who works in a coffee shop with her family during this time. Lives will change and strength will be tested as everyone struggles not only to make enough enough money to get by, but simply to continue living.Based on the setting of the story I believe that Mattie is going to go through many struggles involving her family and friends in the area of Philadelphia. Considering that she is a teenager I believe that she is going to be forced to go through all of the troubles of a teenager and be forced to have to deal with the raging fever as well. I think that the fever is going to be an epidemic that continues for a long time considering that the time period is 1793. The medicine and research for causes of this fever were not as advanced and I believe that some rash or quick decisions may be made in the midst of all of the panic that may occur in the novel.
I have high hopes that this will be an enjoyable novel and I have chosen it because I thought that the concept seemed intriguing. I believe that there is a lot of action and twists and turns that could be thrown into the novel based on the topic that it is covering. The New York Times Book Review also states on the front cover, "The plot rages like the epidemic itself." This made me believe that this novel would be one to most likely keep my attention. I also chose this novel because I related to the age of Mattie Cook, the main character. Being a teenage girl living in the Philadelphia area I thought that I would be able to closely relate to some or many of the issues that she will be faced with.
The reading schedule that I have created for this blog includes reading 60 pages for each blog which evenly divides the book into four parts. These blogs will be posted by March 6, March 13, March 20, and March 27 in chronological order. This will enable this blog to lay out in very efficient yet understandable terms so that any reader can fully contemplate the meaning of the book and the symbolism or connections to which I shall refer to throughout.
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You sound very excited to be reading Fever 1793, and that's good because you should be. I have already read this book and it’s a great read. Like you said, it’s really easy to relate your life to Mattie Cook, as we are about the same age as her and living in the same area. My favorite part about this book was that I would know where the author was talking about when she mentioned a specific place. Also, Laurie Halse Anderson is a superb author. I bet you didn’t know that she used to live in Ambler and also had cancer! I’ve read three other books by her titled Speak, Catalyst, and Twisted, all wonderful books that I would highly recommend reading if you have the time. Another unique thing is that the main character of my historical fiction novel is named Mattie also, but prefers to go by Matt.
ReplyDeleteBut, back to your novel. From previously reading this novel, I think you are going to see how lucky you are to be alive today and not in 1793. I’ll try not to give anything away, but the fever spreads like wildfire and the people of Philadelphia drop like flies. Everyone has to be cautious about what they do, where they go, and who they come in contact with. I am sure you will find this an enjoyable read, and keep me updated on how you like it.
--Emily Shorin