YEAR OF WONDERS Name______________________
Characters:
Anna
Mr. Michael Mompellion
Elinor Mompellion
Aphra – step mother
Elizabeth Bradford – spoilt daughter of Colonel Radford
George Viccars – tailor
Jamie – son to Anna
Thomas – son to Anna
Josiah Bont – Anna’s father
Mem Gawdie – accused as a witch
Anys – niece to Mem, worker of herbs
Lib Handcock – friend of Anna
Thomas Stanley - former minister in town
Brand - servant of the Bradfords who saves Maggie
Maggie Cantwell – cook to the Bradfords
Jakob Merril – widower who lives near the boundary stone
Charity Merril
Kate Talbot – woman who buys a spell
Jane Martin – loose woman
Albion Samweys – miner
Urith Gordon – wife of the flagellant
John Gordon – flagellant
Apple Picking time
1. What is the mood during this portion of the book? What might have happened?
2. Where has everyone gone?
3. Why isn’t Anna mad at the stable boy?
4. Why do we dislike Elizabeth Bradford?
Ring of Roses
5. Why must Anna take in a border?
6. Why is she so grateful to George vicars?
7. Why does Elinor have so much time to help others?
8. How old is Michael?
9. How old is Anna?
10. Elinor?
The Thunder of his Voice (47)
11. What does Anna do about the green dress?
12. How does Anys show herself to be a very strong woman?
13. What conversation at the dinner table alarms the guests of Bradford?
Rat fall (65)
14. When the rector joins them at the stream, why is Anna surprised?
15. What moment is Anna's "Miracle?" (71)
16. Why does Anna help slaughter the pigs?
17. What does Anna demand of the Barber/surgeon when he is caring for Edward
Cooper?
18. Who dies?
19. Why does Aphra think her a fool?
Sign of a Witch
20. What are some of the attempted cures?
21. Who saves Mem from the mob?
22. How has Anna hurt Anys?
23. Who stops the horrible situation?
24. How does Anys die?
Venom in the Blood
25. Why did Stanley quit the parish?
26. Why is Stanley at church that day?
27. What is Mompellion's plan?
28. Why are the people who killed Anys not punished by the law? (96)
29. Which family leaves the church before they all pledge and oath?
Wide Green Prison (107)
30. Why has Anna gone to Colonel Bradford’s house?
31. What argument does Mompellion use to get the Colonel to stay?
32. The colonel points out something that really depresses Anna. What?
33. What is wrong with the delivery of Mary Daniel’s baby?
Soon to be Dust
34. Why is the tavern as important as the church?
35. How is Anna ashamed?
36. What has happened to Maggie?
The Poppies of Lethe (134)
37. What is the river Lethe?
38. What does Anna do with the poppy resin?
39. Richard Talbot tries to lance his bubo. What happens?
40. What does Anna want at Anys’ house?
41. According to Kate, who sold her the spell? (142)
42. Whom does Anna meet here?
43. How does Elinor respond when Anna tells her that she has stolen the opium?
44. What secret does Elinor share?
45. What does Anna do with the dried poppies?
46. Why does Anna choose to burn the poppies?
Amongst Those That Go Down to the Pit (157)
47. Who does Jakob Merril leave his farm to?
48. What deal does Anna make with her father to ease Mompellion’s labor?
49. Why does he close the church?
50. What is the concern over Merry Wickford?
51. How do they eventually get the ore out of the pit?
The Body of the Mine (188)
52. What change has come over Anna’s father? (191)
53. Why won’t Aphra stop her husband from his sorry behavior?
54. What is Josiah Bont doing that is so disturbing to Mr. Unwin? (195)
55. How does Bont retaliate later that night?
56. What happens at the court?
57. Why couldn’t Aphra come to release her husband?
58. How do they bury him?
The Press of Their Ghosts (209)
59. Anna tells Elinor about Josiah’s Bonts treatment of her. How does Elinor respond?
60. What is Lottie Mowbray doing with her child?
61. What month is it?
62. Where has Andrew Merrick gone to live? (218)
63. What is a flagellant? Who becomes one?
64. Why does Anna break the dishes at the end of the chapter? (229)
A Great Burning (230)
65. What happens to Elinor?
66. What do they burn in this chapter?
67. How does that parallel Elinor’s illness?
68. Who is discovered during the burning and punished?
69. Where do they keep Aphra for the night?
70. Who is Faith?
71. What is Aphra doing with the snakes?
72. Why doesn’t Michael Mompellion force the body from Aphra. What is he afraid of?
Deliverance (252)
73. What is fixed for the second Sunday in August? What will they celebrate?
74. Who dies and why?
Leaf fall – Apple-picking Time (261)
75. How does Mompellion take Elinor’s death?
76. What happens when Anna shaves him?
77. Why does she take the horse?
78. What does the Latin phrase mean – Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus?
79. How does it apply to Mompellion, in his own opinion?
80. Why do they make love?
81. What does she learn about the relationship between Elinor and Michael that is somewhat abnormal? Why does he do this?
82. Who is in the church and why is she there?
83. Why does Elizabeth try to get rid of the child?
84. What does Michael give her as she is leaving and why does he give it?
Epilogue
85. What does she name the daughter of Mrs. Bradford?
86. What does she name Michael’s baby?
87. Whom does she marry?
Vocabulary
adit ( 89) - approach ; a nearly horizontal passage to the entrance of a mine
ague (32)- chill, fever
arrogated (17) - assume; to make undue claims
assizes (96) - a judicial inquest; a trial
boose (50) -
camber (11)– slight convexity which arches
chouse - to cheat or trick
clough (88) -
damascene (41) - to ornament with wavy patterns like those of watered silk or inlayed precious metals
deign (74) - to condescend reluctantly and with a strong sense of an affront to one's superiority
espaliered (51) - when trees are trained into different shapes
garner ( 27)-to gather or collect
garth ( 33) - a small garden or yard; an enclosure
hirsel (87) -
incendiary (13)-bomb, something that starts a fire
jussive (16) - word or phrase of command
nimbus - rain cloud ; halo around the head as of light
philters (39) - a potion, drug, or charm held to have power of sexual arousal
sillion (86) -
slattern (15) - whore, loose woman
sojourned (25) - temporary stay in the country
surfeit (65) - excess; overabundance; intemperate or immoderate indulgence of something, such as food or drink
stemples (90) -
unctuously (13) - false, oily (like a used - car salesman)
whicket ( 24) basket?