The Wonder - Hardcover

Donoghue, Emma

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316393878 ISBN 13: 9780316393874

Publisher: Little Brown & Co, 2016

Synopsis

By the New York Times bestselling author of Room A small Irish village is mystified by what appears to be a miracle but may actually be murder in this "fine, fact-based, old-school page-turner" (Stephen King).

In this masterpiece by Emma Donoghue, an English nurse brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle -- a girl said to have survived without food for months -- soon finds herself fighting to save the child's life.

Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl.

Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, THE WONDER works beautifully on many levels--a tale of two strangers who transform each other's lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.

About this title

Review

"[Donoghue's] contemporary thriller Room made [her] an international bestseller, but this gripping tale offers a welcome reminder that her historical fiction is equally fine."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Outstanding.... Exploring the nature of faith and trust with heartrending intensity, Donoghue's superb novel will leave few unaffected."--Sarah Johnson, Booklist (starred review)

"Donoghue demonstrates her versatility by dabbling in a wide range of literary styles in this latest novel.... The closely imagined, intricately drawn story possesses many of the same alluring qualities as her bestseller, Room. .... Donoghue's engrossing novel is loaded with descriptions of period customs and 19th-century Catholic devotional objects and prayers...[and] asks daring questions about just how far some might go to prove their faith."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A riveting allegory about the trickle-down effect of trauma."--Megan O'Grady, Vogue

"Donoghue poses powerful questions about faith and belief all the while crafting a compelling story and an evocative portrait of 19th-century Irish provincial society."--Tom Beer, Newsday

"Gripping."--Claire Stern, InStyle.com

"What at first seems a simple matter becomes far more-stick with it, the payoff is there."--Steph Opitz, Marie Claire

"Fresh and unusually lively historical fiction. [Donoghue's] latest novel brings together both her preoccupation with child peril and her gift for history."--Boris Kachka, Vulture

"A haunting novel about good vs. evil."--Brenda Janowitz, PopSugar

"Like [Room], THE WONDER explores a dark, insular, and rigidly controlled environment.... Donoghue's clever use of an outsider as narrator lets her explain anomalies to us-what a creepie is (a log stool) and why people tie rags to a tree (to hold their pain)-as she encounters them herself. But there is more to this mystery than superstitions and local dialect. Lib must decipher the private truths of Anna and her family, who have closed ranks in grief over the loss of a son. She must puzzle out the community itself and its contradictory beliefs in religion, science, and tradition. And Lib has her own sorrowful secrets, her own need for personal redemption. Donoghue deftly pairs the two stories, and as Lib uncovers the truth about Anna, she gradually owns the truth about herself."--Roxana Robinson, O, The Oprah Magazine

Book Description

A chilling novel from the bestselling author of Room.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little Brown & Co
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0316393878
• ISBN 13: 9780316393874
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 291