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The Black Death: The Intimate Story of a Village in Crisis 1345-50: An Intimate History Paperback – Import, July 9, 2009

by John Hatcher (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 461 ratings
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How the people of a typical English village lived and died in the worst epidemic in history.

The Black Death remains the greatest disaster to befall humanity, killing about half the population of the planet in the 14th century. John Hatcher recreates everyday medieval life in a parish in Suffolk, from which an exceptional number of documents survive. This enables us to view events through the eyes of its residents, revealing in unique detail what it was like to live and die in these terrifying times.

With scrupulous attention to historical accuracy, John Hatcher describes what the parishioners experienced, what they knew and what they believed. His narrative is peopled with characters developed from the villagers named in the actual town records and a series of dramatic scenes portray how contemporaries must have experienced the momentous events.

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  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    W&N
  4. Publication date
    July 9, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    5.2 x 1.02 x 7.76 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0753823071
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0753823071
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W&N (July 9, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0753823071
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0753823071
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 1.02 x 7.76 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 461 ratings

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John Hatcher

John Hatcher

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
461 global ratings
Well written
3 Stars
Well written
Just finished reading this book. I have to say the author wrote this book in a wayThat I was not expecting and that is fine. I'm a medical history geek, my want would haveBeen to have been offered more information on the medical side of the plague as well as had more specifics on what strange cures they tried to heal themselves. There was more emphasis on the economy and social aspects rather than emotional. I respect the author for being very up front about some things in this book that were just speculations about the time period. I felt the last 50 pages or so were pretty repetitive. I did not expect a lot of this book to be talking more about land disputes between citizens . There was a lot of this book that talked more about the aftermath of this horrible plague.
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Top reviews from the United States

Prisoner of Planet Moron
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent, Well-Informed, Innovative Perspective
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2020
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When it comes to historical fiction, everyone has their own personal preferences. For me, a historical novel should stick to the facts and fill in the blanks with well-considered, reasonable, plausible material. These criteria consign True Romance bodice rippers and lurid plots to my dustbin. Your mileage may vary.

Hatcher has wisely chosen to describe the Black Death in a very real, specific context, with the leading character, Father John, as a highly credible centerpiece. No gripping plot here. Just a completely believable representation of daily life in an English village as disaster enfolds it. The primary role of the Church is entirely appropriate, since for most citizens of medieval England, there was but ONE Church and that Church had an outsized role in every aspect of life, from the nobles to the peasantry.

For the modern reader, Hatcher brings us close to daily life in the time of the Black Death. Ordinary people, ordinary lives, overwhelmed a deadly, baffling catastrophe.
12 people found this helpful
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Kyle Willey
4.0 out of 5 stars More a history than a literature; Hatcher's work is like a sugar-coated pill—palatable and helpful, but still a chore to down.
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2014
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It's not the most interesting book, but John Hatcher creates an intriguing account of the Black Death in England. Unfortunately, while his account holds value for historians and is entertaining enough to suffice for an interested reader, the combination of the two means that the amount of detail contained on each page suffers a little; you wind up reading a lot of text to get less information than you would in a textbook, though it is certainly less intimidating and more enjoyable than simply reading a book. In some ways, the immense amount of knowledge in this book serves to decrease its value; it is very accurate and exacting account, with a great connection to personal lives of quasi-fictional characters, but its literary value is far eclipsed by its historical insights.

Hatcher's work is great, but I just can't see it managing to stoke a new-found interest in history in most readers.
2 people found this helpful
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Alejandro Martínez
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Undergrads
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2014
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I'm giving this five stars since it's a unique book that does wonders in introducing college students to the topic of the Black Death. I bought this for class but I'm glad I read it as I truly enjoyed it. It's written as a fictionalized documentary, closer in spirit to a traditional history book than a historical novel. Hatcher presents an overview of how the plague affected the village of Walsham, told mainly thorough the eyes of its parish priest, Master John. As the book progresses, we learn not only of the plague' effect but about the customs and ways of thinking of 14th century Englishmen. Great purchase!
8 people found this helpful
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Maricella Benitez
3.0 out of 5 stars Something to think about
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2020
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The stories told give you something to think about when comparing human behavior from the 1300s to today in a time of epidemic and pandemic disease. Slow to start as learning about the dealings of the clergy can be boring but a good look at perspectives from rich, holy, and rustic.
2 people found this helpful
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teebeezee
5.0 out of 5 stars History fleshed out.
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2014
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I had read about the Black Death before but it was usually general historical accounts about the extent of the plague, its symptoms, the death toll, etc. So dry. I never read, and always wondered, how did people cope with it in their day-to-day lives. This book does a pretty good job of examining the lives of real people, both those at the bottom of the hierarchy and those above them. The author uses historical records from the village and re-creates some scenes and conversations to flesh out the history. He says in his introduction that he was torn between concentrating on the history, or fleshing it out into an historical novel so it’s something of both. Lots of facts and some personalities as well. I learned a lot about 14th England. I had always imagined people’s lives would be in total chaos and had no idea it was so well-governed, or of the huge role that the church played in people’s lives. I’m glad I read it.
12 people found this helpful
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AnneMarie Gallan
5.0 out of 5 stars England surviving the 14th century-as it happened
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2016
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The template preceding this space for my review, was difficult because this is not genre fiction at all. Written by an expert on 14th century Europe, superbly well researched, it is a story made to demonstrate the condition of being alive during the plague. Each chapter begins with a factual account of the issue portrayed in that chapter, so that the reader has a better understanding of that particular matter. This is then followed by the portrayal of the village priest in action, or dealing with the matter. The main character, father John, is a very good man - so his actions, his worries, his efforts make him a character who will continue to live in my imagination. John Hatcher, the author, could focus simply on fiction, successfully.
13 people found this helpful
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Scott
4.0 out of 5 stars I learned a lot
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2020
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I read this book hoping to understand the lives of medieval commoners and their society better, and I got what I came for. It was also an up close and personal literary experience of the bubonic plague, not just a historical overview. It was also an immersion into the religious life and mind of a devout rural community in England in the 1340's. I am more accustomed to an overview of history from a bird's eye view, but this visit was worth coming down to the ground for.
8 people found this helpful
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Harry Holloway
5.0 out of 5 stars Orginal work
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2020
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Great of historical recreation of the 14th century and the time of the Black Death. It allow on to expand empathy with the English county community responding. The role of manors and church is very well done. The scholarship is imaginatively well done.
One person found this helpful
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Jeff Sultan
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book!
Reviewed in Canada on December 21, 2020
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I have not quite finished reading this book yet, however, it is very interesting and told in a personal style from the point of view of a fictional priest. There are some historical facts in the book but it is more focused on what was happening in one small area of England at the time of the Black Death.
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D. Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and well written.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2020
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It's really a cross between fiction and history. because there is so little evidence from the time he has had to fictionalise it somewhat but it is still a fascinating read. I enjoyed and think many others would. Purist historians may baulk but he explains his rationale very well and it does bring alive that period on our history.
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Y. Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars très bon livre
Reviewed in France on February 7, 2018
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Ouvrage conseillé par les professeurs de ma fille historienne médiéviste master 1 pour qui le sujet de la peste noire intéresse.A recommander! Bonne soirée à toutes et tous
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Frank Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars A peek inside a 14th century pandemic.
Reviewed in Australia on January 2, 2021
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The writer prefaces his book by pointing out that he is an academic and not a novelist. The book is based on parish records and all the better for it. It offers a wonderful ‘compare and contrast’ story for the modern Covid-19 reader. I thoroughly enjoyed it and warmly recommend it.
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That Cat Lady
4.0 out of 5 stars Bring Out Your Dead!
Reviewed in Australia on September 22, 2020
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I'm fascinated by medieval history, especially life in England and Europe at the time of the Black Death. This book tells the story of a (real and beautiful) English village of Walsham back in the mid 1300s at the time of the Bubonic Plague. It is a cleverly written mixture of fact and fiction, based on surviving village records of the time. The author has based his book around the (fictitious) character of "Master John", the local village priest (he is a truly good man: the kind of priest , incidentally, that every member of the clergy should aspire to be). Many of the events and people who appear in the book are real, albeit 'fleshed out' by the author to bring them to life. The book shines a light on life in a medieval village - customs, practices, religion (life revolved around the (Catholic) church) the feudal and legal systems which existed in rural England back then, and of course, the effects before, during and after the plague struck the village. I found the book an easy and informative read, more akin to a novel and certainly not like 'wading through mud in snowshoes' which many history books are. I'd actually score it 4.5 stars; my only criticism is that the author seemed to me in a hurry to finish the book and rushed through last few chapters. However, The Black Death is definitely worthwhile for English history buffs, or anyone interested in this horrific, but fascinating chapter in history.
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