Fever 1793

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson is a great novel that I have read. It falls under the category of historical fiction.

This story takes you through the everyday life of the main character, Mattie, who was a teenage girl during the Yellow Fever outbreak in the late 1700’s. At this time, America was a young nation, and in all of the confusion, the last thing the people needed was an epidemic. But sure enough, as the mosquitoes buzzed around them, the contagious disease became a fear in the minds of many. As if the fear wasn’t hard to live with, many people lost their loved ones to the disease. While Mattie helped out with the family store, she had to deal with all of the chaos that was brought on by this plague, and to keep faith that everything would eventually return to normal. Placed in her situation, an average person would probably have given up or lost hope, but she kept going. Although it is a fictional story, the tales of many victims of the Yellow Fever are portrayed by Fever 1793.

I enjoyed Fever 1793 for numerous reasons. The story is intriguing in the way that it builds suspense, and it is interesting that similar events actually occurred during that time in the United States. Mattie is a typical teenager, which makes the story even more interesting. I felt that Anderson did a great job in portraying events that actually occurred at that time in the history of the United States.

This novel is a great read for anyone who likes American history or even just an enjoyable story. It is written in time intervals, the chapter titles being dates, making it seem authentic. Fever 1793 is full of action and suspense, and it also provides some historical accuracy.

Along with her tremendous writing displayed in Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson has released 6 other novels. These included Speak (1999) and Twisted (2007), both of which have received awards.