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Quarantine
The year is 1796, and a trading ship arrives in the vibrant trading town of Newburyport, Massachusetts. But it's a ghost ship--her entire crew has been decimated by a virulent fever which sweeps through the harbor town, and Newburyport's residents start to fall ill and die with alarming haste. Something has to be done to stop the virus from spreading further. When physician Giles Wiggins places the port under quarantine, he earns the ire of his shipbuilder half-brother, the wealthy and powerful Enoch Sumner, and their eccentric mother, Miranda. Defiantly, Giles sets up a pest-house, where the afflicted might be cared for and separated from the rest of the populace in an attempt to contain the epidemic.
As the seaport descends into panic, religious fervor, and mob rule, bizarre occurrences ensue: the harbormaster 's family falls victim to the fever, except for his son, Leander Hatch, who is taken in at the Sumner mansion and a young woman, Marie Montpelier, is fished out of the Merrimac River barely clinging to life, causing Giles and Enoch who is convinced she 's the expatriate daughter of the French king to vie for her attentions--all while medical supplies are pillaged by a black marketer from Boston. As the epidemic grows, fear, greed, and unhinged obsession threaten the Sumner family and the future of Newburyport itself.
As the seaport descends into panic, religious fervor, and mob rule, bizarre occurrences ensue: the harbormaster 's family falls victim to the fever, except for his son, Leander Hatch, who is taken in at the Sumner mansion and a young woman, Marie Montpelier, is fished out of the Merrimac River barely clinging to life, causing Giles and Enoch who is convinced she 's the expatriate daughter of the French king to vie for her attentions--all while medical supplies are pillaged by a black marketer from Boston. As the epidemic grows, fear, greed, and unhinged obsession threaten the Sumner family and the future of Newburyport itself.
369 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
71 people are currently reading
475 people want to read
About the author
John Smolens
21 books42 followersAccording to Northern Michigan University's website, John Smolens "...has published five novels Cold, The Invisible World, Fire Point, Angel’s Head, and Winter by Degrees, and one collection of short stories (My One and Only Bomb Shelter.) Cold was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and the Detroit Free Press selected Fire Point as the best book by a Michigan author in 2004... His short stories and essays have appeared in various magazines and newspapers, including: the Virginia Quarterly, the William and Mary Review, the Massachusetts Review, Yankee, Redbook, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. His work has been translated into Dutch, Greek, Italian, and Turkish, and has been published the United Kingdom by Hodder & Stoughton, London."
His most recent publication is The Anarchist and has been well received.
His most recent publication is The Anarchist and has been well received.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
March 19, 2019
Find this and other reviews at: https://historicalfictionreader.blogs...
I wish I could say the premise of John Smolen’s Quarantine is what drew me to the novel, but the hard truth is that I’m a habitual cover slut and requested the novel on little more than an appreciation for the time period in which it appeared to be set.
The story hit the ground running and I was immediately drawn into the havoc and turmoil of disease struck Newburyport. My admiration, however, was short-lived and I ultimately found myself rather disillusioned by the tone of the narrative.
Smolens’ research shows and I enjoyed the medical aspects of the novel a great deal, but I found the novel needlessly crass and chock full of stereotypes, particularly those pertaining to women who a routinely painted as harpies and whores. The story got lost amidst Smolens these depictions and while I appreciate what the author was trying to say, the execution left an undeniably sour taste in my mouth.
I wish I could say the premise of John Smolen’s Quarantine is what drew me to the novel, but the hard truth is that I’m a habitual cover slut and requested the novel on little more than an appreciation for the time period in which it appeared to be set.
The story hit the ground running and I was immediately drawn into the havoc and turmoil of disease struck Newburyport. My admiration, however, was short-lived and I ultimately found myself rather disillusioned by the tone of the narrative.
Smolens’ research shows and I enjoyed the medical aspects of the novel a great deal, but I found the novel needlessly crass and chock full of stereotypes, particularly those pertaining to women who a routinely painted as harpies and whores. The story got lost amidst Smolens these depictions and while I appreciate what the author was trying to say, the execution left an undeniably sour taste in my mouth.
August 21, 2012
In 1796, a ship, the Miranda, was refused docking in Newburyport, Mass. and was placed in quarantine by the local surgeon because of an epidemic on board. Unfortunately, some of the ship's passengers and crew managed to evade the quarantine and reach the town. The plague quickly spread, leaving the town devastated.
I had mixed feelings about this novel. I enjoyed the parts involving the epidemic: the different points of view of the doctors, including the surgeon who gained his skills on a battlefield, the depiction of the epidemic, the religious fervour it engendered, the construction of the pest house, and the attitudes of the people as the death toll mounted.
On the other hand, I found some of the back story both annoying, uninteresting, and unnecessary. This was especially true of the ship's owner and his mother as well as the French girl who may or may not have been French aristocracy. The bit about the apothecaries all being robbed of needed medicines and then having them offered back at exorbitant prices was less than believable. These parts of the story strained my willing suspension of disbelief and did nothing to move the story along.
Still, if you push all the unnecessary debris aside, there's a very interesting story here about people's attitudes to disease in colonial America. Mr Smolens is clearly a talented writer. I hope he revisits this story someday leaving out the parts that only served to bog it down like the shipowner's dissolution and give us a story which tells us more about how epidemics shaped the New World.
I had mixed feelings about this novel. I enjoyed the parts involving the epidemic: the different points of view of the doctors, including the surgeon who gained his skills on a battlefield, the depiction of the epidemic, the religious fervour it engendered, the construction of the pest house, and the attitudes of the people as the death toll mounted.
On the other hand, I found some of the back story both annoying, uninteresting, and unnecessary. This was especially true of the ship's owner and his mother as well as the French girl who may or may not have been French aristocracy. The bit about the apothecaries all being robbed of needed medicines and then having them offered back at exorbitant prices was less than believable. These parts of the story strained my willing suspension of disbelief and did nothing to move the story along.
Still, if you push all the unnecessary debris aside, there's a very interesting story here about people's attitudes to disease in colonial America. Mr Smolens is clearly a talented writer. I hope he revisits this story someday leaving out the parts that only served to bog it down like the shipowner's dissolution and give us a story which tells us more about how epidemics shaped the New World.
August 17, 2012
A historical medical thriller that I really wanted to like more. In 1796, a ship arrives in Newburyport with sick crew members. It is immediately put under quarantine, but some soldiers escape to land causing the plague to spread to the town.
The main characters include a young boy who sees his entire family become ill, a surgeon who see the effects of the plague first hand as he attempts to tend the victims, and a rich family with internal conflicts. Some of the main characters were interesting, others were buffoonish and seemed drawn from a night time soap opera.
There are conflicts with doctors as they discuss the cause of this plague and how to cure it (sweat it with hot bricks? Cut the patients so they bleed the infection out?), a group of greedy townsfolk devise a plan to take advantage of the situation, and romantic interests are formed. There is also a chase at sea, and family feuds.
It's all somewhat interesting, but for me, it lacked a feeling of authenticity. I don't know if it was the dialogue or some of the crazy over the top antics of some of the people in the town, but it didn't ring true for me.
The main characters include a young boy who sees his entire family become ill, a surgeon who see the effects of the plague first hand as he attempts to tend the victims, and a rich family with internal conflicts. Some of the main characters were interesting, others were buffoonish and seemed drawn from a night time soap opera.
There are conflicts with doctors as they discuss the cause of this plague and how to cure it (sweat it with hot bricks? Cut the patients so they bleed the infection out?), a group of greedy townsfolk devise a plan to take advantage of the situation, and romantic interests are formed. There is also a chase at sea, and family feuds.
It's all somewhat interesting, but for me, it lacked a feeling of authenticity. I don't know if it was the dialogue or some of the crazy over the top antics of some of the people in the town, but it didn't ring true for me.
July 30, 2012
What happens when a viral epidemic strikes a seaport in Massachusetts.....1796? the social, political, and economic aspects...
some characters are "Dickensian", in that they are caricatures...but the story doesn't suffer for their existence (perish the phony "French" though)
Very atmospheric....i could almost smell the salt-tinged sea air.....and the smudge pots from the Pest House
Sometimes too much "nobility" in these savages (I mean, the constables rip off the apothecaries, and then try to sell the much needed drugs back, to the doctors...through a Third party...Sounds downright Contemporary to me)
In no way an Earth Shaker..this is a good story, well told. The Authors' Note at the end gives the book's provenance...and that's a good story as well
*****this review could change/improve*****
**this was a Net Galley**
some characters are "Dickensian", in that they are caricatures...but the story doesn't suffer for their existence (perish the phony "French" though)
Very atmospheric....i could almost smell the salt-tinged sea air.....and the smudge pots from the Pest House
Sometimes too much "nobility" in these savages (I mean, the constables rip off the apothecaries, and then try to sell the much needed drugs back, to the doctors...through a Third party...Sounds downright Contemporary to me)
In no way an Earth Shaker..this is a good story, well told. The Authors' Note at the end gives the book's provenance...and that's a good story as well
*****this review could change/improve*****
**this was a Net Galley**
July 18, 2017
finished this one this early evening, 6 pee em, 18 jul 17, a rainy tuesday though we did get some work done today. storms.
read this one, not because it is historical fiction (is it?), but because i've enjoyed smolens's other stories, this one numbers 6 i think, that i've read. read one review...or glanced at it, truth be told. said something about "historical inaccuracies." nothing more. just that. the literary equivalent of a clanging cymbal. if we hold our story-tellers to the axiom, show us, don't tell us then those who read and those who write about what they have had read should also be subject to the same demand.
are there historical inaccuracies? i've no idea. and the reviewer didn't enlighten us, nor was there any bafflement involved...though this story is both enlightening and baffling, and that's all i ask of stories i read. good read, good story...and as far as ac-curacies go...didn't i hear someone say that "witness testimony" is suspect? yeah. this is a story, one worth a read. the description says what is is about. the rest is journey.
read this one, not because it is historical fiction (is it?), but because i've enjoyed smolens's other stories, this one numbers 6 i think, that i've read. read one review...or glanced at it, truth be told. said something about "historical inaccuracies." nothing more. just that. the literary equivalent of a clanging cymbal. if we hold our story-tellers to the axiom, show us, don't tell us then those who read and those who write about what they have had read should also be subject to the same demand.
are there historical inaccuracies? i've no idea. and the reviewer didn't enlighten us, nor was there any bafflement involved...though this story is both enlightening and baffling, and that's all i ask of stories i read. good read, good story...and as far as ac-curacies go...didn't i hear someone say that "witness testimony" is suspect? yeah. this is a story, one worth a read. the description says what is is about. the rest is journey.
April 25, 2020
Loved reading about my historic little town of Newburyport MA. Reading about another epidemic and the 18th century response to a new and mysterious disease was particularly potent in this time of COVI-19. Author John Smolens brought the town and the fear of the "fever" to life, and some of his descriptions of brutality and the pest-house are not for the faint-hearted. The story hung together well for the most part. Finding focused reading difficult at this time, I was looking for plot-driven books, not literary fiction, and this didn't disappoint.
September 6, 2012
Quarantine by John Smolens is set in Newportbury, Massachusetts in June of 1779 on the eve of a Malaria outbreak. The fever sweeps through the small fishing town both literally and figuratively.
Dr. Giles Wiggins and Leander Hatch bravely risk them own lives as they strive to see their families, neighbors, and town through the summer of 1779.
The plot behind Quarantine is both interesting and rich in in detail.
The trouble lies with Wiggin's mother, Miranda, whose namesake ship is quarantined under a yellow flag and as the distinct honor of bringing the town to its knees. Smolens keenly weaves the real Miranda with her yellow flagged counterpart. Miranda only leaves death in her wake.
Sitting at Miranda's right hand is her sleazy grandson, Samuel who has recently dethroned his less sleazy father, Enoch. Samuel bribed his way off the Miranda and once ashore, commences to scam and swindle.
The deck appears stacked against the good doctor Wiggins, who just so happens to be Miranda's youngest son and Enoch's half brother. Giles super power seems to be intuition. Like the fever, Giles understands his mother better than any other character.
In a discussion with his mother, Giles describes Miranda thusly:
"Mother, you can be hot and cold, ruthlessly arbitrary, much like this..."
Involuntarily she stepped back from his cot. "Like this fever? Perhaps, you have a better chance of understanding this disease than your own mother."
As if things weren't bad enough in the town of Newportbury, we have crazy Christians to deal with, corrupt law men, and mob mentality to boot.
The novel suffers from some slow pacing in the middle of the book, but readers can look forward to a swift pace as the novel makes its way towards to finish lines.
ARC provided by Pegasus in association with Netgalley.com
July 8, 2012
Quarantine by John Smolens is an excellent historical novel set in post American Revolutionary war Newburyport, MA. Smolens has written a vivid depiction of life in Newburyport, a port town of 8,000 just north of Boston. He make you feel that you are there during the dangerous days of a quarantine caused by the arrival of a infected ship which brings death and disease to almost every family in the town. I lived the quarantine through the characters of Dr. Giles Morgan and his half brother Enoch Summers, the owner of the infected vessel. And we meet the townspeople first as they go about their everyday life of clamming, fishing, or working in the town's shops, then we see their lives changing when most of the town's families bring loved ones to the pest house.
It is at times a very intense novel, almost breathless at times when the illness caused by the ship is at it's worse, and almost at a standstill when the author shows the reader how massive illness has changed the town forever. And the author's research into this period in coastal Massachusetts shows in his story, making me want to know more about this period. Smolens made me care about his characters, the sign of a good novelist. Quarantine is one novel I can recommend to readers of historical fiction.
It is at times a very intense novel, almost breathless at times when the illness caused by the ship is at it's worse, and almost at a standstill when the author shows the reader how massive illness has changed the town forever. And the author's research into this period in coastal Massachusetts shows in his story, making me want to know more about this period. Smolens made me care about his characters, the sign of a good novelist. Quarantine is one novel I can recommend to readers of historical fiction.
July 22, 2012
I'm a fan of historical fiction especially in this time period--late 1790s. A mysterious plague had struck a ship outside Newburyport and the sickness quickly ran rampant through the town. Tragedy brings out the best in some of the townspeople and the worst in others. The very dysfunctional Sumner family is at the center of the epidemic, some members responsible for spreading the sickness, some seeking to profit from it, and some trying to help the victims. The most sympathetic character is Leander Hatch, a young boy who loses his family but manages to rise above the tragedy. The strength in Smolens' writing is his knowledge of the area and the historical accuracy of the culture of the town. The period is carefully researched. The author is especially effective in his descriptions of medical practice and the treatment of sickness at the time. The characters are diverse and believable. The plot moves smoothly. Overall, the book is a good read.
November 1, 2012
I don't understand how this book got published. Here are some of the problems: the writing is stilted, the characters are superficial, unlikable charicatures, Smolens mistakes crassness for gritiness in his clumsy descriptions of fever symptoms, and, worst of all, there are historical inaccuracies too numerous to mention. If one wants to write historical fiction, one needs to be willing to do research, especially considering some of the masters who are currently writing in this genre. I would not recommend this book to anyone, and in fact would advise against it.
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June 30, 2012Though I thought I would really like this, I just couldn't get into it. I've read other books, fiction and non-fiction about ship or city quarantines that were far more compelling. This being said, I always wonder if it's just me and perhaps I should give it a second go at another time. I found myself re-reading passages, losing the character voices and decided to just give it up for the moment. I was disappointed in the book and a bit frustrated with myself.
October 28, 2012
I really wanted to like this book, but honestly couldn't wait to finish it. My recommendation, save your time and read something else.
July 1, 2013
Read half of it. Wanted to like it but just didn't.
September 10, 2013
Very good book.
didnt-finish
February 11, 2015i have better books to read. this one is just way too slow and not interesting enough to hold my attention at the moment.
December 9, 2019
2.5 stars rounded to 3. This story is set in 1796 in the seaport town of Newburypoint, Mass and begins with a ship in the harbor being quarantined due to illness among the sailors. The illness spreads to the town resulting in hundreds of deaths.
The reason I rounded my rating to 3 stars is due to my enjoyment and interest as a former nurse in the parts of the book that portrayed how medicine was practiced and illnesses were treated at that time and people's attitudes toward and superstitions revolving around illness. I did like the character of Giles Wiggins, a man practicing medicine on the basis of his experience taking care of wounded sailors on a ship during the Revolutionary War. He had the courage and integrity to stand up for his convictions and beliefs in the face of opposition from many people. He also dared to question accepted medical practices of that time, such as bleeding people.
Unfortunately, I intensely disliked some of the key characters---Miranda, Giles' mother, Enoch, Gile's half-brother and Enoch's son, Samuel---and felt their inclusion in the story added absolutely nothing to it but rather detracted from it. There was also excessive crassness in this novel to the point of being offensive.
I cannot honestly recommend it to others to read.
The reason I rounded my rating to 3 stars is due to my enjoyment and interest as a former nurse in the parts of the book that portrayed how medicine was practiced and illnesses were treated at that time and people's attitudes toward and superstitions revolving around illness. I did like the character of Giles Wiggins, a man practicing medicine on the basis of his experience taking care of wounded sailors on a ship during the Revolutionary War. He had the courage and integrity to stand up for his convictions and beliefs in the face of opposition from many people. He also dared to question accepted medical practices of that time, such as bleeding people.
Unfortunately, I intensely disliked some of the key characters---Miranda, Giles' mother, Enoch, Gile's half-brother and Enoch's son, Samuel---and felt their inclusion in the story added absolutely nothing to it but rather detracted from it. There was also excessive crassness in this novel to the point of being offensive.
I cannot honestly recommend it to others to read.
June 2, 2018
This is a decent look at 1796 and quarantines, but it's pretty sedate. A lot of it is passive, where you only hear about what happens after it happens. I prefer my writing to be far more active, to preserve the element of danger, suspense, action. I wasn't bored with this by any means, but I also wasn't swept away. Has quite a few historical clichés, as well.
And it's not the author's fault, but I'll tell you if you get the audiobook: The reader says the protagonist Giles' name like "guiles" with a hard G instead of "jiles" with a soft G, and it drove me NUTS throughout the ENTIRE book. Ye be warned if you get the audiobook. So, read it in paper and skip the audiobook, unless you can tolerate this mispronunciation better than I can.
And it's not the author's fault, but I'll tell you if you get the audiobook: The reader says the protagonist Giles' name like "guiles" with a hard G instead of "jiles" with a soft G, and it drove me NUTS throughout the ENTIRE book. Ye be warned if you get the audiobook. So, read it in paper and skip the audiobook, unless you can tolerate this mispronunciation better than I can.
April 19, 2020
Interesting historically, and an interesting book to read during a pandemic, as there are definite parallels to draw between the plot and now.
My main reason for the low rating was purely that this historical detail did not translate into a novel. A plague epidemic was the main plot, but other than that, the action sequences were just not very exciting and very few of the characters were people you could care about, even as much as to dislike the them. Additionally, a French woman was written with an outrageous accent which was not fun to read.
I didn’t hate this book as, as I said, the historical detail was good, but it was far too long and I struggled to stick with it to the end.
Received via Netgalley with thanks.
My main reason for the low rating was purely that this historical detail did not translate into a novel. A plague epidemic was the main plot, but other than that, the action sequences were just not very exciting and very few of the characters were people you could care about, even as much as to dislike the them. Additionally, a French woman was written with an outrageous accent which was not fun to read.
I didn’t hate this book as, as I said, the historical detail was good, but it was far too long and I struggled to stick with it to the end.
Received via Netgalley with thanks.
January 2, 2022
Quarantine by John Smolens is most interesting to me because my maternal ancestors arrived in the area in the 1630's and some family members have lived there ever since.
Smolens has given me a glimpse into the past of an area I know well. Newburyport was is a trading port in 1796. A ship that is owned by a local comes into the harbor with a crew that is sick with a virulent fever. The ship is put into quarantine, but some of the crew have come ashore. The community is quickly thrown into disorder.
I have found evidence that there was an illness in Newburyport in 1796.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text...
Smolens has given me a glimpse into the past of an area I know well. Newburyport was is a trading port in 1796. A ship that is owned by a local comes into the harbor with a crew that is sick with a virulent fever. The ship is put into quarantine, but some of the crew have come ashore. The community is quickly thrown into disorder.
I have found evidence that there was an illness in Newburyport in 1796.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text...
February 19, 2017
Newburyport MA 1790 ish, a fever runs through town, coming from a ship just up from the Caribbean. Giles , a surgeon, quarantines the ship, which belongs to his rich, dissolute brother Enoch. The whole town is quickly engulfed in sickness, and Giles works in the sick tent while his scheming mother tries, after a fashion, to save the family fortune, and Leander a young man who always seems to be around, also gets involved. An interesting story about societal disintegration during a plague, though some of the things Miranda does strain my suspension of disbelief.
August 7, 2018
A nice easy read with just enough of everything. The writer creates a great scene that you can almost smell. The characters are intricate enough but this books happens over a short period of time so not a ton of character development, more so just getting to know and understand characters as either they die or their loved ones die. I loved all the political references as they laughed about democracy (little did they know) and some of the medical ideals that they worked with back then.
February 16, 2021
The book didn't quite draw me in as I had hoped . Late 18th Century seemed a bit early for the dialogue and I almost gave it up a couple of times. In the end , it was quite an enjoyable story about a fever-ridden boat and the consequences for the local town of it being quarantined at sea . I plan to give the author another chance later this year.
May 20, 2025
I really wanted to like this one! The characters were so strong, and the plot started strong as well. But the point of the book became lost eventually, and I felt as though the plot really did fail. Strong characters and writing weren't enough to make up for the fact that the story didn't really go anywhere.
October 5, 2017
1796 Newburyport, Massachusetts; they quarantine a ship full of disease but sailors escape and drama ensues. Wished the author would have delved into a couple of the characters a bit more but still an enjoyable read. This would make a great movie...
February 18, 2021
Looked forward to this one but I was disappointed. It was hard to keep track of the characters, and other than Leander I didn’t care much about them. Not enough information about the quarantine, and too much story that was not fleshed out.
May 27, 2018
i found this book to have nothing in common with its synopsis and thebstory simply dragged.
June 7, 2018
Really good look inside a city quarantined with yellow fever in the late 1700’s. I found myself wanting a little more historical meat, but overall intriguing.
August 14, 2018
Well that was different.
April 28, 2019
Just plain boring book. The bits on how a plague in colonial times might be treated were interesting. Everything else seemed unneeded.
December 1, 2020
Story is slow and meh, the author could have done better with a plot, description, and detail with the knowledge he has of the area.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews