Enjoyable, simple by current standards; however the overall theme is relevant today.

This is a good story. There are a lot of characters that span many years. Superstitions without applying commonsense are how decisions are made. And, geesh, once again helpless men making life or death decisions using physical force to get their way. The author wrote what the times demanded for men.

All-in-all, the book is just okay for me. The story is well-written. I felt the characters. I didn't love any of them. Out of nowhere I did cry in the last couple minutes as if I was watching a news snippet. I was heartbroken, frustrated, and then relieved.

I'm not spoiling the book. If you enjoy a story, read the synopsis, this may be for you. It ran long for me, and thus 3.5 stars on a scale that doesn't acknowledge half stars. I'm rounding up.

Thank you NetGalley, Wolfenden Publishers, and Doug Ingold for accepting my request to read and review There Came A Contagion.

#NetGalley
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Though a bit slow to start and "heavy" at times, this book was a very engaging read. Ingold's writing is wonderful at describing this world, down to the pig stye below the house, without being over drawn. The book started a bit slow and then raced to the ending - much like that of a contagion taking hold. The slow start allowed you to really get to know and care for the characters and understand their works.

There Came a Contagion is part of a lucky streak I hit in the past months—I either have magic fingers or the NetGalley quality has increased in an exponential way, because wow. Color me impressed.

Cover: Hm. It fits the story, but at the same time, it’s not catchy enough. It’s a shame because whether you like it or not, a book with a less-than-catchy cover is bound to attract less attention.

**


There Came a Contagion is a work of historical literary fiction set in the Territory of Trier, Germany late in the sixteenth century. The reformation is ongoing but the Territory has remained Catholic, ruled by an archbishop who is also a prince and elector of the empire.

The novel tells the story of the Helgen family, three brothers who are respected in their village as skilled and resourceful farmers. With their widowed mother, their wives and children, they build a stable if difficult life together raising rye, barley and swine. In 1570 Elsebett Helgen is born to Basil, the eldest son and his beloved wife Arved, though Arved dies a tragic death shortly after the birth. When Elsebett is eight, she leaves the direct care of her grandmother and begins to live and study with Rachel Mueller, a wisewoman, a midwife and herbal healer.

When the weather turns erratic and harvests begin to fail, a scapegoat is sought. Jews are banished from the Territory as are the followers of Luther and Calvin. The Archbishop then discovers a pestilence of witches: people believed to have forsaken God and sworn allegiance to the Devil. The wise Rachel recognizes that the ever-growing frenzy to expose and kill witches is a contagion of engulfing madness, but she is nearly alone in her understanding. Elsebett’s brother, Johannes, is enthusiastic for the trials; Frans, the young man she is coming to love, works for the Archbishop. Elsebett’s father suspects that some behind the contagion desire the family’s holdings, and insists that the Helgens remain quiet and do nothing to oppose it. Elsebett is twenty when the prosecutors arrive in the village. Before the contagion has burned itself out, more than three-hundred people in the Territory of Trier will have been convicted of witchcraft and burned at the stake. Among them will be Rachel, Elsebett and Katharina, Basil’s second wife.

428 pages
Historical
IPBA
Goodreads

**

Yay!

- There Came a Contagion is the story of the Helgen, a family who lives in Trier, Germany, during the 16th century. The blurb mentioned rye, so I went in thinking about a rather physical ergot infestation. The contagion mentioned in the title is of a subtler kind, though. It’s an emotional one, based on fear, malice, and prejudice.

- What an intriguing plot. It’s simple, per se, but it has many ramifications and subplots, something a less-skilled author would struggle with. Ingold manages to keep the reader’s attention engaged throughout the entire story, never dropping the ball. No loose ties, no plot holes, no logic fallacies. Everything feels realistic, from the story itself to the more technical parts – have a look at the dialogues, for example.

- There are a lot of characters, and Ingold took the time to craft each of them up. Even the side characters feel like real people. The MCs, starting with Elsebett, are tridimensional, and it’s easy to relate to them.

- Forget how I’m always moaning about omniscient POV. Do I still believe it’s the spawn of the devil? Why, yes. Can I appreciate it anyway? Yeah, if done well. Ingold masters it in a flawless way, and I’ve got to say I’m impressed.

- What an excellent historical backdrop. The Middle Age era is well-researched, well-described, and accurate. While I don’t always understand or agree with the characters—an inquisitor shows up with a rack? I’m gone in zero point five, just in case—I can understand their reasons.

- It’s a slow story, especially at the beginning. Slowness doesn’t always equate with a nay, however, as it depends on many variables. In There Came a Contagion, a slow pacing is needed.

- The ending broke my heart.

Nay!

- There are a couple of grammatical missteps, but nothing major. Given the excellent story, I’m willing to ignore them and not kick the rating down half a star.

TL;DR

5 stars on GR.

Detailed but very entertaining. Submerged myself into it for a few days. Which is very rare. I do recommend the book. Enjoy!

This book does a nice job of conveying some of the difficulties and realitites of the era in which it is set. If you want a sense of how many people viewed their world during this highly contentious time in Europe, this book works well. It is highly readable and filled with interesting characters who seem quite plausible.

That being said, I found the book moved rather slowly - at least for the first half. It took that long before we even begin to get to the real story being told. But once we finally get to the actual story, it was rather predictable.

This is a slow burn historical fiction which in some ways I found frustrating but when I thought about it I kind of liked it as well. It's because you get to know the character's better. They are far from one dimensional.

There's stuff in this book that some may find offensive. Also, people of power abusing that power.

Also, contagion isn't what I expected. It isn't a physical disease. You could call it a mind disease as we are in the witch trials of Germany in the 16th century.

So, just be mindful when you begin because at times it is heart breaking.

The author is an awesome story teller and his writing reflects that.

Enjoy!

I have always been equally intrigued and horrified by witch trials, so this book definitely piqued my interest.

At first, I wasn't sure what I thought about the story. The beginning was slow-moving, and the characters seemed superficial, but I was hoping things would improve, so I kept reading. Fortunately, this is one of those times where I got more involved in the story as I read on.

Further in, the characters definitely develop more depth, and move from mainly one-dimensional to well-rounded individuals. I wanted to learn more about them, and there was a lot of change in them throughout the story. The characters were endearing, and I genuinely enjoyed getting to know them. The juxtaposition between the church’s rigid teachings and enforced acceptance of all of its rules and the few people within these small, rather isolated communities who dare to ask questions was highlighted clearly. I was scared for the few characters who don’t conform to the generally accepted schools of thought, since I already knew that they weren’t going to have an easy path in this story.

I did like the way that the characters didn’t just passively sit around and accept their fates, or do exactly what was expected of them. They were independent thinkers, and more importantly, they had their eyes open to bigger issues at work in the witch trials. It wasn’t just a fear of witches and the devil to explain things that they couldn’t find any explanation for, but also a way to manage fear amongst people in the villages when they were struggling to survive amid poor harvests and bad weather conditions, a way to address perceived wrongs between people they may have issues with, a way to increase the financial holdings of the church, and as always, a way for the church to exert control over the people in the diocese, even as the Protestants were gaining traction.

The plot wasn’t overly suspenseful, but I loved seeing how things unfolded. While I do think it would have been much more interesting if the fate of three main characters weren’t included in the summary. I would have preferred to read it for myself and leave a little suspense as to what was going to happen, but it was still a good book.

Ok I admit it I was drawn to the book initially because of the title assuming it was a book about a historical medical plague .once I started however I realised that the title referred to the spreading horrors of witchcraft trails at the time of Shakespeare .
I found the characters rich and well rounded and was immediately drawn into their world watching with horror the inevitable downfall of their family life as the threat of witchcraft trials gets nearer .To the reader the final outcome seems predestined and you want to shout run get away ! When I first finished the book I felt cheated by the apparent abrupt ending the whole book leads up to this point and then it ends .On reflection I realise it is a well thought out plan .As a reader the horrors facing our lead characters is so vivid the author can simply leave it to us to finish the story
In summary this is a great literary historical novel showing how there are worse things than natural medical disasters and pandemics .Human nature is cruel and arbitrary one thing that witch trials showed us so clearly

The story takes place in the 16th century in a village near Trier, Germany. We follow the journey of the Helgen family. It really begins with the birth of a child, Elsebett Helgen, and the death of her mother, Arved, shortly after she gave birth. This little girl becomes the central theme of the story, but her story also serves to describe the darker one of the Trier witch trials.

I found this book extremely interesting. Being able to follow a whole family over decades gives a good understanding of the impact of what it is now known as the Grindelwald Fluctuation on people's minds. We get to know the members of this family. We experience with them the emotions they feel. Love, joy, hope, anxiety, pain… Nothing is spared. We see the cracks that appear in them and the other inhabitants of the village when times get tougher.

Another very important element of the book is the impact of religion. When a scapegoat is needed to explain the bad harvests, it is found in the form of the Devil. It therefore becomes necessary to chase the Devil away by all possible means. This starts with the ostracization of the Jews and Lutherans and, when this is not enough, the witch-hunt begins.

Although this story takes place in the 16th century, it is easy to find similarities with what is happening today. We may know more about certain subjects such as science and climate, but human beings have not changed in one aspect: they still need a scapegoat to explain the things that frighten them.

I really enjoyed this book, it is very well written, the descriptions offered by Doug Ingold really allow us to immerse ourselves in this small German village. However, if I had to make one criticism, I found the story a little too "slow paced" for my taste.

Doug Ingold writes historical fiction in the shadows of real history evoking ghosts from many centuries ago with aplomb.
Set against a backdrop of the witch trials that plagued Europe and the UK, from North Berwick to Copenhagen to the Holy Roman Empire at the end of the sixteenth century, this is a powerful, at times dark, character driven story.
The plot is compelling and written with integrity and empathy, full of colourful historical realism as memorable as Witchfinder General.

This book offers a fascinating blend of modern concepts in a historical context. I don’t know much about the era so appreciated what was clearly thorough research to keep the reader aware and engaged. The writing style is quite sophisticated with almost lyrical sentence structure in some places. I found the characters difficult to engage with but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

This book is unlike any other historical fiction that I've read before. I loved it, but I can imagine that it's not for everyone. It's a 'slow read', which felt both a bit peculiar and just perfect at the same time. You get to know the people and the heartbeat of this family, it pulls at your heartstrings, you feel joy and hope, but at the same time and underlying feeling of dread, because you know how all this will end...
The world in this book is beautifully crafted, the characters far from one-dimensional, and there is a quality about it all that is very special.

The postscript and sources section is very short and felt lacking. I expected the author to have used a wider range of sources and ones more thorough and of perhaps of academic quality. The ones mentioned don't inspire me to do further reading on the subject, which is a pity.
And the mentioning of Wikipedia and recommending people to drop them a few dollars now and then is lost on me.

4,5 stars

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.