Oh wow, I don't know where to start. Firstly, I wouldn't need more than the one-line premise of this book to pick it up. History students time-traveling to past eras to study the ancient periods? Sign me up! But it was so much more than that. It's befitting that I happen to read this book during the pandemic, given that I didn't know the book was about epidemics and plagues. What impressed me the most was how accurately Connie Willis was able to project the human reaction to an epidemic 30 years before she actually witnessed a real pandemic. People refusing to wear masks or follow protocol, some endangering lives of the others, the spread of misinformation, racist renaming of the disease, and Americans calling lockdowns an attack on their freedom-she had written all about it. It was a treat to be able to read so much about the 1300s. The imagery is etched so deeply in my mind now that time-traveling to past eras doesn't seem all fun and exciting to me anymore.

The book could have used a good editor and can be condensed to almost half its size. The characters could have been more defined. Kivrin and Dunworthy both had a strong bond but we never saw why or how. We never learn what made Kivrin such an empathetic character. But what was lost on those two, was paid off by Colin, my most favorite character from the story. I would have devoured a book written solely on him time-traveling to the Crusades. Connie Willis writes children better than adults. Agnes was equally amusing to read.

Doomsday BookIt goes in my list of top 10 favorite books.