Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

From the back cover:

For Kivrin, preparing for on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructions in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be retrieved.
But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin-barely of age herself-finds she has become and unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours.

*A bit spoilerish. Proceed with caution

I had never even heard of Connie Willis, but apparently she's Kind Of A Big Deal in the sci-fi world. I picked up Doomsday Book as research for my own novel but it took me a really long time to get around to picking it up because, at 578 pages, I found it a bit daunting. And I had never bothered to look up a review so I had no idea if it was even a halfway decent book.

It's a really good book. The author spent five years researching and writing and the depth of her research shows. The descriptions of medieval life (and death) are rich and realistic. Her characters are vibrant and her main characters are well rounded. The really minor characters do tend to be one dimensional (and sometimes a bit like broken records) but it's a minor quibble.

The plot delves into "the ageless isues of evil, suffering, and the indomitable will of the human spirit" (from the back cover) in a way that doesn't sugarcoat or pretty up harsh realities or try to find meaning in something beyond human understanding. Part of me wants to say that this book has a dark streak, but really? It's not so much dark as realistic. *The last half of the book consists of a lot of people dying of the plague and all the nastiness that goes along with that. And, considering how many times I've learned and read about the plague, I was surprised to realize that this was the first time I felt any pity for its victims (I am apparently dead inside). Willis spares no one who honestly should have died. There are no miracles, no deus ex machina, just reality (you know...aside from the time travel bit). It's depressing but strangely refreshing.

This book isn't one I'd universally recommend. Willis could have used an editor who was a bit more liberal with the red pen and I could see some readers getting bored, but it totally sucked me in. Research-wise, it wasn't as useful as I had hoped, but still one that was definitely worth reading.