This account of the plague that decimated London in the year 1665 is written in Defoe’s journalistic style. There is no plot, apart from following the evolution of the desease. But for someone who knows London and especially the area around Aldgate where the narrator lives, this is a fascinating insight into the history of this city.

This book prompted me to go to the National Archives where I found a map of London in the 1660’s, showing that the layout of the city is still mostly the same today as it was 3 centuries ago. And indeed, most of the places mentionned in A Journal of the Plague Year still exist today.