This book is an account of the plague that hit London and the rest of the country in 1665. It gives the journal writers own experiences and opinions but also presents the experiences and conditions of others.
It was written by Defoe many years after the event (he was only a young boy in 1665) which has led to this being regarded as a work of fiction. But it is also believed that this may in fact be the journal of Defoe's uncle whose life the journal accurately mirrors. I found that one of the interesting things about this book was making a decision on whether it is fact or fiction.
Nevertheless it is an interesting read which may give some insight to what occurred or what Defoe and his contemporaries perceived of the events. Again it all depends on how you view the nature of the book.
As a read itself my copy is in the original 17th century English, a writing style which takes a few pages to get used to, generally it's quite easy going. I found that I could read it any where at any time stopping and starting when I pleased. It does not take too long to read I finished in 3 weeks.
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