![]() Over the course of the novel, Mattie will experience intense personal loss and come face-to-face with death. It's kind of like the set of one of those apocalyptic movies, except, of course, it's all really happening. Once known for its brotherly love, Philadelphia is transformed into a nightmare of orphaned children, unscrupulous thieves, and mass unmarked graves. The outbreak of yellow fever, though, creates a dire situation (not at all related to hormones) in the city she calls home. Her body is changing, she can't stand the sound of her mother's voice, and she has a mega crush on a cute painter guy named Nathaniel Benson. Mattie is, for the most part, just a normal teenager. By the time Mother returns, weak and needing Mattie’s support, Mattie has become a strong, hard-working businesswoman with high hopes for her future.Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever, 1793 is a novel about a fourteen-year-old girl named Matilda "Mattie" Cook who comes of age during the infamous yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793. She also has “an understanding” (an unofficial engagement) with her longtime crush, Nathaniel Benson, that they will spend their lives together. After the epidemic, Mattie reopens the coffeehouse, taking on Eliza as her partner. She grows more independent as she survives on her own, taking in an orphan, Nell, and assisting Eliza with relief work. Later, back in Philadelphia, Mattie is left alone when Grandfather dies and Mother has not yet returned from Mrs. Then, she nearly dies from yellow fever herself. After Lucille gets yellow fever, Mattie and Grandfather flee to the countryside, but Mattie is forced to fend for them both when Grandfather develops heart trouble. She often daydreams of opening an entire city block’s worth of businesses, including a dry goods store, a restaurant, and an apothecary. Mattie dislikes her mother’s frequent scolding and believes that Lucille sees her as lazy and disobedient. At the beginning of the book, she enjoys sleeping in and tries to shirk strenuous chores. Mattie feels trapped there and longs for freedom. She also lives with her grandfather, Captain William Farnsworth Cook, a Revolutionary War veteran. Mattie lives with her mother, Lucille Cook, who runs a Philadelphia coffeehouse. ![]()
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