Fever

A Novel

By: Mary Beth Keane

Narrated by: Candace Thaxton

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary", the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the early 20th century - by an award-winning writer chosen as one of "5 Under 35" by the National Book Foundation.

Mary Mallon was a courageous, headstrong Irish immigrant woman who bravely came to America alone, fought hard to climb up from the lowest rung of the domestic service ladder, and discovered in herself an uncanny, and coveted, talent for cooking. Working in the kitchens of the upper class, she left a trail of disease in her wake, until one enterprising and ruthless "medical engineer" proposed the inconceivable notion of the "asymptomatic carrier" - and from then on Mary Mallon was a hunted woman.

In order to keep New York's citizens safe from Mallon, the Department of Health sent her to North Brother Island where she was kept in isolation from 1907-1910. She was released under the condition that she never work as a cook again. Yet for Mary - spoiled by her status and income and genuinely passionate about cooking - most domestic and factory jobs were heinous. She defied the edict.

Bringing early 20th-century New York alive - the neighborhoods, the bars, the park being carved out of upper Manhattan, the emerging skyscrapers, the boat traffic - Fever is as fiercely compelling asTyphoid Mary herself, an ambitious retelling of a forgotten life. In the hands of Mary Beth Keane, Mary Mallon becomes an extraordinarily dramatic, vexing, sympathetic, uncompromising, and unforgettable character.

©2013 Mary Beth Keane (P)2013 Simon & Schuster Audio

Wishing I could buy Mary Beth Keane a drink.

What I was expecting was to be informed and perhaps educated a little about "Typhoid Mary". What I got was a totally satisfying and thoroughly enjoyable work of historical fiction.

As a wanna-be writer, I am totally jealous of Keane's work. I would love to spend a few hours with her to compare notes and hear first-hand how she came to write such a wonderful novel. As a person who spends about three hours of research for every hour of writing, I totally appreciate what she has accomplished.

You rock!

Fever-Story of Typhoid Mary

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book only to someone who is interested in hearing a story about Typhoid Mary, but if that person wanted a stellar performance, I'd tell them to forget it.....because the narrator left quite a bit to be desired. She talked too fast, tried to sound like she had an Irish brogue, lacked emotion about 90% of the story, and made me think I was listening to a teenager who spoke like they were reading aloud, but did not FEEL the characters.....The story is fantastic, but I'd read it again before I'd listen to this narrator again. She was terrible!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mary was my favorite character. I loved learning about what she went through to even get to America, and what she was accused of, and the discriminatory way she was treated. Talk about violation of someone's civil liberties!! Poor Mary was treated like a 3rd class citizen. If only this happened about 30 years later, after antibiotics were starting to be developed. I did feel Mary's pain and how hard she tried to keep herself strong. I admired her spirit and cannot blame her for one minute for going back to cooking, since it was never proven that SHE herself was then"cause" of those people's deaths from typhoid. What a tragic waste of a human being's life.....and the Department of Health owed her a huge apology. I hope no one ever forgets the sacrifice Mary made for science and the human condition!!

How could the performance have been better?

Having a person who didn't talk so fast, didn't fake an Irish accent, someone who put more emotion into the reading, and didn't just READ the story....If it weren't for the fact that I wanted to know more about the story behind Typhoid in the early 1900's , I would've asked for my money back on this one because of the terrible narration. She reminded me of how California teenagers used to enunciate their words back when "Valley Girl" talk was popular , I.e. "Oh my GOD!" Not the right person to read this story.

If you could take any character from Fever out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Sloper, so I could pick his brain to get more scientific information from him about what he was studying, the progress in bacteriology being made at that time, and why they felt that Mary was such a high risk person, but the dairy farmer upstate wasn't , nor any of the other purported "carriers." ( I'm a medical professional so would be interested in this.)

Any additional comments?

Don't let that narrator read any more historical readings.....

Informative story telling

Heard of this book and thought it would be a good Covid times story. Slow start and a bit of a struggle but developed into a wonderful tale. While historical fiction, it became eye opening to live and understand the side of the offender.

Worth the hype!

When this book came out there was tons of hype over how fantastically written and narrated it was, so I immediately purchases it. Then I was distracted by other books. Now I'm kicking myself that I didn't listen to this book earlier! Like a siren Thaxton's voice will soothe you as Keane takes you on a fast paced read about person that you really wouldn't know a lot about . Often throughout the book Mary is a sympathetic character trying to scrape out a life for her self, with Little regard for other people's lives. She is a hard working woman with great determination and hustle for life, but at the cost of many other people who come into contact with her cooking. I will never double dip or use the same spoon twice while cooking.

Mythbusted

I agree with a previous reviewer who stated some difficulty remembering that this is a work of fiction because of the strength of the historical perspective. As long as Keane stuck with the Typhoid Mary story line, I found it riveting, and really appreciated how she was able to provide balance to the myth of an evil one-woman epidemic serving up a petrie dish of typhoid with all of her cooking. It was clear that in spite of all the warnings, she just did not believe that she could be the culprit in making so many people sick. Filth in the streets was so rampant, that typhoid was not the rare occurrence that it is today - no wonder Mary assumed the source had to be found elsewhere. The ethical dilema of personal rights and freedom vs the protection of the public's health is heartbreaking. Unfortunately Mary became her own worst enemy through her stubborness and bad temper.

Props for the excellent descriptive narrative making turn of the century New York real - the huge disparities in living conditions and in the insights into the medical science of the day. (Another reviewer has already eloquently stated the lack of trickle-down of the germ theory to the common man). Also props to Candace Thaxton's excellent narration, especially the subtle changes in accent when Mary was thinking or speaking.

Where Keane lost her way for a time was by over emphasizing the Alfred story line. Apparently one of the fictional aspects of the larger story, I found the long passages that focused on his substance abuse and journey to the midwest to be largely uninteresting and sadly stalled the forward movement of the real story, leaving Mary out altogether for very long stretches. I would have preferred more history and less fiction on that score. Minus one star for that lapse in literay judgement and lack of editing.

AMAZING

I loved this book. I very rarely give 5 stars, but I can't think of 1 reason not to give this book all 5. I had to keep reminding myself that it was a work of fiction, but I don't see that as a mark against it. I was immediately drawn in. I was transported as if I were walking down the dirty streets of New York alongside Mary. I could almost smell and taste the dishes she cooked. Candace Thaxton did an excellent job narrating, jumping back and forth between Irish, German and other accents. I simply cannot say enough good things about this book! It's my favorite book I've listened to in a long time and I know I will be listening to it again, as well as recommending it to others!

One or the Other, Please

The historical points of this topic (typhoid fever) interests me both as a nurse and as a person. But there was little history here. The fiction part was barely of interest. I can only imagine the horror of a young immigrant girl being accused of causing death wherever she went. And then to be quarantined for years with no legal recourse!! How frightening and frustrating! But the author chooses to dwell on Alfred at length ...why? Narration was excellent.

Good Historical Fiction

Keane offers a sympathetic portrayal of Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary. The story portrays early 20th Century New York and several important historical events seen through Mary's eyes.

Mary's long-term relationship was probably total fiction, but it helped to provide a narrative that allowed the author to string together the events in Mary's life. I think I would have liked this fictional Mary better than the historical Mary.

It's like being inside Typhoid Mary's head!

The author does a wonderful job transporting you into the early 1900's. It's not just how solid the characters are, but every detail of how live was at that time, plus real historical context of the events that were occurring then. I wish all history lessons came in this format! I also loved the narration. I am a big fan of theatrical narrators like Eduardo Ballerini, so I wasn't sure I was going to love this one when I started the book. But I was pleasantly surprise to find that the even tone and small fluctuation between characters added to the somberness of the story.

Reads like a medical mystery... which it is...

Mary Mallon, a young, fiesty Irish immigrant, has been historically labeled as "Typhoid Mary" for over a century. Tied to multiple outbreaks of typhoid fever in families and facilities where she was employed as cook, she was eventually tracked down, and held in semi isolation for many years of her life.

The charm of this book is the fictionalization and glimpse into New York City at the turn of the 20th century. The medical climate is primitive by today's standards, but understandable and well portrayed. The plight of the residents of the ethnic neighborhoods generates a deeper understanding of the era.

The author weaves a wonderful mix of history and fiction, bringing characters to life as they share the challenges of their lives, their poverty, and their connections.

Well worth the read....