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

Tragic

It wasn't bad. In some ways tragic that a woman as apparently smart as Ms Mallon still didn't have the imagination to understand germs and therefore willfully put people in harms way.

A true story of fear of the unknown

very interesting but sad story in the history of medical science. I particularly liked that the background of Mary's friends was included as well. Today you could substitute the name AIDS and the fear and questions would be the same.

A Little Slow

Interesting story, but it tended to drag. Enjoyed the historical descriptions of this time period.

A vivid and revealing slice of NYC history

As William Gibson says, "The future is here, it's just not evenly distributed", and it's hard to think of another time and place in history when this doesn't seem more true than the turn of the 19th century.
Fever is not only a fascinating snapshot of the seismic demographic and technological shifts that took place during the late 19th and early 20th century, but is also a truly compelling--and at times almost heartbreakingly tragic--story about a woman who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in history.
Because it becomes clear early on that "Typhoid Mary" was by no means the only one unwittingly spreading the typhoid bacteria around New York City and Long Island.
What made her so special was her profession as a private cook in a modern city, where it wasn't unusual for well-to-do families to hire their help as needed through reputable agencies, and where it wasn't unusual for a cook to work for a series of different employers over the years. And it also wasn't usual for an otherwise meticulous and starchy-clean servant to not make a point of washing her hands after using the bathroom or before preparing food.
Which seems so counter-intuitive today, but even though germ theory and the study of how bacteria and disease was spread were already well-developed fields among academics and scientists --I'm pretty sure Dr. Lister invented his antibacterial Listerine back around 1870? -- for some reason the whole concept of washing hands and sanitizing kitchens hadn't yet trickled down to the immigrant and working classes, even though they a were largely literate population. Like the future, such ideas were obviously not yet universally distributed.
Which was one of the reasons it was so so hard for Mary to believe it was anything but pure coincidence that so many she'd cooked for over the years got sick. Sure, people around her got fevers and some of them even died--where does that not happen? (In Ireland they called that Tuesday, ba dump bump) Throw in some all-too human defense mechanisms and guilt-borne denial (all brilliantly unfolded by the author) and you have a walking time bomb.

Which brings me to what I think made this book such a winner for me--the historical details alone would have been enough to keep me engaged, but Keane's character portrayal of Mary felt so authentic that I had to keep reminding myself this is historical fiction, not non-fiction. (Meticulously researched, no doubt--but much conjecture nonetheless.) Add to that the dramatic tension created by the two men in her life: the Javert-like Dr. Soper, and Alfred, the no-good bum she just can't stop lovin'--and it starts to read like a darned good screenplay.

I have to admit that I wasn't sure about the narrator at first; she started off a bit stiff and rote, with only a barely discernible Irish accent for Mary. But as Mary warmed and opened up to us, so did the passion in the narration. Whether this was a deliberate strategy or just a matter of Thaxton finding her rhythm I'm not sure, but either way it totally works.

Oh, and be forewarned: You'll probably be Googling throughout the book--for images of Mary and Dr. Soper, maps of the East River, the history of typhoid fever--just to name a few--so make sure you have access to an connected device before you start listening!

The story of Typhoid Mary

This was an interesting and often enraging story of survival. Mary was a strong, smart independent woman who knew her mind and did not believe she was causing people to get sick. It could never really be proven she was a carrier but circumstantial evidence did point to her. The enraging thing is that no one before or no one since has been treated the way she was. Additionally, the "love story" part was disgusting. Shame on you Mary Beth Keane. This could have been a story of an empowered woman but instead it was an all too familiar story of codependency, which is not love by the way.

Great story. Good performance.

I love historical fiction. I did research on Typhoid Mary while listening to this book. It was in step with Fever so not sure I should classify it with fiction. I highly recommend Fever.

Fascinating

I enjoyed listening to this fascinating story about "Typhoid Mary" and NYC at the turn of the 20th century. The narrator was outstanding, with just enough expression, but not extreme or distracting. Excellent "Daily Deal".

A heart wrenching story

The emotions were so honest and transparent, it was like secretly reading somone's diary. The story was sad, but the honesty was so human that it felt like a bond of friendship was being formed between me and Mary.

A great novelization of Typhoid Mary

Would you consider the audio edition of Fever to be better than the print version?

I've not read the print version, but I truly enjoyed Candace Thaxton's interpretation of Mary.

What did you like best about this story?

Mary's denial and confusion about her carrying the disease.

Which scene was your favorite?

Mary's escape.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Any additional comments?

I thought Candace Thaxton did an excellent job of giving Mary her attitude through voice. My only disappointment was in the Epiloge. Many of the statements in Mary's "diary" were spoken as questions. An annoying (to me) affectation of today's young adults. Eg. "They're good to me now?"

Highly recommended!

If you could sum up Fever in three words, what would they be?

Engaging and captivating.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fever?

The story of Typhoid Mary's life and of New York city at that time.

Which character – as performed by Candace Thaxton – was your favorite?

Mary

Who was the most memorable character of Fever and why?

Mary

Any additional comments?

A bit more factual information in the epilogue - three or four sentences - regarding Mary would have been very interesting. Overall an excellent book.