Fever

A Novel

By: Mary Beth Keane

Narrated by: Candace Thaxton

From the bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, a novel about the woman known as “Typhoid Mary,” who becomes, “in Keane’s assured hands…a sympathetic, complex, and even inspiring character” (O, The Oprah Magazine).

Mary Beth Keane has written a spectacularly bold and intriguing novel about the woman known as “Typhoid Mary,” the first person in America identified as a healthy carrier of Typhoid Fever.

On the eve of the twentieth century, Mary Mallon emigrated from Ireland at age fifteen to make her way in New York City. Brave, headstrong, and dreaming of being a cook, she fought to climb up from the lowest rung of the domestic-service ladder. Canny and enterprising, she worked her way to the kitchen, and discovered in herself the true talent of a chef. Sought after by New York aristocracy, and with an independence rare for a woman of the time, she seemed to have achieved the life she’d aimed for when she arrived in Castle Garden. Then one determined “medical engineer” noticed that she left a trail of disease wherever she cooked, and identified her as an “asymptomatic carrier” of Typhoid Fever. With this seemingly preposterous theory, he made Mallon a hunted woman.

The Department of Health sent Mallon to North Brother Island, where she was kept in isolation from 1907 to 1910, then released under the condition that she never work as a cook again. Yet for Mary—proud of her former status and passionate about cooking—the alternatives were abhorrent. She defied the edict.

Bringing early-twentieth-century New York alive—the neighborhoods, the bars, the park carved out of upper Manhattan, the boat traffic, the mansions and sweatshops and emerging skyscrapers—Fever is an ambitious retelling of a forgotten life. In the imagination of Mary Beth Keane, Mary Mallon becomes a fiercely compelling, dramatic, vexing, sympathetic, uncompromising, and unforgettable heroine.

Who Was Typhoid Mary?

Was Mary Mallon just a scapegoat? A victim of a paranoid society willing to vilify and discard a poor, Irish immigrant and domestic worker based solely on shoddy science and sensationalism? Fever tells the story as "Typhoid Mary" may have told it herself. Through her eyes we get an insider's view of early 20th Century New York City and of the perfect storm she was swept up in. Not a meek, unsophisticated victim at all, Mary is a woman ahead of her time in many ways: unmarried by choice, a bread winner, a skilled cook, and a fighter. She does not simply accept her diagnosis, and by questioning the science behind the accusations she adds pressure on the doctors to better understand the spread of disease, and on the legal system to address issues of public health and civil liberties. This is historical fiction at its best.

Fever

I LOVED this book!It had me enthralled to the end.Candace Thaxtons narration was wonderful.Very interesting indeed.

Keeps attention and gives facts and news

Mary liked being a cook, but then people started getting sick. She thought it was unfair to isolate her for a time. The novel covers what she lived like, where, and what her relationships were. Well-researched and written. Seems like it could be accurate as possible.

Great story of a real life experience

Every life has a story. This one is touching, authentic and inspiring for all learners on life’s journey.

An Excellent Work Of 'Fact-ion"

I just heard the word "Faction"-a mix of fact and fiction and it's made for books such as "Fever". Any casual reading of fact resources (i.e.:Wickipedia) make no mention of a man in 'Thyphoid Mary's' history, yet much of the 'fiction' aspect of 'Fever' revolves around Alfred, supposedly Mary's lover for many years and his issues with substance abuse.

I can understand the author adding a bit of romance interest to what might have been a dry book. And a reader can understand that a writer has to make up dialogue where none is recorded. The factual information about Mary herself is interesting and nicely written, however. I have to agree with other reviewers who have stated that author Keane goes astray when she writes on about Alfred, Mary's supposed lover, especially his trip to Minnesota - this is pure fiction which is presented as fact.

In any case, I found this a quick listen and very informative. Mary had an unfortunate life and in todays era it's difficult to understand how she was treated-isolated for years on an island in the river outside NYC.

If you're in the medical profession, or even if you enjoy historical fiction, which is how this should be presented, "Fever" is a good book for you.

Narrator Candace Thaxton did a good job with the varied accents but they were more modern than what one might hear in the early 1900's-still if the listener can overlook these issues, the book is informative and enjoyable.

Well worth the credit.