Author: Mary Beth Keane
ISBN: 978-1-4711-297-3
RRP: $$24.99
Mary Beth Keane has chosen a well known historical figure as the central figure of her latest novel, an historical figure whom I feel I should be much more familiar with – history was clearly not my strong point at school, and even now I don’t keep up with what’s going on in the world.
Mary Mallon, also referred to as Typhoid Mary, lived in the early part of the 20th Century in New York after emigrating from Ireland as a teenager. She started her career as a laundress and worked her way up to cooking for some very wealthy families, where she unknowingly spread Typhoid Fever. Apparently her story is quite widely known, unfortunately my history knowledge is limited. Keane has brought her into the limelight and inspired me to want to go and find out Mary’s story, to discover the facts of Mary Mallon’s life.
Keane’s descriptions of New York in the first years of the 20th Century made me wonder how so many people survived. There was garbage and manure piled in the streets and hygiene standards were certainly not what they are today. The fact that there was so much disease is definitely not a surprise, and that is something that Keane takes great pains to point out.
Fever is Mary’s story, there’s no doubt about that. Keane has given us a detailed self-portrait of Mary told in the third person. We get a look inside her mind and her heart. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a fictionalised self-portrait though its meticulous research shines through. It is a very realistic and believable self-portrait and for the majority of the novel I sympathised with Mary completely, there were times that she tested the limits of that sympathy but throughout it all I couldn’t help but feel for her.
Mary was the first person in America to be identified as a healthy carrier of Typhoid fever so it is more than plausible for an uneducated Irish cook to be unable to grasp the fact that she was passing on a disease she had never had. Having said that, I found that there were passages that I thought were almost hints from much earlier on that may have given some idea – but even so, I am moving to those conclusions from a 21st Century standpoint where we understand a lot more about germs, disease and their spread.
Keane’s writing style is engaging and kept me involved, I wanted to know how this story unfolded – even when I knew something was going to happen that I just didn’t want to read about. Drawn through Keane’s eyes, I don’t think Mary really grasped the extent of her choices as she made them, but hindsight painted things in a different light for her and that’s something we have all had to deal with at times. Hence the old saying, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
This was a very interesting read which involved me enough to want to do some research about the real Mary Mallon. I felt that Keane could have captured the real Mary because she has written her story so well, and in a way that leaves great doubt as to whether any of her actions were undertaken with malice or a clear understanding of the risks at the time she took the action. On reflection at the end of her life we can plainly see her begin to see the entire situation in a different light, but by that time it is way too late.
There is so much in this book that will appeal to more than just the lovers of history, or those interested in the beginnings of sanitation, disease control, New York. I would recommend it to anyone really.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
“Fever” written by Mary Beth Keane tells the journey of Mary Mallon, a Irish immigrant living in New York as a cook for wealthy households. The character of Mary depicts a strong willed woman who has had to face various losses throughout her life. Mary is isolated from society when she is believed to be a carrier of Typhoid Fever, placing her with the title of “Typhoid Mary” in the media.
It is clear to see that the main character feels significant grief for those who pass around her, but does not link the illness and suffering of others around her as being due to her condition.
The author Mary Beth Keane successfully transports the reader back into the early twentieth century creating an image of the way of life of a lower class woman living with a man without the commitment of marriage, the societal values and set roles of each individual person in society.
Throughout the book there is a key focus on the power of the medical profession versus the human rights of the individual. Control is also established in the development of an unhealthy and dysfunctional relationship with Mary and her spouse. I quite enjoyed the change from the point of view of Mary, to that of her partner half way through the story as it provides you with insight into each character. However once reading the point of view of Mary, I began to feel the character of her partner Alfred was that of a domestically violent man who had treated the character with a lack of respect for many years, as he had struggled with addictions for alcohol and other drugs. Therefore once I entered the point of view of Alfred, I found it difficult to feel any compassion for his situation.
The book is a combination of letters to ensure constant contact is kept with outside characters to ensure they are able to be returned to further into the storyline.
Overall it was an interested read, I would have enjoyed a little more historical content (perhaps some original photos/documents included) to allow greater depth to the story of this strong woman labelled as “typhoid Mary”.
Half way through this book and I am gripped by its detail and imagery. Within the first few pages you feel like you have known Mary all your life, understood her dreams, aspirations and humor. The unfairness in how she has been treated and the struggles she faces in trying to not only understand but face the trials and tribulations of ‘the process’. The lack of support and half hearted efforts of those around her pull at the heart strings and make you want to jump up and shout ‘FAIR GO’!
The language is descriptive in a way that transports you to America trudging the soiled roads and filth lining the alleyways. I can not wait to finish this book to see how it turns out! Its a hard book to put down!
Well I finished the book and loved it the whole way through. I loved how Mary didnt have the happily ever after ending but the way it was written was amazing that made you feel that she was accepting of the fate she was dealt.
Mary Keane has a fantastic ability to write that created personal and emotional ties with the charactors. The story line was detailed and gripping, and kept you wanting more and more.
After reading this book I felt enriched and rewarded and am certainly on the look out for more books written by this creative and inspiring writer.
Thank you very much!
Thankyou so much B&L for the opportunity to read this story, which I found interesting to say the least.
This story had so many different reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed reading it; the fact that it was based on a real person and what she went through, the mention of specific times in history that I actually knew about (The Titanic), realising the struggle for normal people in those days (work, life, hopes, dreams), a love story that lasted but would never quite get there.
I began this book admiring Mary Mallon and feeling so sorry for her and I ended the book still feeling the same way, my opinions of her didn’t change as the story unfolded.
Mary had little insight into her doing any wrong….why would she? She cooked for many families and friends through her life, she was an amazing, talented chef and the majority of people she cooked for survived and stayed healthy….it was a small minority that fell sick and died, and back in this day and age, it was pretty common for there to be disease outbreaks that would take many lives. I felt for her so much, when her first victim died, a young toddler named Tobias Kirkenbauer, who she truly loved and doted on, she would never have intentionally harmed him and anyone that knew Mary would’ve known that about her.
Mary met the love of her life, Alfred, when she was in her late teens. Alfred never held a steady job, he was an alcoholic and this would affect his reliability on the job front. Hence why Mary NEEDED to work and to do something that earned a decent wage. But she also loved cooking and pottering around in the kitchen, this was when she felt the happiest.
It was one Doctor, a Dr Soper, a Sanitary Engineer and Medical Investigator, who was asked to investigate a Typhoid outbreak around the Oyster Bay area, where Mary worked, that brought about her demise. After chasing up the details of the deaths and illnesses he came to the realisation that there was one common factor in all the cases…Mary Mallon. With this information he went about informing Mary about what he believed was happening and giving her the choice to step down and hand herself in, which she would not – I am with Mary on her decision to fight, Dr Soper had no real evidence and Mary had cooked for so many more people that had continued to live perfectly healthy lives. It would’ve been very difficult to comprehend that you were killing people through your food, when you were so healthy yourself!
I found the way that Dr Soper handled the whole situation, frustrating. He stripped Mary of all her rights as a human being. Isolated her from the entire World, including her partner Alfred and any friends…..nobody knew what happened to her unless they worked it out for themselves through newspaper reports. They tried to force her to undergo an operation to have her Gallbladder removed and I honestly thought they were going to do it without her consent. Mary was sent to Willard Parker Hospital, where she underwent stringent blood & urine tests for 2 weeks, after which they shipped her to an isolated Island known as “Consumption Island” or North Brother. This is an Island where those who suffer from diseases go to die. Mary was still healthy, showing no signs of illness, she was told she would be at North Brother for a few weeks…Mary ended up isolated on the Island for 3 years, where the majority of that time was spent being tested daily, sequestered away in her own purpose-built shack. It was during these 3 years that other healthy Typhoid carriers were discovered and these individuals were allowed to stay with their families and carry on with their lives as long as they stopped doing whatever it was that spread the Typhoid, this gave Mary’s case hope and a good reason why she should be freed.
Mary’s confinement on the Island did not stop her from fighting for her freedom whatever chance she could. Her relationship with Alfred was failing, I always got the feeling through the book that Mary loved Alfred more than he loved her, Alfred was always ready to give up too easy and fall to his addictions for comfort, he was a weak man.
Finally after 3 years, Mary was set free (kind of) as long as she followed strict instructions to appear every 3 months for review, and to never cook for anyone again. By this time, Alfred had left her and moved on with another woman. Mary had to start all over again. Her job now was as a laundress, a mundane job to Mary, but she didn’t have a choice. But then sporadically events began to confront Mary where she had the chance to do something with her cooking skills, with some thought, Mary went ahead and broke the rules of her release and began to cook for others again. She was happy….nobody was getting sick.
Alfred was always on her mind and she was always on Alfred’s mind. His life led him elsewhere for years, he was hurt in an explosion and burnt badly, this event led to Alfred becoming addicted now to opiates….Mary should’ve stayed away.
Mary was somehow offered a job in a hospital, cooking the meals for patients, she used a false last name (which does give some credence to her guilt – she knew what she was doing was wrong, but I still don’t believe that she truly knew deep down that she had killed people, she wan’t a cold blooded murderer). For a while the hospital job went well, until one day Nurses began to get sick, then some patients. Dr Soper once again investigated and discovered that Mary was the cook.
Alfred had just passed away from drug addiction, and now Mary was busted again for killing people with Typhoid. She was shipped back to North Brother where she still lived 23 years on, once again in her isolated shack. This time though she was resigned to the fact that it must’ve been her that had somehow poisoned these people, she had no fight left in her.
The end of the book I got the feeling that Mary’s mind ‘clicked’ and all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place for her and I think she did finally believe that she had caused the death of people. It seemed to be something she sort of knew but kept denying.
I love Mary Beth Keane’s style of storytelling, she is a very talented writer and I will definately be keeping my eyes peeled for more of her books. She writes with conviction, flair, fluidity and empathy. There was one passage of the story that took my breath away and I actually highlighted it after reading it; it was when Mila Borriello was talking to Mary about her son, Alberto, who died from drowning:
” I pushed him out of me, and nursed him, and soothed him, and then one day he left here and didn’t come back. Like he was nothing and everything I felt for him was nothing and all that time we felt it was good, and strong, and special, it was really no stronger than a strand of hair snipped in two”.
– what an amazing, thoughtful, poetic passage.
I am so happy that I was accepted to read & review this book as it’s probably not one I would’ve picked out for myself and I would hate to have missed out on reading such an involving story.
Thank you so much to Beauty & Lace and Simon & Schuster for sending me Fever by Mary Beth Keane.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fever. Time flew by as I flipped the pages over each day. I found it a struggle to place the book down when I needed to and found myself thinking about what was going to happen next when I wasn’t reading. Mary Beth Keane did a fantastic job of writing, I felt as if I could see the people, smell the scenery, reach out and touch the fabric of clothing and feel the emotions of Mary Mallon herself. Sometimes I became so involved I felt as though I was watching a movie about Typhoid Mary’s instead of reading the novel. As I read through the novel I was thrown back and forth to learn of the circumstances within her life that lead to Mary Mallon’s capture.
Before I read Fever I had no knowledge whatsoever of Typhoid Mary or her history, once I’d finished the book I felt the need to research her story via the internet. I was amazed once I started to read about Mary Mallon’s life because I soon realised that I already knew it thanks to Keane’s Fever. Mary Beth Keane included all true facts within her story from the families Mary Mallon work for to the events of North Brother. Being a fictional novel Mary Beth Keane developed the story herself and painted a vision in my mind of what Mary Mallon’s true life would have been like. Keane filled in the gaps of the facts you would only read in history books and turned Mallon into someone I feel for.
Now for me to discuss the story without trying to give too much away.
The novel is based manly during the 1900’s, beginning in 1899 with the story of Mary’s first cooking situation with the Kirkenbauer family. This is where I learnt of a horrible experience that Mary continually remembers throughout the novel, as the years go by what happened on that day continually affects her. Throughout the book I learn that Mary was an Irish immigrant, coming to America in 1883 to live with her Aunt Kate. At age 15, Mary obtained a job as a laundress and worked with a family until one day an event threw her the opportunity of being a cook. She well and truly proved herself capable of this position and finally held the title of cook as she moved from situation to situation. This was her career and what she wanted in life.
As I continue to read through the chapters I become quiet envious of Mary. She is an incredibly strong, independent woman. She doesn’t care for how women “should” act, as long as she is happy that’s what matters. People would frown at her and the love of her life, Alfred, for living together unmarried but she didn’t care. She wanted more than being a house wife and thoroughly enjoyed her cooking career.
As the chapters fly by, different characters became introduced, one of which has a huge effect on Mary Mallon’s life, and that is DR. Soper. Seen in Mary’s eyes as a villain and pure evil, I just thought of him as being portrayed unfairly. His job was to investigate the spreading of Typhoid and as years past he was traced to Mary Mallon. I didn’t see him as being rude yet Mary always objected to his requests thus leading to her capture, as she was a danger to the public. I did think it was harsh how she was removed from her friends for all those years and isolated but then I thought things would have been differently if she had participated with him initial. She was portraying herself as rather guilty. With lives suffering all around her I saw her as being in denial also. Yes, in the beginning she was unaware of Typhoid and how it was being spread, but then it was brought to her attention and she still continued to cook, she was captured, taken to North Brother and released on terms of not cooking, but she cooked anyway and people became sick and passed away. The hospital position rather upset me. When young women and babies became ill she was careless and never removed herself from the job. I guess the urge to earn money for Alfred made her show up each morning. Still, I thought of it as careless. Are people’s lives, young and old, worth that risk? I think in the end she realised just how careless she had been and if she didn’t resort to cooking again, a lot would be different, loves wouldn’t be lost.
My opinion of Mary went up and down as I read the book. Guilty then not guilty. Strong then weak. Brave then not. Why did she condone Alfred’s behaviour when she returned to him. Was she afraid of losing him again so she would just do as he asks? If she had remained the old Mary I think things would have ended differently.
The end of the book concludes with a diary entry written by Mary. She looks back on her life and welcomes what will be her soon future.
I thought some parts of the book could have been more involved. The inclusion of Alfred let me learn of Mary’s nurturing side, but when Alfred had a story to tell himself I was always left wanting to know more. I felt his story was rushed and I didn’t really understand his situation when he parted with Mary. His story could have been more developed so I could have gained a better understanding of his growing pain and addiction.
To conclude, I truly loved reading this novel and I will re-read and recommend it to my friends and family to read too, in fact I already have. I love when I become connected to a character, Keane wrote Mary so well and I feel like I know her now. I now have knowledge of a well-known figure in history whereas before I didn’t. A fantastic read.
My original thoughts when I heard about this book was that it could possibly be quite boring and mundane, however I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed it.
It went into intricate detail about the life of Mary, where she came from, the reasons that she went to America to get a better life.
To be looking for such awful work at such a young age, doing laundry when all she really wanted to do was cook.
Her relationship with Alfred which had some good times but seemed mostly bad with him always drinking and not working.
The way she was taken once they realised that she was infecting people through her cooking, must have been a horrid experience, then being segregated in a small cabin all alone, constantly having to provide samples, being poked and prodded, never allowed visitors, and to go on that like for 3yrs before finally being released.
I thought that would be the end of it, but after all the heartache, finally finding a job and a place to live, getting back on her feet, to then be taken back to that horrible place to live the rest of her life out.
This was a very moving story about Mary’s life, her heartbreak at losing people she lived with, especially the children, and then to also lose Alfred, she must have been a very strong woman to cope with so much pressure and scrutiny.
I very much enjoyed reading this book and will look forward to reading other novels written by Mary Beth Keane if they are written with the same depth and emotion.
Thankyou so much for letting me be a part of this readers review.
Take a trip back in time to the early twentieth century and follow the life, hardships and atrocities of the time. Following Mary Mallon, an Irish immigrant living in New York, earning her living as a cook and unknowingly spreading Typhoid Fever to those that she cooks for. Little does she realize that the people who die around her, who suffer great illness and that she tries to nurse to health, succeeding only some of the time, is due to her cooking and the lack of understanding hygiene for that time.
Medical science of the day also had little knowledge of how “healthy carriers” existed and spread the disease and so their next best option was isolation. Taken by force, Mary was removed from her job, long time partner and friends, and isolated into a small shack on an island destination primarily for tuberculosis patients. Once there, Mary is unable to cook, leave, have visitors and, in the beginning, unable to contact friends or family. Subjected to daily and weekly blood, urine and stool samples with no information about the results, why exactly she is there, how long she will be there.
Mary Beth Keane does such a good job in taking you back, putting you in Mary’s shoes and showing the reader how unfair history was. Sadly I have doubts that modern people would have done better in those times.
After years of isolation, Mary appeals to a lawyer who takes on her case and after failed attempts to gain her freedom, and the passing of more time in isolation, Mary is finally freed under strict conditions of monthly testing and a change of career, No More Cooking! Sadly, by this time her lover, Alfred, a man who drank regularly and was often out of work, has found a new family, cleaned up and was working regularly.
Taking a change of view to that of Alfred, Mary Beth Keane challenges readers to understand his perspective. Already your heart bleeds for Mary and her injustice but now you are drawn into the tragedy of his life, alcoholism, torn between the family he honorably wishes to do right by and his love for Mary. This drives him back to alcohol and a tragedy of his own, leading to a tragic life of drug dependence.
Mary and Alfred, destined for each other eventually find each other again, only for Alfred to die and Mary to fall back to cooking and find herself once again removed from society.
I was hooked by the prologue and was saddened by the book ending. I could hardly put it down to go to work and just wished the day would pass so that I may again pick up where I left off. As a medical scientist myself, living in such times, not knowing about the diseases, their causes and the unfairness of it all made this an even better read. I’ve no doubt after reading this book google will get more hits looking into the story of Typhoid Mary, and others like her.
Fever was a captive read. Although – like the Titantic sinking – history buffs will be familiar with the outcome,this does not deter the reader from wanting to stick with the story to the end.
The tale of Mary Mallon, depicts the highs and lows of our main protagonist against a historic background that the author brings vividly to life. We are taken on a journey that enlightens us to the effect others have on Mary as well as the impact she greatly has on society.
When it comes to Mary’s arrest (spoiler alert), I could not help but wonder if this is what an episode of Law and Order would be like in the early 1900s.
With the cooler weather approaching. Fever is an enthralling read to occupy you during the wintery weather and a timely reminder of the importance of good hygiene.
“Fever” A book I did not want to put down.
You feel every emotion when you read this gripping story about Mary Mallon. Did she deserve to be despised and isolated for decades or did she genuinely believe she had caused no harm? While the reader is left to draw their own conclusion about Typhoid Mary this novel is thought provoking. There are always two sides to every story and Mary I’m sure would have had quite a tale to tell.
I enjoyed this very well written story from begining to end. Mary Beth Keane beautifully weaves fact and fiction into a fascinating novel.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this wonderful story about ‘Typhoid Mary’. It was a gripping read from start to finish as I became fascinated with Mary’s unusual fate. At first I was on her side feeling angry at the US government forcibly removing her from general population as she was unaware that she was indeed a typhoid carrier and that she wasn’t allowed to even say goodbye to friends and her lover.
After she was released her stubborn nature got her in trouble as she wasn’t content to work away from preparing food and decided to brake the law and even work under false name at a maternity hospital infecting newborn babies sealing her fate which I thought was foolish although I got a glimpse of how hard her life was as a laundress.
I loved the attention to detail in the storyline the daily challenges and struggles people faced. The point that illness and childbirth didn’t discriminate whether you were rich or poor made no difference. It made me think about how life has changed for the better and about how lucky we are only 100 years on.
Mary’s reflection on her life as she was close to death was very interesting as I wonder whether her strong will and stubborn nature weakened with old age in real life.
Mary Beth Keane is a very talented writer bringing a fascinating and unusual story to life in her brilliant masterpiece. I was so gripped I googled the case and found some photos of Mary in the hospital.
There are books that you carry through life remembering their amazing storylines and Fever will be one of them as it was thought provoking taking me on an emotional ride through amazing part of human history.
Fever. What a story! I enjoyed this book from the moment I picked it up. Even tho its classed as fiction based on truth, there was so much included into the storyline and woven around the characters that made it feel the whole truth and I thought it was going to be a factual and historicial book, not a book with feeling. It was extremely well written and I would not have known any different, it was the cleverly insereted facts such as the titantic for example that made it this way. Well researched and certainly, Mary Beth Keane knew the times and was very talented in her writing. I became enthralled with her descriptions and the knowledge of the era, even the pitifull existence of those living in such squallor.
The whole book was done to perfection, including the title, the cover of the novel, so dark for the death that surrounded her but so significant to the time. I discovered the “Poor Mary” syndrome and thats how the writer wanted me to feel, by relating to her, feeling for her.
If I had one critiscim of the book, I got a little bit bored with the story of Alfred but in saying that, I know that he was a integral part of the whole of Typhoid Mary.