The Plague and I
by Betty MacDonald
Narrator: Heather Henderson
Length: 8 hours 48 minutes
Publisher: Post Hypnotic Press⎮2016
Genre: Humor, Memoir
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"The Plague and I" recounts
MacDonald's experiences in a Seattle sanitarium, where the author spent almost
a year (1938-39) battling tuberculosis. The White Plague was no laughing
matter, but MacDonald nonetheless makes a sprightly tale of her brush with
something deadly.
"Anybody Can Do Anything" is a high-spirited, hilarious celebration of how "the warmth and loyalty and laughter of a big family" brightened their weathering of the Great Depression.
In "Onions in the Stew", MacDonald is in unbuttonedly frolicsome form as she describes how, with husband and daughters, she set to work making a life on a rough-and-tumble island in Puget Sound, a ferry ride from Seattle.
"Anybody Can Do Anything" is a high-spirited, hilarious celebration of how "the warmth and loyalty and laughter of a big family" brightened their weathering of the Great Depression.
In "Onions in the Stew", MacDonald is in unbuttonedly frolicsome form as she describes how, with husband and daughters, she set to work making a life on a rough-and-tumble island in Puget Sound, a ferry ride from Seattle.
The
year is 1938 and more than 700 sanitariums were open nationwide for the
treatment of tuberculosis. Matter of
fact, in the first decades of the 20th century, 1 out of every 170
Americans lived in a sanatorium. Just
think about that for a second….1 out of every 170 souls entered into the care
of a sanatorium and sadly they probably never left. Tuberculosis, also known as ‘consumption’ or
the ‘White Plague’, has killed many people in the history of America. The disease has caused much suffering from
hacking, bloody coughs, debilitating pain in their lungs, and fatigue.
One
of these poor souls to enter a sanatorium with tuberculosis was Betty
MacDonald. What probably had been a turbulent and frightening time in her life, Ms. MacDonald relayed the events and her time at the “Pines”
sanatorium with humorous and witty dialogue.
Her vivid descriptions of daily life and her fellow residents painted a
clear and precise picture in my mind and I could visualize everything perfectly
as the story progressed. The retelling
of how patients were treated stirred up some anger and sadness within me and I
can’t imagine even living under some of the circumstances and conditions, but Ms. MacDonald
brought humor and wittiness throughout which made The Plague and I a delightful read.
One thing is certain; I have a greater appreciation for modern medicine
after listening to this book!
The Plague and I is narrated by
Heather Henderson and her performance was spectacular and hands-down amazing.
In my opinion, her voice of Betty
MacDonald is perfect and I feel as though Ms. MacDonald is telling me the story
herself. Each of the other characters in
the story has their own distinct voice and each one was perfect. The production quality of this audio book was
very good. Each chapter started and
ended with a musical clip. I don’t
normally like when music is inserted within an audio book, but this
time I thought that it really added to the story and each clip was short and the
music was from that time period, which I happen to love.
Overall,
despite the gloomy topic, this was a delightful book to listen to and I found
myself laughing throughout. The Plague and I was well-written, with charming characters and a story line that was both educational and amusing. Ms.
MacDonald was a gifted and talented story-teller and when added with the awesomeness of
Ms. Henderson’s many voices really blends everything together beautifully and
effortlessly. I am a big fan of both
Betty MacDonald and Heather Henderson - knowing that without a doubt that I am
guaranteed a great read when it comes to this combination of author and narrator.
Story
– 4 stars
Performance
– 5 stars
Overall
– 4.5 stars
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a
blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Post
Hypnotic Press, Inc. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of
it.
Betty Bard MacDonald (1907–1958), the best-selling author of The Egg and I and the classic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle children’s books,
burst onto the literary scene shortly after the end of World War II. Readers
embraced her memoir of her years as a young bride operating a chicken ranch on
Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, andThe
Egg and I sold its first million copies in less than a year. The public was
drawn to MacDonald’s vivacity, her offbeat humor, and her irreverent take on
life. In 1947, the book was made into a movie starring Fred MacMurray and
Claudette Colbert, and spawned a series of films featuring MacDonald’s Ma and
Pa Kettle characters.
MacDonald followed up the success of The
Egg and I with the creation of Mrs.
Piggle-Wiggle, a magical woman who cures children of their bad habits, and
with three additional memoirs: The Plague
and I (chronicling her time in a tuberculosis sanitarium just outside
Seattle), Anybody Can Do Anything
(recounting her madcap attempts to find work during the Great Depression), and Onions in the Stew (about her life
raising two teenage daughters on Vashon Island).
Author Paula Becker was granted full access to Betty MacDonald’s
archives, including materials never before seen by any researcher. Looking for Betty MacDonald, the first
biography of this endearing Northwest storyteller, reveals the story behind the
memoirs and the difference between the real Betty MacDonald and her literary
persona.
Heather Henderson is
a voice actress and audiobook narrator with a 20-year career in literary and
performing arts. Her narrations include
the NYT bestseller (now also a feature film) Brain on Fire; and Sharon
Creech’s The Boy on the Porch, which
won her an Earphones award and was named one of the Best Children’s Audiobooks
for 2013 by Audiofile Magazine. She earned her Doctor of Fine Arts degree at
the Yale School of Drama, and is co-curator of AudioEloquence.com, a pronunciation research site for the
audiobook industry. In 2015, Heather was
a finalist for a Voice Arts Award (Outstanding Narration, Audiobook Classics),
for her narration of Betty MacDonald’s The
Egg and I. 
GRAND PRIZE: $100 credit for the Post Hypnotic Press Website
The Plague and I Runner Up
$60 credit for the Post Hypnotic Press Website
The Plague and I 3rd Runner Up
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