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The Plague and I

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The Plague and I

By: Betty MacDonald
Narrated by: Heather Henderson
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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.

©1948 Betty MacDonald (P)2016 Post Hypnotic Press Inc. Art & Literature Authors Women Witty Funny
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fabulous adapting to a horrible situation with humour and hope, this is the favourite along with anybody can do anything. well worth a listen but have to recognise the period it was written in

the best

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I have loved Betty MacDonald's books for over half a century and am so pleased that they are now on Audible. Although this wasn't the voice of Betty that has been in my head all those years, it will do very well and I look forward to listening to Anybody can do Anything and Onions in the Stew (possibly my favourite) with great anticipation. I will listen over and over again as I used to read them over and over again. Thank you so much, Audible.

Thank you, Audible!

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Who was your favorite character and why?

Betty MacDonald is the obvious first choice followed by Kimi, the intelligent Japanese-American girl who I instantly liked.

Which character – as performed by Heather Henderson – was your favourite?

They were all entertaining. Heather Henderson is a great narrator.

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

Betty MacDonald's charm and wonderful, witty observations made her book about a killer disease wonderfully entertaining, but it didn't make me laugh out loud. She is a vivacious writer and I will now try some of her other books.

Very interesting and unexpectedly funny!

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So an account of a stay in a TB sanatorium might not sound like a laugh, but this is fantastic. It is funny and moving, with wonderfully realised descriptions of staff and patients. It is also a salient reminder of life before antibiotics, of what we might return to if we don't respect what we have.

An unexpected delight!

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My favourite book of all-time. I have reread it. And now I am listening to it again and again.

A classic!

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