Customer Reviews

The Plague and I

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Betty McDonald was my husbands's aunt - her sister DeDe mentioned in this book was my beloved mother-in-law. Although I never knew Betty, I had the priviledge of knowing my mother-in-law for 20 some years. The entire Bard family was a strong group with character like none other. My children had the priviledge of growing up listening to so many other "Bard Family stories" told by DeDe, their grandmother. It's too bad we don't have that grit, humor and determination that Betty and the rest of her family had. Those characteristics would help so many of us get through the tough times we face today. She was a great author and a classy lady. So glad these books have come back into print.

you wouldn't think that a stay in a tb hospital could be a subject for a funny book; at least not until you read betty macdonald's "the plague & i". she is the author of the wonderful classics, "the egg & i", "anybody can do anything", "onions in the stew", and the children's series, mrs. piggle-wiggle. this particular book brings her light hearted outlook to what could have been a very stressful time in her life. through betty's eyes the reader is invited to look at a serious subject with humor and wit. i'd recommend this to any reader of erma bombeck or jean kerr.

This book is filled with an off beat sence of humor. It isn't the slap you in the face kind of humor but rather the kind of humor that hits you later. For example, I found myself smilingat something I read earlier in the day while cooking dinner. At the end of this book you feel like you know each of the people personally. I wanted a follow up to find out what happened to each person. It's that good.

Basically this book is about Betty MacDonalds stay in a sanitorium while she had TB. She can take such a serious topic that could be pretty morose and turn it into something interesting and funny.

When I was 15, I acquired TB and was hospitalized for 7 months. What a grim sentence for a teenager. A library assistant gave this book to me and it began my long love affair with Betty MacDonald's books. This is a favorite of mine. Her descriptions of the personnel and patients in the sanitorium are hilarious. Wit and a talent for the language makes each of MacDonald's books a treasure to be read over and over.

I have read all of Betty MacDonald's books and highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys the wonderful release of laughter. The Plague and I is such an interesting book about the methods of treating TB during the 40's in contrast with the use today of antibiotics. She keeps the reader laughing at the antics of the staff and the patients at the sanatorium. I stuggle to slow down whenever I read any of her books because they are so much fun to read,that before I realize it, I have come to the end. The Plague and I is no exception. If you want to have fun and laugh alot and laugh outloud, get a copy. I had to wait 3 months for my local library to round up a copy. Sadly, all of Betty's books are out of print. I hope someone will do a reprint very soon.

It's rare you find a book about TB that's funny (who ever cracked up constantly when reading The Magic Mountain?), but if you're looking for one, here it is. MacDonald turns her stay in the Pines into a humorous, lively tale involving a succession of roommates (some lively, some intelligent, and some just plain aggravating) and patients, authoritarian nurses, bickering daughters, and more about sputum than you'll find in the average book. I've read this book over and over; the binding is hopelessly cracked and bent out of shape. I borrowed this book from my mother several years ago, and I have refused to give it back! Great reading-- I highly recommend it.

Love all Betty Macdonald's books. This is one of my personal favorites, and have had an impossible time finding a copy! Her keen sense of observation, coupled with her sense of humor and unique writing style make this a keeper.

Luckily, I have a copy of this book, though it is very old. Yellowed pages falling out and the binding coming undone etc. My mother read this as a child and passed it down to me. Thank God that at least I have this version because it seems to be irreplaceable!! I read this book every couple of months and enjoy it almost as much as the first time.

If there's anything good about a disiplinarian TB institution in the 30s (not 40s), it's the opportunity to meet so many different kinds of people. Macdonald is an observer and nailer of people's quirks on a level with Dickens (both of them, Charles and Monica). I love this book. There's one thing I would like explained, though. American readers talk as if Macdonald's "racism" was an understood and obvious thing. I see no racism in this book. OK, she calls somebody "coloured" and another girl "black". She also mentions that her roommate is Japanese and her workmate an Eskimo. Is she racist for not using today's PC terminology? She praises the institution for accepting everybody and mixing them together. She quotes some racist comments from other patients, but doesn't say she condones them, in fact "Betty" in the book answers back and disagrees. Please, please, somebody tell me why it is currently PC to say Macdonald is racist?

It was interesting to see another review from somebody from Czechlands where this book has been very popular for a long time and where Betty MacDonald is almost a household name. I was very surprised to mention the book in conversations with people in the US just to find out that they do not know it. If you read this and you have the authority to make it happen - please re-publish.I will buy at least 10 copies myself and send it to all the friends that have never had a chance to read it.