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booklvrkat's review
5.0
Sad, sad, sad. To think that all it would have taken was simple education and the spread of Typhoid Fever might have not surrounded her. Mary is a character of all characters and I dare you to keep her out of your heart. Just when you think her story gets better, she's ripped from her happy every single time.
fiberreader's review
3.0
Like many people, I suppose, I'd heard the name "Typhoid Mary" numerous times, but I never realized that she was a real person, so I enjoyed learning more about Mary Mallon (realizing that every detail in the book that is not documented fact is fictional). Her case provides an interesting study in ethics. When is the public good more valuable than the free will of a person? Was Mary to blame for inadvertently spreading typhoid fever by supporting herself, especially given how unlikely she was to have understood how the disease was transmitted? Would she have been treated differently -- by the doctors, the public officials, the media -- if she'd been a man? What role did the fact that she was an immigrant play?
I found this book to be a thought-provoking read, though I didn't love it. I really enjoyed the first of this book, but the second half dragged a bit for me.
I found this book to be a thought-provoking read, though I didn't love it. I really enjoyed the first of this book, but the second half dragged a bit for me.
opal360's review
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
5.0
A historical novel by the author of Ask Again, Yes. I enjoyed this very much, especially all the little details of New York in the 1900s.
herreadingroom's review
3.0
I was disappointed with this book - I think more could have been made of Mary's story and her time incarcerated on North Brother; and less of Albert's story. Albert's character was frankly irritating. Mary refusing to accept that she was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid is the crux of this fictional work, although based on fact. An interesting plot which drew me into to choosing to read this book but ultimately it fell far short of my expectations. I found it a bit of a trawl through sticky black treacle.
kkeddy's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mcerrin's review
3.0
This would have been better as non-fiction. As fiction, I couldn't determine how much was fabricated. Based on the dialogue and details, I imagine liberties were taken with many storylines. I also didn't care for Alfred's story and their relationship. That's not what I signed up to read about most of the book.
jesstaurant's review
4.0
The story dragged a bit in the middle but picked back up at the end. Enjoyed this!