Product Description

You know how sometimes friendship blossoms in the Þrst few moments of meeting? “Something clicked,” we say. Well, that’s what discovering Betty MacDonald was like for me: I happened to read a couple of pages of one of her books and — click — knew right away that here was a vivacious writer whose friendly, funny, and Þery company I was really going to enjoy. Although MacDonald’s Þrst and most popular book, The Egg and I, has remained in print since its original publication, her three other volumes have been unavailable for decades. 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #65606 in Books
• Published on: 1994-12-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

A Personal Reflection
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.

fun at the sanatarium!
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.

Christmas celebrations in the San
I read this book long ago, have forgotten a lot of it, but just about every December I find myself singing "Deck the Halls in Old Crepe Paper, fa la la" etc. Used to confuse my kids no end. For those who haven't read it yet, look for the scenes of holiday celebrations in the old TB sanitaruims-- sad & funny.