Read With Us: Fever

Mary Beth Keane's Fever is our current Read With Us choice.

Maybe you've already read the book . . . maybe you've just picked it up . . . or maybe you're still thinking about it.  Wherever you fall on the spectrum, I hope you'll read along with us!

Fever tells the story of Mary Mallon, better know as "Typhoid Mary," the first asymptomatic carrier of the Typhoid virus.  Set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century, Keane deftly blurs the lines between fact and fiction in this historical fiction novel. Keane helps us make a powerful connection between the past and the present by inviting us to step inside the mind of Mary Mallon, to see the streets of New York City from her perspective, to meet her friends and neighbors, and to share in events of the times.  The book brings "Typhoid Mary" out of the history books . . . and into our lives.

Mary Beth Keane, author of Fever, is an American writer of Irish parentage.  She has written 3 books:  The Walking People (2009), Fever (2013), and Ask Again,Yes (2019).  In 2011 she was named one of the National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35" and in 2015 she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Fiction.  Her novel, Ask Again,Yes debuted at #5 on The New York times Best Sellers list in June 2019, and was selected as The Tonight Show Summer Read choice for 2019 after five days of audience voting.  In August 2019, she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to discuss the book.  (I've included The Tonight Show clip at the end of this blog post in case you're interested.)

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There will be much for us to discuss together next month!  I hope you'll join us.

Book discussions will take place on Tuesdays in February.  Rather than divide the book into chapters for discussion, we'll be taking a different approach with this book and hosting discussions based on topics related to the book.  Watch our blogs for more information as we get closer to the discussion dates.

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Be sure to check out previous Read With Us posts about Fever:

• Carole shared background information about Mary Mallon -- including photos.
• Bonny shared interesting facts she'd learned about Typhoid and and other asymptomatic carriers.

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Comments

[Carole]

I've seen a lot of activity on GoodReads with regards to this book so I think we've got a bunch of people reading it. I'm looking forward to our discussions.

[Kat]

I am about a third of the way in and I am looking forward to our discussions!

[Patty]

Finished the book and am looking forward to our discussion! :-)

[Sarah]

I have finished and am looking forward into digging into it with you!

[Vera]

Less than 100 pages to go (I had to finally turn off the light last night and go to sleep). Looking forward to our discussions.

[Bonny]

Thanks, Kym, and I'm going to say the same thing -- I'm looking forward to the discussions!

[Carolyn Seymour Thomas]

I LOVED Fever, more than Ask Again, Yes...but probably because I love hist. fic. It was a great read, fantastic choice or your book club! And always wonderful to see an author on late night T.V.

[Margene]

I've read Fever, but now I'm interested in Yes Again, Yes!