Join the search for Typhoid Mary in this early twentieth-century CSI. Now in paperback!Prudence
Galewski doesn’t belong in Mrs. Browning’s esteemed School for Girls.
She doesn’t want an “appropriate” job that makes use of refinement and
charm. Instead, she is fascinated by how the human body works—and why it
fails.
Prudence is lucky to land a position in a laboratory, where she is swept into an investigation of a mysterious fever. From ritzy mansions to shady bars and rundown tenements, Prudence explores every potential cause of the disease to no avail—until the volatile Mary Mallon emerges. Dubbed “Typhoid Mary” by the press, Mary is an Irish immigrant who has worked as a cook in every home the fever has ravaged. But she’s never been sick a day in her life. Is the accusation against her an act of discrimination? Or is she the first clue in solving one of the greatest medical mysteries of the twentieth century?
Prudence is lucky to land a position in a laboratory, where she is swept into an investigation of a mysterious fever. From ritzy mansions to shady bars and rundown tenements, Prudence explores every potential cause of the disease to no avail—until the volatile Mary Mallon emerges. Dubbed “Typhoid Mary” by the press, Mary is an Irish immigrant who has worked as a cook in every home the fever has ravaged. But she’s never been sick a day in her life. Is the accusation against her an act of discrimination? Or is she the first clue in solving one of the greatest medical mysteries of the twentieth century?
Interesting story (especially in connection with reading Yellow Death and Zeitoun the same weekend - the study of disease and an unjust imprisonment) but ultimately a bit too slow for me. I liked the journaling-style storytelling, but Prudence was too cautious a heroine for me. I can't picture my readers connecting with her. I enjoyed the author's notes at the end. An interesting task - to make Typhoid Mary seem more human and understandable. Again, I'm incredibly glad to live in an era of more advanced scientific understanding than the turn of that century!
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