We all know the other side of the story, I'm sure, where Mary is best known with "Typhoid" in front of her name.

Keane does a great job of humanising a disease carrier, a silent assassin who wants only one thing - to work as a cook with a decent wage in order to live her life.

The book can get a little whingey at some points, but I think that has more to do with Mary's personality than a lack of skill in narrative - she's headstrong, however lacking the information that we now know about Typhoid and its progression through New York, and comes across as churlish and rude to a lot of the people who attempt to make her stay on the Island at least comfortable for her.

Mary is also a proud woman. She has worked hard for her gains in life, and being treated as less than what she is, or indeed being perceived as her "station" in life when she has lofty ideas of integration and promotion of her lot in life gets her wind up, and she's likely to let loose a diatribe of complaints to anyone who dares treat her this way. The word "haughty" comes up often and it seems a fitting notion of character for Mary.

However you can't hold a lot of what happens against her. When you hear that there are other carriers who are living their lives (sans contaminating thousands of people through their weapon of choice) whilst she is locked away with little contact with the outside world, a tinge of women's rights and feminism begins to creep in. It's certainly warranted, but it is keeping with the sentients of the time and can't be judged on the expectations we have of equality in todays society.

I found that the "Alfred" parts of the book got a little boring and I have to admit to a bit of speed reading, I didn't enjoy Alfred and his part of Mary's story.

You need to come at this as historical fiction with a bit of research but a lot of emphasis on the fiction. It's not dry, and if you're looking for something that is more about the identification of Typhoid and its medicinal disease theory, you would be best off reading some non-fiction.

That said, it's good and if you don't mind a bit of whinging about a no-good de facto, you will probably enjoy it.

A very sad tale. Fever by Mary Beth Keane tells the story of Typhoid Mary, and tells it well. What an unfortunate woman she was, and very badly treated. The story is told sympathetically but I feel, honestly. I enjoyed the read.