Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #100399 in Books
• Published on: 1991-07-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
Laurels to the lady who can make laughter for others and capital for herself of what many might term miseries, whether they be the misadventures of chicken ranching- combined with marriage to the wrong man, a term in a TB sanitarium, or- as in this latest, job sampling in the depression, a charming mother whose ideas of finances were, to put it mildly, erratic, and a sister who could rub her Aladdin's lantern and produce almost any thing for her sister to do, from blind dates to eccentric jobs. Mary and "My Sister Eil??" had many traits in common, but Mary had an imagination gifted in setting the pace- and facility in stopping out from under while Betty took the punishment. There's a beguiling first chapter which ties this book of adventures and misadventures in with the childhood background of a mining engineer's household. The author then skips the years recorded in The ?? and I tells of her hasty departure from the hated ranch, and then regales her readers with side splitting accounts of her job hunts, with Mary as arbiter. Told in dialogue and almost deadpan narrative, they make highly entertaining reading. The book is substantially longer than the samples which ran in the SEP as It All Happened To Me. (Kirkus Reviews)

Customer Reviews

Witty account of surviving the American depression.
Betty MacDonald's autobiographical account of how she survived the American depression of the 1930s with the help of a pushy older sister who insisted that "anybody can do anything" is a cheerful and life-affirming read. Modest by nature, Betty is strongarmed into jobs, relationships and experiences that she never asked for. But despite some inauspicious beginnings, ultimately she proves the truth of her sister's mantra by triumphing in the face of adversity.

Rediscovering this book via Amazon was like digging up buried treasure. I last read it as an adolescent and had assumed I'd never see it again, so it's good to know that Betty MacDonald (who died 40 years ago) is back in print. I worried that it might have dated horribly, but in fact her writing style remains as fresh, lively and engaging as I'd remembered, and the themes of unemployment, poverty and debt are still pertinent.

Curious to know how her work rates in America, I consulted the US Amazon site and found comments from a small army of people who, like me, first discovered her work long ago through their mothers or grandmothers, remember it fondly, and are desperate to get their hands on new editions of her books. I'm so pleased to have found her again.

Don't read this book in public!
Like another reviewer, I read this when I was in my teens, and I'm glad to say the attitude helped me through some tough times too. I can't read this book in public, because it makes me laugh out loud. But it also helps to put into context the view of working women in the US in the 30s. For an even bigger laugh, yes really, get hold of 'The Plague and I' by Betty M, it's about the fight with TB which eventually killed her. Believe it or not, it's such an inspiring read, it helps people who need to cope with Big Things. BM really had a tickling gift for writing.

The hysterical start to a series of books of her life
I first read this book when I was about 12, and found it the funniest book I had ever read. It still ranks in the top ten after all these year (I am over 50 now). She has the knack of seeing the humour in every situation and being able to write it in such a way that you find yourself often laughing out loud - (you get some funny looks on a train!) I have read it now at least six times, and with a reasonable gap between readings, I still laugh out loud.