Fever by Mary Beth Keane

Age Level: Adult

Format: Book

American history enthusiasts and/or medical history readers may know about the case of Typhoid Mary. Mary Mallon, a woman who emigrated from Ireland and was a cook in New York City at the turn of the 20^th century, was identified as a healthy carrier for typhoid. The Department of Health felt Mary transferred the disease through her cooking and isolated her on North Brother Island. She later left the Island, after promising not to cook for anyone again, only to return to isolation five years later for breaking her promise. While many others in the country were identified as healthy carriers, Mary was the only one assigned to isolation for the rest of her life. 

In this fictional account of Mary Mallon’s life, Keane brings Mary’s point of view to light. Keane portrays Mary as a woman who does not understand the charges against her and cannot begin to fathom how someone as healthy as she is can cause so much sickness and death. Mary blames Dr. George Soper, the man responsible for connecting Mary to the typhoid breakouts, for the destruction of her life. 

I enjoy reading fictionalized accounts of historical events; if written well, these accounts help present a different perspective of the historical event and make me want to read more about the event. Fever fits this description perfectly. Keane does a fascinating job creating a sympathetic look at Mary Mallon. Prior to reading Fever, I knew some of the basic facts about Typhoid Mary and the case against her. I now want to read more about the case. Keane spent a number of years researching the case, and her character development of Mary, as well as the other vibrant characters that jump off the page, show this effort. Any fan of history should read this book.

Reviewed by Jessica

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

Age Level: Adult
Format: Book

In 1990, two men broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, and stole thirteen art pieces. The thieves were never caught, and the paintings were never recovered.

Nearly twenty-five years later, struggling young artist Claire Roth agrees to paint a forgery of a Degas painting in exchange for a one-woman show at a local prestigious art gallery. This is an opportunity for her to regain status in the art world, a world that has named her "The Great Pretender," thanks to an ill-conceived idea of hers three years prior to the novel's opening. When she sees the Degas painting, it pains her to realize that this is one of the thirteen stolen from the Gardner Museum. With her career on the line, she continues to work on the forgery, only to discover that this stolen painting may have some secrets of its own. Told in the first person by Claire, with flashbacks to three years prior and letter excerpts from Isabella Stewart Gardner to her niece Amelia, Shapiro's narrative is based on the real unsolved Gardner Museum art heist.

This novel is perfect for art enthusiasts and for history lovers. Shapiro weaves the facts and the fictional storyline very well, creating a very interesting and hard-to-put-down novel. Shapiro shares her extensive research with readers by describing the techniques forgers use to make authentic-looking paintings. As for Claire, Shapiro creates a character who has made regrettable choices in the past, knows the dangers of her current path, but yet sees this as the only way to rectifying her reputation. Claire also refuses to back down on the search for the truth, even if her investigation leads to danger. Overall, The Art Forger is a fast-paced read that may just make the reader look twice at a painting the next time he or she visits an art museum.

Reviewed by Jessica