Welcome to my stop on the audiobook tour of The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald, hosted by The Audiobookworm. Continue reading to learn about the book, see my review, discover the author and the audiobook narrator, tour wide giveaways, and the tour schedule. Here we go!
Author: Betty MacDonald
Narrator: Heather Henderson
Length: 9 hours
Publisher: Post Hypnotic Press⎮2015
Genre: Humor, Memoir
When Betty MacDonald married a marine and moved to a small chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, she was largely unprepared for the rigors of life in the wild. With no running water, no electricity, a house in need of constant repair, and days that ran from four in the morning to nine at night, the MacDonalds had barely a moment to put their feet up and relax. And then came the children. Yet through every trial and pitfall – through chaos and catastrophe – this indomitable family somehow, mercifully, never lost its sense of humor. A beloved literary treasure for more than half a century, Betty MacDonald’s The Egg and I is a heartwarming and uproarious account of adventure and survival on the American frontier.
Buy on Audible⎮Amazon
Betty Bard MacDonald (1907–1958), the best-selling author of The Egg and I and the classic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle children’s books, burst onto the literary scene shortly after the end of World War II. Readers embraced her memoir of her years as a young bride operating a chicken ranch on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, andThe Egg and I sold its first million copies in less than a year. The public was drawn to MacDonald’s vivacity, her offbeat humor, and her irreverent take on life. In 1947, the book was made into a movie starring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert, and spawned a series of films featuring MacDonald’s Ma and Pa Kettle characters. MacDonald followed up the success of The Egg and I with the creation of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, a magical woman who cures children of their bad habits, and with three additional memoirs: The Plague and I (chronicling her time in a tuberculosis sanitarium just outside Seattle), Anybody Can Do Anything (recounting her madcap attempts to find work during the Great Depression), and Onions in the Stew (about her life raising two teenage daughters on Vashon Island). Author Paula Becker was granted full access to Betty MacDonald’s archives, including materials never before seen by any researcher. Looking for Betty MacDonald, the first official biography of this endearing Northwest storyteller, reveals the story behind the memoirs and the difference between the real Betty MacDonald and her literary persona.
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When I was first approached about taking part in this tour as I had had this audiobook on my tbr, I absolutely jumped at the chance to join in. That's because I grew up watching the Ma and Pa Kettle movie series with my dad who is a huge fan of the characters. I'm pretty sure I've seen all of the movies featuring them including The Egg and I, starring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert as the MacDonalds and Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride as the MacDonald's neighbors, Ma and Pa Kettle. which is the film that kick started the spin off series featuring the Kettle family. I didn't realize that The Egg and I was actually based on the real life Betty MacDonald's memoirs until quite recently, so of course I needed to find out exactly how the source material stacked up to the classic movies that I've been watching since I was little.
As it turns out, I really enjoyed this memoir, especially Heather Henderson's narration. I found myself much more interested in Betty MacDonald as a character than I expected to be. A good deal of that is due to her wry and witty sense of humor which really comes across well in audio form. The parts dealing with the chicks are some of my favorite scenes. Also, like the movies Ma and Pa Kettle completely steal the show - Ma in particular. Ma is a brash, no-nonsense woman who does the best she can for her family in their situation. She gets plenty of laugh out loud moments. Pa is also pretty great, and although he's described differently than the actor portraying the character I couldn't help but imagine him and his manner of speaking while listening to the audio. Finally, I just wanted to mention that the only reason I gave this story four stars is due to the representation of Native Americans which is incredibly insensitive and stereotypical. Overall, though, I'm glad I took the chance on this humorous memoir on audiobook. I will definitely need to read MacDonald's other memoirs.
By the way, I thought I would share one of my favorite one of my favorite scenes from Ma and Pa Kettle (1949), the first movie of the spin off series featuring the characters. Warning: If you're bad at math, this probably won't help matters!
Nov. 21: Printcess (Review & Giveaway)
Nov. 22: Book Journey (Review, Interview & Giveaway)
Nov. 23: The Pursuit of Bookishness (Audio Excerpt, Spotlight & Giveaway)
Nov. 24: A Page To Turn (Audio Excerpt & Spotlight)
Nov. 25:
Nov. 26: He Said Books Or Me (Review)
Nov. 27: Field of Bookish Dreams (Audio Excerpt, Spotlight & Giveaway)
Nov. 28: Que Sera Sara (Spotlight & Giveaway)
Nov. 29: Terri Luvs Books (Review)
Nov. 30: Never Anyone Else (Review & Giveaway)
Dec. 1: Dab of Darkness (Review, Interview & Giveaway)
Dec. 2: Jorie Loves A Story (Review)
Dec. 3: Ali The Dragon Slayer (Review & Giveaway)
Dec. 4: Never 2 Many 2 Read (Review & Giveaway)
Dec. 5: Jorie Loves A Story (Interview)
Dec. 6: Terri Luvs Books (Interview & Giveaway)
Dec. 7: Chapter Break (Interview)
Dec. 8: Celtic Lady's Reviews (Spotlight)
Dec. 9: Bound 4 Escape (Review & Giveaway)
Dec. 10 Avid Book Collector (Review, Spotlight & Giveaway)
Catchy title and I couldn't help but smile at the tease. Happy reading.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Thanks, Sherry!
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