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Book reviews for "MacDonald,_Betty" sorted by average review score:

Onions in the Stew
Published in Paperback by Dramatic Pub. (1984)
Authors: Betty MacDonald and William Dalzell
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What a pleasant surprise!
Having finished my previous book and waiting for Amazon's free shipping promo to buy more, I picked up this book collecting dust in my book closet. I was pleasantly surprised.

It is smart and funny and so down-to-earth that you have to instantly like Betty as your best friend. Althouhg I am not a big fan of women titles (those seems to dominate the New York Times bestsellers list these days), I laughed out loud on a plane from Washington DC to Houston on a business trip. Who knew that everyday domestic issues can be so light and funny?

Anyway, just try it. You will find it more enjoyable than you want to admit.

Hilarious
Betty's greatest talent was for describing situations that are quite banal, even rather troublesome, in a totally hilarious fashion. The situations are all the funnier for the reader's realisation that, in other hands, they could have been described as a tale of woe - where, in Betty's hands, they are delightful.

Financial crunches, months of futile searching for a residence, the adjustment of Betty and her children to a life with a new husband and stepfather (whose attitudes are quite different from those of a carefree Bard), living on an island where there are too many visitors and far too little accessibility for daily work and school, a beautiful neighbour's having her eyes on one's husband - these could have been the stuff of whining or dreary "self-help" attitudes. Betty is far from sentimental, totally honest, yet approaches all from a highly positive attitude that nearly makes one envious. This book is also a fine reminder to today's concerned parents that having adolescent children was no joy ride, even 60 years ago.

My only criticism of Betty's writing is that, in her descriptions, she did not know when to stop. For example, her description of Vashon Island is engaging for the first two paragraphs, but rather excessive when it runs to several pages.

This is easily one of the funniest, and most honest, books I have ever read - and read I do, again and again, always finding it a refreshing treat.

Onions in the Stew
I'm so glad this book is back in print, because I give a copy to every set of parents I know who have children entering adolescence. Like Betty, they go home "looking years and years younger."


Hello Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
Published in Unknown Binding by ()
Author: Betty MacDonald
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Cute, humorous, but dated
I read the Ms. Piggle-Wiggle books in second & third grade & enjoyed them, but now as an adult & writer, I leafed through the books again recently & find them to be unrealistic & dated. You can tell the books are set WAY back in the olden days(1950's) where people were more ignorant in general & wanted to fantasize about "perfect" traditional WASP families where all the Mommies were happy housewives who never held a job & all the Daddies rushed off to work five mornings a week & divorce, sex, peer pressure, & poverty are unheard of. The magic parts are appealing to kids of any era. But then that magic was played out in the conservative fantasy of having the children cured of faults, creating "perfect" children who gave parents no trouble. Especially troubling is the story about the "crybaby". In the end when the girl was cured of crying so much, she promised her parents, "I'm never going to cry again. No matter what happens." That might give a wrong message to highly sensitive kids who cry easily. Mary Anne Spier of the BSC series & the biggest crier in Stoneybrook, Connecticut was lucky not to be around back then! So...parents: before you read these with your kids make sure they understand that these stories are influenced by the suburbia feminine mystique fantasies that plagued most of the US in the fifties. Another word of warning: spanking is presented as acceptable in these books. The books could be used as a catalyst of discussion in classrooms & families about how people idealized how life "should" be...then & today.

Very Funny
I have read this tory to students in my class ranging from kindergartners to third graders. All of my students have enjoyed the story and went on to read the other titles as well. The humor used in the book is very good. Children can relate to some of the problems Miss Piggly Wiggly cures. We even used her humor in class as we decided how some of our personalities fit with the children's in the story. I would highly recommend this story as a read aloud for younger children or independent reading for third grade and higher.

Delightful And Funny
This is a delightful and funny book for children. I read it a few years ago and thought to myself, this is a funny book, but adults shouldn't really read it because they might not like it like me. It's childish humor about an old lady who likes children. Buy this for your children.


The Final Voyage of the Princess Sophia: Did They All Have to Die?
Published in Paperback by Fine Edge Productions (1998)
Authors: Betty O'Keefe and Ian MacDonald
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A sad story, and some heroes are given their due.
This is the second book I know of written about the Princess Sophia tragedy. While the Morrison-Coates effort may be superior in some areas, there are two in which this book is clearly superior. One, the pictures are much better. And two, the author gives some long overdue credit to the captains and crews of the "Cedar" and the "King and Winge", both of whom made every effort to rescue the people aboard the Sophia, even to the point of severely risking themselves. This is sad and interesting story that few have heard.

Tiny Titanic
This was a small ship with a big loss of life. Unfortunately it has been sadly forgotten untill this book came along. It retells the story so vividly you feel that you were there. A must for a ship buff.


The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Treasury
Published in Hardcover by Harpercollins Juvenile Books (1995)
Authors: Betty Bard MacDonald and Hilary Knight
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Wonderful, almost complete collection
I loved reading the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books as a child, and I loved reading "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle", "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Magic", and "Hello, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle" again in this wonderful collection. The only problem is that "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Farm" is not included.

Roma Parekh
This is a great collection of all the Mrs. Piggle - Wiggle books. This is such a cute book. I remember reading these books when I was little and am very happy to be reading the treasury


A Friendship: The Letters of Dan Rowan and John D. Macdonald, 1967-1974
Published in Hardcover by Knopf (1987)
Authors: John D. MacDonald, Dan Rowan, and Betty Mackey
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Fascinating look at "advice sharing" between famous friends
Even the famous need a sounding board..a friend who will listen and sometimes advise. Rowan, the popular straight-man of the 60's hit TV show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In" finds his attentive "ear" via correspondence with novelist John D. Macdonald. Their letters, gathered by MacDonald, aptly describe Rowan's fight with fame, his partner, and success. True Travis McGee followers will want this volume in their collection simply because, on occassion, MacDonald quotes Meyer--McGee's intellectual friend--when offering advice and wisdom to Rowan. A hard to find book, but one worth looking for.


Who, Me the Autobiography of Betty MacDonald
Published in Textbook Binding by Lippincott (1900)
Author: B. MacDonald
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If you only have one MacDonald...
If "Anybody Can Do Anything," then everyone should have some Betty MacDonald books on the shelf. My super-modern grandson,m in second grade at the time, got a great kick out of the "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle" book I got him for Christmas.
The adult books are gems of humorous American writing. Every word should be savored. "Who Me?" was pulled together from Betty's four adult books. All the writing was hers, however. It was recommended to librarians at the time (around 1959 or 1960) that if they had the complete books, this abridgement wasn't necessary for the collection.
I would agree. ...Most of Betty's other stuff is available, however, which should be good news for fans new and old.


Much Laughter, a Few Tears: Memoirs of a Woman's Friendship With Betty Macdonald and Her Family
Published in Paperback by Blue Gables Pub Co (1992)
Author: Blanche Caffiere
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Promises but does not deliver.
I was very pleased to discover this book having been a fan of Betty Macdonald for many years. I hoped this book would provide background information and answers to many unanswered questions about Betty's life - her family, marraiges, her early death etc. However, with the exception of the first chapter, this book was very disappointing. Titles to chapters promise all eg. "Betty tells chicken ranch stories" but scant information is confined to a few lines on the final page and this pattern is repeated throughout the book. Not to be recommended.

Huge Betty Fan
I was somewhat suprised to read the poor review of this book. I am always glad to learn any new information on Betty and was thrilled when I discovered this book last year. It was interesting to get an outsiders view of this fascinating family and I quite enjoyed Blanche Caffiere's writing style. It's a must read for the true Betty MacDonald fan.

Reliving my Past
This book is wonderful. Both Betty MacDonald and Blanche Caffiere were the same age as my parents and actually my folks were friends with both of them. It was like sitting at our dinner table at night and my Mom telling my Dad stories about her day with the "girls". I loved the story, the facts were very accurate, nice memories of places in Seattle such as Frederick & Nelson, Laurelhurst, The Athletic Club, Vashon (Burton), etc. For someone who is from the Seattle area, I think they would love this story and Mrs. Caffiere told her story like you were sitting across from her at the kitchen table with a cup of tea. I highly recommend.


Das Ei Und Ich
Published in Paperback by ()
Author: Betty Macdonald
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The Egg & I
Published in Hardcover by Borgo Pr (1991)
Author: Betty MacDonald
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Hugging the meridian : Macdonald, a Manitoba municipal history, 1881-1981
Published in Unknown Binding by Macdonald Municipality ()
Author: Betty Dyck
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