The Egg and I
Betty MacDonald
"The Egg and I" took first America by storm in 1945, selling over 1,000,000 within ten months of it's original publication. Betty MacDonald's first book about her adventures as a young wife on a chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state was a breath of fresh air to a world that, in the wake of WWII, sorely needed it. Betty lived with her first husband near Chimacum, Washington - a newlywed doing her best to adjust to and help operate their small chicken farm, from 1927 to 1931. MacDonald was a keen observer of the people around her, and she calls a spade a spade, "and there were a plenty of spades."
The Egg and I was adapted for stage, radio and screen, with the movie version starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. The movie version also introduced the world to Ma and Pa Kettle, the eccentric country bumpkins portrayed by the inimitable Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride, who were so popular that a string of spin-off movies was made about their adventures. Betty MacDonald wrote three other memoirs, as well as the still popular Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series for children, and is recognized by many as an important America humorist. In her MA thesis, The Egg and Us: Contextualization and Historicization (2014), Samantha Hoekstra writes:
"Some scholars credit MacDonald with having inspired Shirley Jackson, Erma Bombeck, and other purveyors of domestic humor, but perhaps the most appropriate inheritor of the MacDonald tradition is the contemporary writer David Sedaris. ... One of the most significant similarities is that the lack of conventionality in both families is presented as normal and worthy of respect. Even as they make fun of their families’ foibles, the authors convey an undeniable warmth, affection, and acceptance. In a sense, they challenge the very notion of a ‘normal’ American family."
This is why MacDonald's writing is still relevant and funny today.
Author - Betty MacDonald.
Narrator - Heather Anne Henderson.
Published Date - Thursday, 19 January 2023.
Location:
United States
Networks:
Betty MacDonald
Heather Anne Henderson
Post Hypnotic Press
English Audiobooks
Findaway Audiobooks
Description:
"The Egg and I" took first America by storm in 1945, selling over 1,000,000 within ten months of it's original publication. Betty MacDonald's first book about her adventures as a young wife on a chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state was a breath of fresh air to a world that, in the wake of WWII, sorely needed it. Betty lived with her first husband near Chimacum, Washington - a newlywed doing her best to adjust to and help operate their small chicken farm, from 1927 to 1931. MacDonald was a keen observer of the people around her, and she calls a spade a spade, "and there were a plenty of spades." The Egg and I was adapted for stage, radio and screen, with the movie version starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. The movie version also introduced the world to Ma and Pa Kettle, the eccentric country bumpkins portrayed by the inimitable Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride, who were so popular that a string of spin-off movies was made about their adventures. Betty MacDonald wrote three other memoirs, as well as the still popular Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series for children, and is recognized by many as an important America humorist. In her MA thesis, The Egg and Us: Contextualization and Historicization (2014), Samantha Hoekstra writes: "Some scholars credit MacDonald with having inspired Shirley Jackson, Erma Bombeck, and other purveyors of domestic humor, but perhaps the most appropriate inheritor of the MacDonald tradition is the contemporary writer David Sedaris. ... One of the most significant similarities is that the lack of conventionality in both families is presented as normal and worthy of respect. Even as they make fun of their families’ foibles, the authors convey an undeniable warmth, affection, and acceptance. In a sense, they challenge the very notion of a ‘normal’ American family." This is why MacDonald's writing is still relevant and funny today. Author - Betty MacDonald. Narrator - Heather Anne Henderson. Published Date - Thursday, 19 January 2023.
Language:
English
Chapter 1
Duration:00:00:23
Chapter 2
Duration:00:08:26
Chapter 3
Duration:00:00:15
Chapter 4
Duration:00:32:40
Chapter 5
Duration:00:45:50
Chapter 6
Duration:00:26:02
Chapter 7
Duration:00:00:44
Chapter 8
Duration:00:32:11
Chapter 9
Duration:00:25:54
Chapter 10
Duration:00:17:54
Chapter 11
Duration:00:00:13
Chapter 12
Duration:00:08:15
Chapter 13
Duration:00:58:55
Chapter 14
Duration:00:26:05
Chapter 15
Duration:00:08:18
Chapter 16
Duration:00:20:37
Chapter 17
Duration:00:00:12
Chapter 18
Duration:00:25:11
Chapter 19
Duration:00:07:13
Chapter 20
Duration:00:17:14
Chapter 21
Duration:00:30:20
Chapter 22
Duration:00:22:20
Chapter 23
Duration:00:07:32
Chapter 24
Duration:00:14:40
Chapter 25
Duration:00:00:15
Chapter 26
Duration:00:16:03
Chapter 27
Duration:00:10:22
Chapter 28
Duration:00:13:13
Chapter 29
Duration:00:38:14
Chapter 30
Duration:00:10:19
Chapter 31
Duration:00:13:12
Chapter 32
Duration:00:00:41
Chapter 33
Duration:00:04:30
Chapter 34
Duration:00:05:05