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Betty MacDonald Memoirs #2-4
Co život dal a vzal
Úsměvná vyprávění americké autorky Betty MacDonaldové si získala oblibu svou bezprostředností a upřímností. Pod titulem Co život dal a vzal vyšly tři její práce - Kdokoli může dělat cokoli, Morová rána, Dusím se ve vlastní šťávě - navazující na její neméně populární knížku Vejce a já. MacDonaldová čerpá náměty výhradně z vlastního života, popisuje, co ji potkalo dobrého i zlého. Znovu přivádí k životu nesčetné množství lidí, s nimiž se setkala třeba jen letmo, nebo ať už její osudy ovlivnili významněji. K nejsilnějším a nejvýraznějším částem trilogie patří díl Morová rána, kdy vypráví o svém pobytu v tuberkulózním sanatoriu. Ať už ji však potkává cokoli, nikdy se beznadějně nepropadá do sebelítosti a pesimismu, vždy hledí kupředu s nadějí a vírou, že se vše dobře skončí. A právě pro tuto schopnost přenášet na čtenáře svou nezdolnou víru v člověka, který se nevzdává a svou činorodostí, elánem a dobrou náladou za všech okolností dokáže překonat všechny překážky, sklidila Betty MacDonaldová tak nevídaný úspěch, který uplývající čas v nejmenším neoslabil.
559 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
14 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Betty MacDonald
58 books318 followersMacDonald was born Anne Elizabeth Campbell Bard in Boulder, Colorado. Her official birth date is given as March 26, 1908, although federal census returns seem to indicate 1907.
Her family moved to the north slope of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1918, moving to the Laurelhurst neighborhood a year later and finally settling in the Roosevelt neighborhood in 1922, where she graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1924.
MacDonald married Robert Eugene Heskett (1895–1951) at age 20 in July 1927; they lived on a chicken farm in the Olympic Peninsula's Chimacum Valley, near Center and a few miles south of Port Townsend. She left Heskett in 1931 and returned to Seattle, where she worked at a variety of jobs to support their daughters Anne and Joan; after the divorce the ex-spouses had virtually no contact.
She spent nine months at Firland Sanatorium near Seattle in 1937–1938 for treatment of tuberculosis. On April 24, 1942 she married Donald C. MacDonald (1910–1975) and moved to Vashon Island, where she wrote most of her books. The MacDonalds moved to California's Carmel Valley in 1956.
MacDonald rose to fame when her first book, The Egg and I, was published in 1945. It was a bestseller and was translated into 20 languages. Based on her life on the Chimacum Valley chicken farm, the books introduced the characters Ma and Pa Kettle, who also were featured in the movie version of The Egg and I. The characters become so popular a series of nine more films were made featuring them. In the film of The Egg and I, made in 1947, MacDonald was played by Claudette Colbert. Her husband (simply called "Bob" in the book) was called "Bob MacDonald" in the film, as studio executives were keen not to raise the matter of MacDonald's divorce in the public consciousness. He was played by Fred MacMurray.
Although the book was a critical and popular success at publication, in the 1970s it was criticized for its stereotypical treatment of Native Americans. It had also been claimed that it "spawned a perception of Washington as a land of eccentric country bumpkins like Ma and Pa Kettle."
MacDonald's defenders point out that in the context of the 1940s such stereotyping was far more acceptable. MacDonald faced two lawsuits: by members of a family who claimed she had based the Kettles on them, and by a man who claimed he was the model for the Indian character Crowbar. One lawsuit was settled out of court, while the second went to trial in February 1951. The plaintiffs did not prevail, although the judge indicated he felt they had shown that some of the claims of defamation had merit.
MacDonald also published three other semi-autobiographical books: Anybody Can Do Anything, recounting her life in the Depression trying to find work; The Plague and I, describing her nine-month stay at the Firlands tuberculosis sanitarium; and Onions in the Stew, about her life on Vashon Island with her second husband and daughters during the war years. She also wrote the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series of children's books and another children's book, entitled Nancy and Plum. A posthumous collection of her writings, entitled Who Me?, was later released.[citation needed]
MacDonald died in Seattle of uterine cancer on February 7, 1958
Her family moved to the north slope of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1918, moving to the Laurelhurst neighborhood a year later and finally settling in the Roosevelt neighborhood in 1922, where she graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1924.
MacDonald married Robert Eugene Heskett (1895–1951) at age 20 in July 1927; they lived on a chicken farm in the Olympic Peninsula's Chimacum Valley, near Center and a few miles south of Port Townsend. She left Heskett in 1931 and returned to Seattle, where she worked at a variety of jobs to support their daughters Anne and Joan; after the divorce the ex-spouses had virtually no contact.
She spent nine months at Firland Sanatorium near Seattle in 1937–1938 for treatment of tuberculosis. On April 24, 1942 she married Donald C. MacDonald (1910–1975) and moved to Vashon Island, where she wrote most of her books. The MacDonalds moved to California's Carmel Valley in 1956.
MacDonald rose to fame when her first book, The Egg and I, was published in 1945. It was a bestseller and was translated into 20 languages. Based on her life on the Chimacum Valley chicken farm, the books introduced the characters Ma and Pa Kettle, who also were featured in the movie version of The Egg and I. The characters become so popular a series of nine more films were made featuring them. In the film of The Egg and I, made in 1947, MacDonald was played by Claudette Colbert. Her husband (simply called "Bob" in the book) was called "Bob MacDonald" in the film, as studio executives were keen not to raise the matter of MacDonald's divorce in the public consciousness. He was played by Fred MacMurray.
Although the book was a critical and popular success at publication, in the 1970s it was criticized for its stereotypical treatment of Native Americans. It had also been claimed that it "spawned a perception of Washington as a land of eccentric country bumpkins like Ma and Pa Kettle."
MacDonald's defenders point out that in the context of the 1940s such stereotyping was far more acceptable. MacDonald faced two lawsuits: by members of a family who claimed she had based the Kettles on them, and by a man who claimed he was the model for the Indian character Crowbar. One lawsuit was settled out of court, while the second went to trial in February 1951. The plaintiffs did not prevail, although the judge indicated he felt they had shown that some of the claims of defamation had merit.
MacDonald also published three other semi-autobiographical books: Anybody Can Do Anything, recounting her life in the Depression trying to find work; The Plague and I, describing her nine-month stay at the Firlands tuberculosis sanitarium; and Onions in the Stew, about her life on Vashon Island with her second husband and daughters during the war years. She also wrote the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series of children's books and another children's book, entitled Nancy and Plum. A posthumous collection of her writings, entitled Who Me?, was later released.[citation needed]
MacDonald died in Seattle of uterine cancer on February 7, 1958
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 10, 2017
4,5* - Pro mě zábavnější než Vejce a já, ale nějak to postupně opadalo. První část - Kdokoli může dělat cokoli - jsem si užila nejvíc (protože je mi 25 a a strasti s nástupem do práce se mě taky týkají? protože se do toho nejvíc prolínal i skutečný svět a hospodářská krize?), smála jsme se nahlas a citovala jsem ty nejlepší kousky, ta byla na 5*, zbytek na 4*, ale třeba do toho dorostu, asi ještě neumím tolik ocenit popisování soužití s dětmi a vžít se do toho.
A stejně jako Vejce - i tuhle si dokážu představit otevřít jen tak na kterékoliv stránce a prostě číst... Ideálně u krbu a na podzim.
A stejně jako Vejce - i tuhle si dokážu představit otevřít jen tak na kterékoliv stránce a prostě číst... Ideálně u krbu a na podzim.
February 22, 2022
Je to milá a místy vtipná kniha, o tom žádná. Jen mě prostě moc nebavila, bohužel.
December 28, 2014
Obsahuje tři knihy:
Kdokoli může dělat cokoli - ** Moc nebavilo... popis toho, jak Betty zkoušela jednu práci za druhou a mně připadaly všechny stejné a vůbec jsem se v tom neorientovala. Občas proloženo vtipnou příhodou, ale moc jich nebylo.
Morová rána - **** Tohle sice nebylo veselé skoro vůbec, ale zase velmi zajímavé. Je to vyprávění o době strávené v tuberkulozní léčebně - a páni - kdyby se tuberkuloza léčila dneska stejně jako tehdy, byl by to masakr!
Dusím se ve vlastní šťávě - *** hrozně moc výčtů různých věcí (jako třeba částí ostrova přes půl stránky nebo počasí za posledních snad dvacet let) příběh hrozně zpomalovalo. Vcelku ale milé povídání o životě na ostrově... a i na konci knihy se mi stále pletlo, která z dcer je Janka a která Anka!
Kdokoli může dělat cokoli - ** Moc nebavilo... popis toho, jak Betty zkoušela jednu práci za druhou a mně připadaly všechny stejné a vůbec jsem se v tom neorientovala. Občas proloženo vtipnou příhodou, ale moc jich nebylo.
Morová rána - **** Tohle sice nebylo veselé skoro vůbec, ale zase velmi zajímavé. Je to vyprávění o době strávené v tuberkulozní léčebně - a páni - kdyby se tuberkuloza léčila dneska stejně jako tehdy, byl by to masakr!
Dusím se ve vlastní šťávě - *** hrozně moc výčtů různých věcí (jako třeba částí ostrova přes půl stránky nebo počasí za posledních snad dvacet let) příběh hrozně zpomalovalo. Vcelku ale milé povídání o životě na ostrově... a i na konci knihy se mi stále pletlo, která z dcer je Janka a která Anka!
April 12, 2014
Moje nejmilejší...
June 13, 2015
Kupila som tuto knihu dvakrat. Ked som ju pozicala, uz sa mi nevratila. Nepytala som ju naspat, kebo moji jamarati ju asi potrebovali viac ako ja. Kupim si ju zas, lebo aj ja ju mam rada.
February 21, 2016
Betty MacDonald funny and my favorite. :)
February 16, 2018
Moje osobní psychoterapie. Terapie humorem, ironií a nadsázkou.
Od doby, co jsem knížku přečetla se na určité události v životě zkouším dívat očima Betty.
Od doby, co jsem knížku přečetla se na určité události v životě zkouším dívat očima Betty.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews