A Keane Eye for History
Bill's Blog Shorts: Check 'em out. You never know what's in 'em.
This week I'm taking a break from blogs about book signings and pirate flag design contests to go back and finish my features on the "Fab Four" writers I listed when I created my website. In the drive to publish my book and complete the Audible version, I never got around to highlighting Mary Beth Keane. Though she is listed last on my Fab Four page, she is certainly not a lesser talent. All four rate #1 in my book (pun intended) for different reasons. Although her website does not mention any new books in the works, I was happy to see that Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, Top of the Lake) has optioned Film & TV rights to Fever. Perhaps we will see this compelling story receive the serious and professional big-screen treatment it deserves.
From the original post: Mary Beth Keane – Cool. Bewitching. Real.
Mary Beth Keane doesn't write books, she creates illusion with words. Fever, a historical drama about Mary Mallon (aka Typhoid Mary) is pure magic. Ms. Keane does such an incredible job of blending the historical Mallon with dramatized Mallon the reader forgets it's not an autobiography. Indeed, it's as if Ms. Keane went back in time, crawled inside Mary Mallon's head, took copious notes, then came back to the future and wrote a novel. While I confess a special appreciation for Ms. Keane's writing because I worked in public health for 26 years, Fever is a compelling cautionary tale about government's clumsy efforts to balance the safety of the public with the rights of the individual that should scare the bejeebers out of anyone.
Note: As with my original posting of my Fab Four list, If Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, Cherie Priest, or Mary Beth Keane are in search of a good book to read, I humbly offer Black Hearts White Bones. If you are actually moved to write a positive review of the novel I'll be more than happy to buy you an adult beverage, dinner, or small furry animal of your own choosing. If you write a bad review that's OK too, because from where I'm sitting that would really be cool in its own weird way. And, after all, I'm a writer – rational thought is not a given.
And not to leave any possibility unexplored, if you are a published author not mentioned above and are interested in taking advantage of some variation of this once in a lifetime offer, contact me. I'm sure we can work something out. It doesn't take a lot to convince me that libations shared over good conversation is a good idea.
For more reviews, profiles, and interesting tidbits on writing, check out www.billfurney.com.
