Christmas Countdown: Day 7: Review: Deadly by Julie Chibbaro

Book Description via Goodreads:

A mysterious outbreak of typhoid fever is sweeping New York.

Could the city’s future rest with its most unlikely scientist?

If Prudence Galewski is ever going to get out of Mrs. Browning’s esteemed School for Girls, she must demonstrate her refinement and charm by securing a job appropriate for a young lady. But Prudence isn’t like the other girls. She is fascinated by how the human body works and why it fails.

With a stroke of luck, she lands a position in a laboratory, where she is swept into an investigation of the fever bound to change medical history. Prudence quickly learns that an inquiry of this proportion is not confined to the lab. From ritzy mansions to shady bars and rundown tenements, she explores every potential cause of the disease. But there’s no answer in sight—until the volatile Mary Mallon emerges. Dubbed “Typhoid Mary” by the press, Mary is an Irish immigrant who has worked as a cook in every home the fever has ravaged. Strangely, though, she hasn’t been sick a day in her life. Is the accusation against her an act of discrimination? Or is she the first clue in a new scientific discovery?

Prudence is determined to find out. In a time when science is for men, she’ll have to prove to the city, and to herself, that she can help solve one of the greatest medical mysteries of the twentieth century.

Source: Julie Chibbaro (Thanks!)

My Thoughts:

Deadly was not how I expected it to be. First and foremost, I read it fast. In a day and a half – and I was in school in these days, reviewing for exams. Second, it was engrossing. The narrative of Prudence a curious mind seeking answers in a world full of questions, in a historical fiction like Deadly, I appreciated this. We always strive to know more, to discover and to have our questions answered.

Deadly follows the story of Prudence, a Jewish girl who lives in the US. The death of her brother and the disappearance of her father are mysteries to her. These two unfortunate events left silence and emptiness in her house. The concept of death struck her as something so mysterious and tragic that falls upon everyone. She wanted to find out why death happens.

Deadly was written diary-style with brief but detailed entries and drawings from time to time. It was a reflection of a child-like mind, musing and questioning life, and at the same time it was a reflection of a simple teenager going through the stage of adolescence, encountering people and problems. Prudence was so reserved, prim and proper, and refined. It was refreshing to encounter another character like her after all the modern characters I have met.

The mystery of Deadly intensified as more and more people fell ill. Typhoid was spreading fast, taking the lives of people and creeping quick through the hands of people. The only link to all of these cases was Mary Mallon, an Irish immigrant who was branded dirty. Prudence and Mr. Soper struggled with the unproved theory of healthy carrier. But with Mary Mallon unable to accept this concept, will they be able to solve the mystery of Typhoid Mary before an outbreak happens? Reading through the process of investigation and acquisition of data made me anxious and eager, as if I was watching one of those crime TV shows.

Being a teenage girl in the time of Prudence was hard and a bit unfair. At that time, science was only for men, which showed gender inequality. After dropping out of Mrs. Browning’s School of Girls, she was plunged deep into the world of scientific facts.

The romance in Deadly was very subtle. It was sad to see something like that bloom only to be hidden away and controlled. Prudence, a girl who had never fallen in love, found inspiration in her new field of work. I wish there was more romance though or maybe a more defined love triangle between Mr. Soper, Prudence and Jonathan.

Deadly is a historical novel propelled by the mystery of contagion and how it affected the lives of the people it touched. I recommend this to historical fiction fans, to the fans of science, medicine and facts, and maybe to the people who like Grey’s Anatomy.

Rating:

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For this post, there's no required comment because there's no individual giveaway for the featured book. But you will earn an entry for each comment you leave on any of the posts of Christmas Countdown starting today. There will be a prize pack of signed books up for grabs soon - on Christmas Day. Guess what? A signed ARC of Deadly is included in that prize pack!

Check out my interview with Julie Chibbaro.

If you missed any of the posts, click here to see the line-up for the event.

We're giving away signed copies of The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith, Picture of the Dead by Adele Griffin, Prophecy of Days by Christy Raedake, Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala, The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder and The Candidates by Inara Scott.