The Egg and I - by Betty MacDonald (Paperback)

About the Book

The author relates the joys and frustrations of life on a poultry farm in the mountains of Washington.

Book Synopsis

"A work of real comic genius. . . . A wonderful, funny, warm, honest book, and, to use a much overused word, a classic." -Michael Korda, author of Country Matters

When Betty MacDonald married a marine and moved to a small chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, she was largely unprepared for the rigors of life in the wild. With no running water, no electricity, a house in need of constant repair, and days that ran from four in the morning to nine at night, the MacDonalds had barely a moment to put their feet up and relax. And then came the children. Yet through every trial and pitfall--through chaos and catastrophe--this indomitable family somehow, mercifully, never lost its sense of humor.

A beloved literary treasure for more than half a century, Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I is a heartwarming and uproarious account of adventure and survival on an American frontier.

From the Back Cover

When Betty MacDonald married a marine and moved to a small chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, she was largely unprepared for the rigors of life in the wild. With no running water, no electricity, a house in need of constant repair, and days that ran from four in the morning to nine at night, the MacDonalds had barely a moment to put their feet up and relax. And then came the children. Yet through every trial and pitfall--through chaos and catastrophe--this indomitable family somehow, mercifully, never lost its sense of humor.

A beloved literary treasure for more than half a century, Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I is a heartwarming and uproarious account of adventure and survival on an American frontier.

Review Quotes

"For all the allegedly gloomy moments, The Egg and I is an astoundingly light-hearted book. The MacDonalds, one gathers, had both youth and gumption on their side, to say nothing of an abounding humor that bounced them over the direst crises. -- New York Times

"I first read Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I in 1946, on my return to England after the war, and it made me so homesick for the USA that I cried. I read it again around 1950, and laughed myself silly. Re-reading it now, I not only think it's a work of real comic genius, but strangely touching as well. . . . It remains what it always was, a wonderful, funny, warm, honest book, and, to use a much over-used word, a classic." -- Michael Korda, author of Country Matters and Ike

"Anyone who has ever struggled with a farm or even with a small garden will especially enjoy this breezy autobiography. But everyone will find its hilarious reminiscences of an unconventional childhood and of unique experiences in the Northwest Pacific sprightly, diverting, and excellent entertainment. The whole book crackles with the innocent deviltry of acorns hitting the roof-tops." -- Saturday Review of Literature