Narrated by Nathan Osgood, Typhoid Mary by Anthony Bourdain has a runtime of 4 hrs 0 mins on Audible.
Publisher’s Summary
Bloomsbury presents Typhoid Mary by Anthony Bourdain, read by Nathan Osgood.
From the host of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown and bestselling author of Kitchen Confidential comes the true, thrilling story of Mary Mallon, otherwise known as the infamous Typhoid Mary.
This is a tale of pursuit through the kitchens of New York City at the turn of the century. By the late nineteenth century, it seemed that New York City had put an end to the outbreaks of typhoid fever that had so frequently decimated the city’s population. That is until 1904, when the disease broke out in a household in Oyster Bay, Long Island. Authorities suspected the family cook, Mary Mallon, of being a carrier. But before she could be tested, the woman, soon to be known as Typhoid Mary, had disappeared. Over the course of the next three years, Mary worked at several residences, spreading her pestilence as she went. In 1907, she was traced to a home on Park Avenue, and taken into custody.
Institutionalized at Riverside Hospital for three years, she was released only when she promised never to work as a cook again. She promptly disappeared. For the next five years Mary worked in homes and institutions in and around New York, often under assumed names. In February 1915, a devastating outbreak of typhoid at the Sloane Hospital for Women was traced to her. She was finally apprehended and reinstitutionalized at Riverside Hospital, where she would remain for the rest of her life. Typhoid Mary is the story of her infamous life.
Anthony Bourdain reveals the seedier side of the early 1900s, and writes with his renowned panache about life in the kitchen, uncovering the horrifying conditions that allowed the deadly spread of typhoid over a decade. Typhoid Mary is a true feast for history lovers and Bourdain lovers alike.
Audiobook Details
- Narrated by: Nathan Osgood
- Length: 4 hrs 0 mins
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
- Release year: 2025
- Audible category: Biographies & Memoirs / Professionals & Academics / Culinary
Listener Ratings
Typhoid Mary holds an average listener rating of 4.4/5 from 57 Audible ratings.
On Audible, ratings for this title break down into narration performance and story separately:
- Performance (narration): 4.5/5
- Story: 4.5/5
- 5-star ratings: 63% of all ratings
What Audible Listeners Are Saying
3/5 stars — “Not particularly informative.”
Narration reasonably clear but also uninteresting.Minimally informative. Virtually nothing presented giving insight into Mary’s character.
— William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M)., Audible listener
5/5 stars — “More to Mary than meets the eye”
Interesting look into history as well as the history of “Typhoid Mary”
Love the chef’s viewpoint— Colleen P, Audible listener
4/5 stars — “The trials and tribulations, denial and acceptance and ultimate isolation Mary went thru during her life. “
Fantastic book on the history of Typhoid Mary and her life, as seen thru the eyes of a chef.— Mary H. Bramley, Audible listener
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