Onions in the Stew by Betty MacDonald: Another collection of life experiences, woven into a crazy quilt of a book that is at times touching, but always very funny. This book is about her second marriage and her move to Vashon island during the war, since she couldn't find a house anywhere within Seattle. The house is still there, and serves as an inn where people can go to experience her life. This book also covers the adolescence of her children, and how to live on an island: "Anyone contemplating island dwelling must be physically strong and it is an added advantage if you aren't too bright." Hmmm. She includes recipes for cooking clams found on her beach, Clam Chowder and Clam Fritters. Unfortunately, the most magical part of the book is at the very end, when Betty comes to terms with her children growing up. While the rest of the book is very good, and of great interest to anyone local, except for the ending it doesn't have the same magic as the first three of her books. 
Just as a note, the copy of this book I got from the library is the Vashon Island library copy, and somebody has underlined a few bits in the first chapter: "The population is around five thousand", "two restaurants" (in the middle of a listing of the main town's attributes), "Vashon reminds me of a nice girl who doesn't know how to dress." and "Ten years ago a good steak dinner including soup and pie and coffee was forty-five cents -- now it is a dollar without the soup."
Betty died in 1958 (from cancer, she was a heavy smoker - as indicated in her books). Trying to find a good bibliography of her books was near impossible. You would think that somebody somewhere would have listed the dates and titles of her books! But if someone did, I couldn't find it. So here's a Betty MacDonald Bibliography, as complete as I can make it, using data from the Library of Congress Online.
- The Egg and I (1945)
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (1947)
- The Plague and I (1948)
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic (1949)
- Anybody Can Do Anything (1950)
- Nancy and Plum (1952)
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Farm (1954)
- Onions in the Stew (1955)
- Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (1957)
Both The Egg and I and The Plague and I were partially serialized in magazines before publication. Some of her nine books were later collected/edited into other editions, which are listed below:
- Who Me? The Autobiography of Betty MacDonald (1959) - collected from her four autobiographical books
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Treasury (1994)
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Won't-Pick-Up-Toys Cure (1997)
- Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Won't-Take-a-Bath Cure (1997)
I haven't read all her books. The next goal is to find a copy of Nancy and Plum to read. Once I get through some of the other books I have checked out from the library. I have read the first Piggle-Wiggle book and enjoyed it greatly, and thought I'd read or heard parts of it before. I'll have to read the rest of her books soon. And I know that her sister Mary Bard wrote a book, and I'd also like to get my hands on the book/story that Betty's friend Kimi wrote.
Betty's stories ring true to someone who lives here in the Northwest. Her attitude is familiar. She describes the living beauty of the area better than almost any other writer I've read. And she has the same response to it that most of us have... resignation and wonder. She's one of the first great writers to live here, and her stories are important for both their historical value and for their place in the heart of the area.
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