Onions in the Stew is the fourth in a series of humorous autobiographical books by Betty MacDonald about her life in western Washington State with her second husband and daughters during the Second World War years.

Their search for a home is made difficult by the wartime influx of population into the greater Seattle area, but they find a property on Vashon Island.

As one reviewer put it: “Betty MacDonald sets down some facts which a prospective islander must face up to before he decides to move from the mainland.

She reminds you that guests are often with you for seven days; that any definite appointments act as a signal for the ferry boats to stop running; that finding island property is easy but financing it is difficult; that a telephone call from a relative means you will be keeping someone’s children; that any dinner can be stretched by the addition of noodles to something; and that anyone contemplating island dwelling must be physically strong but it is an added advantage if you aren’t too bright.”[3] U.S.

Senator Richard L. Neuberger, writing in The New York Times Review of Books, compared her humorous take on life in a regional American setting to the work of Mark Twain, commenting: “Betty’s adventures on the fringe of the Western wilderness have served equally to furnish grain for her literary mill…Betty MacDonald is a shrewd and discerning woman who sees mankind clearly.”[4] An adaptation was shown on TV in the series Robert Montgomery Presents on NBC on September 17, 1956.