''The Country Girls'' is a trilogy by Irish author

Edna O'Brien Josephine Edna O'Brien (born 15 December 1930) is an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer. Elected to Aosdána by her fellow artists, she was honoured with the title Saoi in 2015 and the "UK and Ireland Nobel" D ...

. It consists of three novels: ''The Country Girls'' (1960), ''The Lonely Girl (''1962), and '' Girls in Their Married Bliss'' (1964). The trilogy was re-released in 1986 in a single volume with a revised ending to '' Girls in Their Married Bliss'' and addition of an epilogue. ''The Country Girls,'' both the trilogy and the novel, is often credited with breaking silence on sexual matters and social issues during a repressive period in Ireland following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and was adapted into a 1983 film. All three novels were banned by the Irish censorship board and faced significant public disdain in Ireland. O'Brien won the Kingsley Amis Award in 1962 for ''The Country Girls''.

''The Country Girls'' (1960)

Plot synopsis

Caithleen "Cait/Kate" Brady and Bridget "Baba" Brennan are two young Irish country girls who have spent their childhood together. As they leave the safety of their convent school in search of life and love in the big city, they struggle to maintain their somewhat tumultuous relationship. Cait, dreamy and romantic, yearns for true love, while Baba just wants to experience the life of a single girl. Although they set out to conquer the world together, as their lives take unexpected turns, Cait and Baba must ultimately learn to find their own way.

1983 Film Adaptation

The novel was filmed in 1983 directed by

Desmond Davis Desmond Stanley Tracey Davis (24 May 1926 – 3 July 2021) was a British film and television director, best known for his 1981 version of '' Clash of the Titans''. Early life and career Desmond Davis joined the British Army film unit serving a ...

. It had a budget of £770,000.

''The Lonely Girl'' (1962)

In the Lonely Girl, Caithleen (Cait/Kate) and Bridget (Baba) move to Dublin. The novel tells the story of Kate's romance with a sophisticated older man. Eventually, Kate becomes unhappy as Eugene does not share her Catholic religious beliefs, his friends do not regard Kate seriously, and he continues to correspond with his estranged wife, for whom he still has some feelings. Kate finally leaves Eugene and returns to Baba, who is packing to move to London and invites Kate to come along. Kate hopes that Eugene will come after her and ask her to return to him, but instead he sends word through Baba that their breakup is probably for the best. Sadly, Kate departs for London with Baba, where she gets over her heartbreak and meets "different people, different men". ''

Girl with Green Eyes ''Girl with Green Eyes'' is a 1964 British film, which Edna O'Brien adapted from her novel ''The Lonely Girl''. It tells the story of a young, naive country girl's romance with a sophisticated older man. Directed by Desmond Davis Desmond St ...

'' is a 1964 British drama film, which Edna O'Brien adapted from her own novel, The Lonely Girl.

'' Girls in Their Married Bliss'' (1964)

The third and final book of the trilogy, this novel begins in London several years after the end of ''The Lonely Girl.'' It marks a significant shift in style from the first two books, as it is now narrated in part by Baba in the first person, while Kate's sections are narrated in the third person. See more details on the page for '' Girls in Their Married Bliss.''

Reception

The Irish censorship board banned ''The Country Girls'' upon its publication, adding it to a list of over 1600 books banned in Ireland under the Censorship of Publications Act, 1929. The public response in Ireland was largely negative as a result of the sexual imagery and national critique throughout the trilogy. Religious and political figures took particular offence. Archbishop McQuaid and then Minister for Justice,

Charlie Haughey Charles James Haughey (; 16 September 1925 – 13 June 2006) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach on three occasions – 1979 to 1981, March to December 1982 and 1987 to 1992. He was also Minister for the Gaeltacht from ...

decided that "the book was filth and should not be allowed inside any decent home." The trilogy was also subject to multiple public book burnings, including one in O'Brien's hometown of

Tuamgraney Tuamgraney (; archaically spelled ''Tomgraney, Tomgrenei''; ) is a village in eastern County Clare in the west of Ireland and a civil parish by the same name. Situated a kilometre from the River Graney which flows into Lough Derg, it is an anci ...

. The Irish response to the trilogy, and the trilogy's international success despite this reaction, are frequently cited as key moments in the history of female writers in Ireland. According to Irish novelist

Anne Enright Anne Teresa Enright (born 11 October 1962) is an Irish writer. She has published seven novels, many short stories and a non-fiction work called ''Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood'', about the birth of her two children. Her writing explo ...

, "O'Brien is the great, the only, survivor of forces that silenced and destroyed who knows how many other Irish women writers, and her contradictions – her evasions even – must be regarded as salutary." On 5 November 2019 ''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

'' included ''The Country Girls'' on its list of the 100 most influential novels.

Analysis

The novel is an exploration of the trials and tribulations of two friends set against the backdrop of 1950s Ireland, showing the influence of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

in the humane attention to detail and thought and the rather lyrical prose of the narrator Cait. The ending, wherein Cait is deceived by Mr Gentleman, can be considered as a call by O'Brien for a reconsideration of Catholic values in Irish society. O'Brien helped to launch a new generation of Irish writers more focused on the demands and values of

society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...

, such as Enright,

Nuala O'Faolain Nuala O'Faolain (; 1 March 19409 May 2008) was an Irish people, Irish journalist, TV producer, book reviewer, teacher and writer. She became well known after the publication of her memoirs ''Are You Somebody?'' and ''Almost There''. She wrote a b ...

and

Colm Tóibín Colm Tóibín (, approximately ; born 30 May 1955) is an Irish novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist, critic, playwright and poet. His first novel, '' The South'', was published in 1990. '' The Blackwater Lightship'' was shortlis ...

References

External links

Edna O'Brien discusses ''The Country Girls''
on the BBC ''

World Book Club ''World Book Club'' is a radio programme on the BBC World Service. Each edition of the programme, which is broadcast on the first Saturday of the month with repeats into the following Monday, features a famous author discussing one of his or her ...

'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Country Girls, The 1960 British novels British bildungsromans Book censorship in the Republic of Ireland Literature related to the sexual revolution Irish novels adapted into films Novels by Edna O'Brien Novels set in Ireland Hutchinson (publisher) books 20th-century Irish novels Irish bildungsromans Censored books 1960 debut novels