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teokajlibroj's review against another edition
3.0
The Country Girls didn't have much of a plot, but its description of a time and place made it enjoyable. The Lonely Girl also has a very bare plot, but without the redeeming description of the setting (although the visit to the village is very well done).
The biggest problem with the book is the bland characters and the frustrating narrator. The author does do a good job showing sexism and an exploitative relationship, but Caithleen is also very annoying. She is excessively passive, I doubt she made a single decision for herself in the book, instead she sits in silence while things happen around her. She cried about 30 times in the book, often for no reason. She almost like a child, with no control over her life and doesn't seem to understand much about the world. She acts the same at 21 as she did at 14 in The Country Girls.
I have no idea why she was attracted to Eugene (was the author intentiaonally trying to make the relationship seem illogical?) who seems to have no personality either other than being grumpy and rude. Worst of all he is boring. The scenes with the two if them are just two boring people squabbling, he ignores her and she cries.
The book does have its good moments and it is an accurate depiction of ordinary life, but ordinary life is often boring. Would it have killed Caithleen to do anything except for mope and feel sorry for herself or act crazed with love for a dull man old enough to be her father and gives her no reason to be excited?
The biggest problem with the book is the bland characters and the frustrating narrator. The author does do a good job showing sexism and an exploitative relationship, but Caithleen is also very annoying. She is excessively passive, I doubt she made a single decision for herself in the book, instead she sits in silence while things happen around her. She cried about 30 times in the book, often for no reason. She almost like a child, with no control over her life and doesn't seem to understand much about the world. She acts the same at 21 as she did at 14 in The Country Girls.
I have no idea why she was attracted to Eugene (was the author intentiaonally trying to make the relationship seem illogical?) who seems to have no personality either other than being grumpy and rude. Worst of all he is boring. The scenes with the two if them are just two boring people squabbling, he ignores her and she cries.
The book does have its good moments and it is an accurate depiction of ordinary life, but ordinary life is often boring. Would it have killed Caithleen to do anything except for mope and feel sorry for herself or act crazed with love for a dull man old enough to be her father and gives her no reason to be excited?
m_berthelsen's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
changeablelandscape's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really loved the first in this trilogy -- this one was a harder read in several ways; I could see what was coming which gave it that 'watching a train wreck' vibe, plus the very realistic narrow focus of the protgaonist on her new relationship meant there was less of the stuff I liked in the first one.
sillyzilly's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
I didn't plan to read this book because the first one was just OK, but then thought maybe I'd read a few pages...and then couldn't put it down.
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
5.0
Because of its depictions of pre-marital sex, as well as realistic portrayals of sexuality, this book was banned in Ireland following its publication in the 1960s. Written in O'Brien's distinctive voice, it continues from, but is not a direct sequel to, The Country Girls. Cait has lived in Dublin for two years, working in a grocer's shop, when she meets Eugene, an attractive older married man. The novel delves into the unequal relationship between Eugene and Cait, and in doing so captures the misogyny that young women face. It also depicts the violence and repression of Irish society at the time: because he does not approve of her relationship, Cait's father forces her to return to her home village with him, dragging her onto the train despite her protests. Cait desperately tries to leave this village, and discovers all her neighbours, the parish priest and the bishop, are complicit with her father. The sense of ownership and entitlement that the men in Cait's life was shocking to me, even though I'm aware of the patriarchal control the Catholic church had over women's lives in Ireland. I found this an excellent novel in every way: each character, even those with small parts, are well drawn, and O'Brien has an eye for capturing the small details that make up life. Cait's infatuation with Eugene, and his interest in her, are subtly and believably captured. The plot is gripping, and while the landscape of the novel is small, the emotional depth is enormous.
amarrymeinbostonacademic's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5