Girls in Their Married Bliss is the third and final novel in Edna O'Brien's The Country Girls Trilogy following The Country Girls and The Lonely Girl. [1] The novel was first published in Britain in 1964. [1] The novel was less well received, because of its darker themes and writing, and wasn't published in the United States until 1967. [2]
Generally, the novel was not as well received in either the United Kingdom or the United States. [2] The New York Times reviewer Mellicent Bell described the novel as a "less rollicking [...] third stage of [Baba and Kate's] adventures" which describes a grimmer fate for the two characters than some readers might like. [1] Bell highlights how the novel continues patterns and themes from the earlier novels, including sexual exploration and how religiosity affects the two women. [1]
Kirkus Reviews was similarly mixed about its conclusions, writing "A mixed pleasure, this is at times a lovely, larky book and in others, there are sad spot touches closing with the rueful envoi." [3]
Kate Chopin was an American author of short stories and novels based in Louisiana. She is considered by scholars to have been a forerunner of American 20th-century feminist authors of Southern or Catholic background, such as Zelda Fitzgerald, and is one of the most frequently read and recognized writers of Louisiana Creole heritage.
The Awakening is a novel by Kate Chopin, first published in 1899. Set in New Orleans and on the Louisiana Gulf coast at the end of the 19th century, the plot centers on Edna Pontellier and her struggle between her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the prevailing social attitudes of the turn-of-the-century American South. It is one of the earliest American novels that focuses on women's issues without condescension. It is also widely seen as a landmark work of early feminism, generating a mixed reaction from contemporary readers and critics.
Josephine Edna O'Brien is an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer. Philip Roth described her as "the most gifted woman now writing in English", while a former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, cited her as "one of the great creative writers of her generation".
Katrina Elizabeth DiCamillo is an American children's fiction author. She has published over 25 novels, including Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tiger Rising, The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Magician's Elephant, the Mercy Watson series, and Flora & Ulysses. Her books have sold around 37 million copies. Four have been developed into films, and two have been adapted into musical settings. Her works have won various awards; The Tale of Despereaux and Flora & Ulysses won the Newbery Medal, making DiCamillo one of six authors to have won two Newbery Medals.
The Country Girls is a trilogy by Irish author Edna O'Brien. 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 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.
A vignette is a borrowed French word expressing a short and descriptive piece of writing that captures a brief period in time. Vignettes are more focused on vivid imagery and meaning rather than plot. Vignettes can be stand-alone, but they are more commonly part of a larger narrative, such as vignettes found in novels or collections of short stories.
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, the film stars Peter Finch, Rita Tushingham, Lynn Redgrave and Julian Glover. As the film is in black and white the green eyes are never seen.
Maureen Howard is an American novelist, memoirist, and editor. Her award-winning work, mostly comprising novels that feature women protagonists, is known for experimental techniques and a focus on the Irish-American experience.
Casualties of Peace, published in 1966, is Irish writer Edna O'Brien's fifth novel.
Country Girl is the memoir of Edna O'Brien. Faber and Faber published it in 2012. The title refers to her debut novel The Country Girls, which was banned, burned and denounced upon publication.
House of Splendid Isolation is a 1994 novel by Irish novelist Edna O'Brien. The novel depicts the relations of an Irish Republican Army terrorist and his hostage, an elderly woman. The novel brings elements of the thriller genre to O'Brien's ongoing explorations of Irish society. It is based on the life of Dominic McGlinchy, whom O'Brien interviewed while incarcerated in Portlaoise Prison.
Time and Tide is a 1992 novel by Irish novelist Edna O'Brien, published by Viking in the UK and by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in the US. The novel depicts the hardship of Nell, an Irish beauty, during her challenging life in England. The New York Times described the plot as "disturbing", and focus heavily on the mourning created by Nell's misfortune.
Down by the River is a 1997 novel by Irish novelist Edna O'Brien. The novel depicts the response of a local community the a girl, Mary, abuse by her father being exposed to their local community when she tries to get an abortion. The ensuing legal battle in a country which bans abortions.
In the Forest is a 2002 novel by Irish novelist Edna O'Brien. The novel is set in Ireland, and is based on a triple homicide: the 1994 murder of Imelda Riney, her son Liam and Catholic priest Fr Joe Walsh by Brendan O'Donnell.
The High Road is a 1988 novel by Irish novelist Edna O'Brien. The novel follows an unnamed Irish protagonist as she recovers on a Mediterranean island. It was O'Brien's tenth novel, published 11 years after Johnny I Hardly Knew You.
The Middle Ground is a 1980 novel by British novelist Margaret Drabble. It is her ninth published novel. The novel explores the "crisis of British urban life" through the eyes of a middle aged journalist, Kate Armstrong.
The Realms of Gold is a 1975 novel by British novelist Margaret Drabble. The novel explores the mid-life experiences of anthropologist Frances Wingate and her affair with Karel Schmidt.
The Little Red Chairs is a 2015 novel by Irish author Edna O'Brien, who was 85 at the time of publication. The novel is O'Brien's 23rd fictional publication.
Girl is a 2019 novel by Irish author Edna O'Brien. The book's plot is inspired by the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, and is narrated by a fictional victim, Maryam.
The Matchedtrilogy is a young adult, dystopian fiction series written by American author Ally Condie, set in a centrally governed Society. The Society seems to be formed after an apocalyptical global warming event. The novel Matched was published by Dutton Penguin in November 2010 and reached number three on the Children's Chapter Books bestseller list in January. Previously working with a small, Utah-based publisher, Condie took her manuscript to Penguin Random House, after being advised so from her director at Deseret Book. This helped the novel reach a national audience. The Matched novel has been optioned to the Walt Disney Company for film adaptation. Foreign rights were sold to 30 countries before publication. The second book, Crossed, was published in November 2011, and Reached, published November 2012, completed the trilogy.