This is basically a coming-of-age story of two young Irish Catholic girls living in the poverty of rural Ireland in the 1950s. Caithleen, the narrator of the story, has a love/hate relationship with her friend Baba and wants desperately to get out of a dysfunctional family with an abusive father. Eventually, she and Baba go to a Catholic convent school that is even more oppressive. To get out of the school, they write an obscene letter about one of the nuns and leave it where it will be found. They are expelled and sent home where Caithleen's furious father strikes her across the face. The girls then decide to move to Dublin to get away from the oppressive environment. Baba goes to school and Caithleen works in a store to get by. While there, they go out and to drink and dance and try to meet an eligible man with money. Caithleen already has an older married man from home interested in her and hopes to go off with him and live life happily. But of course, things don't always work out that way.
This was a rather short novel that I read in a couple of sittings. It is also the first of a trilogy that continues the stories of the two young women. The writing was crisp and the dialog was interesting. There were a few things in the novel that I had to look up such as gym frock which is a sleeveless tunic with a pleated skirt worn by young school girls in Britain. I did enjoy this novel but not sure if I will seek out the others in the trilogy.
This was a rather short novel that I read in a couple of sittings. It is also the first of a trilogy that continues the stories of the two young women. The writing was crisp and the dialog was interesting. There were a few things in the novel that I had to look up such as gym frock which is a sleeveless tunic with a pleated skirt worn by young school girls in Britain. I did enjoy this novel but not sure if I will seek out the others in the trilogy.
