by Edna O’Brien
First published 2013
Edna O'Brien opens her memoir in the crumbling Irish manor where she was born, setting the stage for a life that would defy every expectation placed on a country girl. Her first novel sparked such outrage that the local priest burned copies in public, but O'Brien refused to retreat. She traces her journey from strict convent education through a desperate elopement that freed her from rural constraints. Divorce and single motherhood follow as she navigates London's swinging sixties, attending wild parties while building her literary reputation. Hollywood luminaries and pop icons enter her orbit alongside fellow writers who recognize her talent. Love arrives and departs in various forms, some reciprocated, others painfully one-sided. Her growing fame brings invitations to America, where she becomes the honored guest of figures like Jackie Onassis and Hillary Clinton. Through each transformation, O'Brien examines how the people, places, and emotions of her extraordinary life shaped both the woman and the writer. The memoir reveals how a girl from declining Irish gentry became one of literature's most fearless voices.
Genres: literary-fiction, 20th-century, autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, overcoming-adversity
Setting: Ireland, London
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
368 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company