This weekend I continued my Reading Ireland (aka Begorrathon) challenge hosted by 746 Books and The Fluff is Raging.
The Country Girls follows the story of Cait and Baba, from their childhood in rural County Clare and convent school to Dublin as they struggle to understand live and search for love.
Published in 1960 it was banned upon publication in Ireland for its portrayal of sex. In O’Briens home parish it was publicly burnt. In 1962 it won the Kingsley Amis Award.
The issues they face are as recognisable and relateable today as 50yrs ago. Young girls today may know more about the biology then Cait and Baba, but they still struggle in their search for love.
However it was the portrayal of the relationship between the girls I enjoyed most. It completely encapsulated the ups and downs of teenage girls friendships. Teenage girls can be awful to each other one moment and the best of friends the next. Baba is a right little rip who could do with a good kick up the arse. It’s clear however that she needs Cait, just as much if not more than Cait needs her. Cait is the typical good girl, quiet and we’ll behaved. She needs Baba, especially in Dublin to encourage her to go out and enjoy life in the big city. Together they help and support each other through those tumultuous years, there is a sense though towards the end (without giving you much away) that it is time for them to set out on their own to discover who the truly are.
Rating: 4/5
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I’ll be reviewing this one next week, I enjoyed it a lot!
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I read this book for Reading Ireland month as well, and really enjoyed reading it. I thought it was a sweet story, and I agree that it is still easy to relate to the two girls.
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