The Country Girls: Three Novels and an Epilogue: (The Country Girl; The Lonely Girl; Girls in Their Married Bliss; Epilogue) | 
https://youtu.be/ASJTIt-5lbA?si=ShLkc_LD3uEw4r3o
RIP, Edna O‘Brien
Introduction
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Mystery guest
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Week in review
Blue Postcards by Douglas Bruton
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Season of Fury and Wonder by Sharon Butala
Less Than Angels by Barbara Pym
Until August by Gabriel García Márquez, Anne McLean (Translator)
Welcome to Canada by David Carpenter
bailedI started book two but lost interest after 3 pages... book one in this trilogy was enough for me. And vacation is too short to spend time on lackluster reading!!
Today was a good day ☀️
However, I finished book 1 of this trilogy and am still vacillating between enjoying it and feeling a bit "meh”. The character development of Kate and Baba is quite interesting though so I think I will keep with it.
Found at today‘s book sale:
Yet ANOTHER author I‘ve been meaning to read for years. Any fans of this trilogy?
@Lacythebookworm Thank you so much for the beautiful package! I wish that I had been able to do more with yours. Today was pretty rough, so it was nice to be able to come home and open this. #blanketandabookswap
The third book is partially narrated by Baba, which gives a more nuanced impression of her. She's still a self-centred bully, but she's also unapologetic, uncomplaining, sardonic, and rebellious. Her impression of the others tally with mine. All the characters here are flawed. I feel like I've been sucker punched repeatedly in the stomach. Breathless, stunned, bleak. Only the epilogue left. I need a drink.
Going into the the third book! I preferred book 2 to the first one. And I have rarely been so afraid for a character! (Not in the thriller sense of fearing she'd get killed. Just... other fears.) The middle part of the book had me feeling like this: 😳😬😡😤😰(simultaneously).
By the end there was a bit of blessed comedy and both narrator Kate and I are feeling a bit hopeful. Will our hopes get crushed? (Don't tell me!)
Started the 2nd book and I still hate Baba and the MC is still a tool. Was getting a bit bored. And then, bam! Holy hell and brimstone, Ireland! 😳😤😧I spent several chapters barely breathing and now it's 2:30 am. I'm at a relatively safe place, but I'm sure it will go wrong again soon. Need to stop and let the outrage and adrenaline wear off so I can sleep.
I've finished the first book. Baba is slightly less cruel, Kate is still easily led. Book ended rather abruptly. Not on a cliffhanger, but certainly with enough lose ends.
I can't believe this book was banned and burned due to the depictions of female sexuality. The female sexuality is sadly ignorant and naive in this book. The male, on the other hand, is a predatory sleaze-bag sexuality. (Also, there are no actual sex scenes.)
Only 35 pages in, but I can tell I'm going to have to take this one in instalments with something happy between each book. I desperately hope that Kate (the redhead) will grow a backbone and I want to slap her "friend" Baba silly. I know they're both victims of their circumstances, but Baba's behaviour towards Kate upsets me more than the alcoholic parents and sleaze ball neighbours.
And the Stones Cry Out by Clara Dupont-Monod, Ben Faccini (Translator)
Ti Amo by Hanne Ørstavik, Martin Aitken (Translator) 5mo