EDNA O' BRIEN αρχικός τίτλος: Girls in Their Married Bliss (The Country Girls Trilogy #3)


Αφού αγόρασα το κλασικό αυτό βιβλίο από τις προσφορές του βιβλιοπωλείου "Τσιοπελάκος" στα Τρίκαλα, πληροφορούμαι ότι το βιβλίο είναι το τρίτο μιας τριλογίας, η οποία εκτυλίσσεται στην Ιρλανδία και αφηγείται την ιστορία δύο φίλων, της Κάθριν και της Μπάμπα.

Από το οπισθόφυλλο: "Πικραμένη η Κάθριν, βαριεστημένη με τον ανιαρό άντρα της, το μελαγχολικό πέτρινο σπίτι τους, οδηγείται σε δραστηριότητες που είναι αδύνατο να τις βγάλει πέρα χωρίς τη βοήθεια της Μπάμπα. Η Μπάμπα, όμως, έχει το δικό της πλούσιο ταμπεραμέντο και τη δική της λογική για τα πάθη που τη συγκλονίζουν..."

Δτυστυχώς δεν βρήκα περίληψη κριτική στα Ελληνική. Οπότε παραθέτω περίληψη και κριτική στα Αγγλικά από το Goodreads:

A) Περίληψη
The third book of Edna O'Brien's acclaimed Country Girls trilogy Girls in Their Married Bliss continues the tale of Kate and Baba, two ambitious Irish country girls in search of life. Romantic Kate seeks love, while pragmatic Baba will take whatever she can get. Together they set out to conquer Dublin and the world. Under the big city's bright lights, they spin their lives into a whirl of comic and touching misadventures, wild flirtations, and reckless passions. But love changes everything. And as their lives take unexpected and separate turns, Baba and Kate must ultimately learn to go it alone.

Β) ΚΡΙΤΙΚΗ από τον / την Ajporter στο Goodreads:

This is yet another truly fantastic piece of literature from Ireland's doyenne of fiction. 'Girls in their Married Bliss' is the third installment of Edna O'Brien's 'Country Girls' trilogy bringing the story of young, Irish friends Baba and Kate to a conclusion. I have to say that I don't think this book is the best of the series, I think the previous two were better, with the first being exceptional, in terms of the author's language and style, but, nevertheless, 'Girls in their Married Bliss' should not be missed. It is still vintage O'Brien - a writer I have become to love.

In terms of the plot and the story, 'Girls in their Married Bliss' describes the sad, stilted married lives of the two protagonists and, of course, the title is ironic in that there is not a lot of bliss to be found anywhere. In fact, the story itself is very depressing and I am not surprised other readers (from other reviews I have come across) have become alienated by it as a result. However, the themes of love, loss, marriage, family, sex, destiny and hope are still very much present as they are in the two previous parts of the trilogy and O'Brien has an unbelievable skill in being able to tell it as it is. There is no wonder her writing of this kind was censored and banned in the 1960s upon publication in Ireland because of the author's frank and uncompromising nature to deal with such sensitive and controversial topics. Her writing and style of prose, although very different in this book as it switches between first and third person (the former being from Baba's perspective), is a joy to behold.

I encourage all those not just with a passion for Irish literature and Irish affairs but anyone who wants to read an honest novel with real characters and amazing storytelling to read Edna O'Brien. Here is a writer who bears all on the written page, a writer who is fierce in her desire to narrate and create a memorable story. I will end with a quote from Philip Roth which graces the cover of the 2007 Phoenix edition: "The most gifted woman now writing fiction in English".

Read Edna O'Brien and be changed, for this is a writer who really does matter!

"Εδώ και λίγο καιρό ή Καίητ Μπρέιντι κι εγώ πίναμε κάτι μελαγχολικά τζιν- Φις στο Λονδίνο, θρηνώντας πάνω στο γεγονός πως τίποτα πια δεν θα άλλαζε, πως θα πέθαιναν όπως ακριβώς είμαστε- χορτασμενες, παντρεμένες και ανικανοποίητος."

Ή αρχή του βιβλίου.

Να παίζουμε και κανένα ΠΡΟΠΟ μπας και αλλάξει ή ζωή μας. Παντρεμένες και μη.

edit. Το βιβλίο απελευθερώθηκε 8 το πρωί, 1η Μαρτίου!

For Μάντεψε τί θα απελευθερώσετε Release Challenge


The book is also released for Μy Bloody Valentine’s Day Release Challenge 8: The Golden Candy Project!