The Lonely Girl by Edna O'BrienMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The second book in the series has the teenage girls now living in Dublin. Surprisingly, Baba is a student and Kate has a job in a small grocery shop. They are enjoying their new freedom away from their childhood homes. Typically Baba is befriending older but rich men. Much of the story is amusing with an undercurrent of sadness, through the relationships the girls make. Despite the various trials and mistakes that Kate and Baba are involved with I found I was rooting for them to the end. Kate still has her romantic fantasies, while Baba’s pragmatic attitude to life often shields both their lives from the cruel realities of life. I found that I anticipated pain and heartache for Kate throughout the story, worrying about her vulnerability. But she still battles on and has to be admired for her courage even so. There are times when the reader’s patience with the pair may run out because they both seem to be heading for a fall, even though they are living, unhappily, in separate lives with men. The ending to this novel felt abrupt and confusing to me so I was not in a hurry to read the third book in the series. But curiosity about what happened next will no doubt mean I will read it!
View all my reviews
RSS Feed
