A review by sastork
Country Girl by Edna O'Brien
4.0
The circumstances under which I read this book were less than ideal. First of all, I barely picked up a book during a month that was filled with preparing for exams, packing boxes, moving and jet lag. More importantly, I had no idea who Edna O'Brien was, and I went into reading an author's autobiography without ever having read a single one of her books. Usually, when I pick up a memoir - which is something that as it is, does not occur very often - it is to find out more about a person that I am already interested in, for example to find out where an author found the inspiration for their work. I did not have this motivation when I picked up Country Girl, it was just another book I won in a goodreads giveaway.
Not knowing any of O'Brien's works did take away a sort of interest, which any other reader that loves her work would naturally display, and this did make the reading process a little bit slow for me. This is not to say that I found the book boring by any means, it conveys so much about O'Brien herself, and the times and countries she lived in, but I think the book is best suited to those that are already familiar with O'Briens works and thus want to find out more about the person that wrote them.
What really made the reading of this memoir worthwhile is its beautiful prose. Edna O'Brien truly is a writer, and a brilliant one. Rarely have I found a writer put words together in a better manner. This memoir truly got me interested in O'Brien's work and I am sure I will pick up some of her books in the future. Because of its literary brilliance, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
More reviews can be found at http://www.wordshipping.blogspot.ca
Not knowing any of O'Brien's works did take away a sort of interest, which any other reader that loves her work would naturally display, and this did make the reading process a little bit slow for me. This is not to say that I found the book boring by any means, it conveys so much about O'Brien herself, and the times and countries she lived in, but I think the book is best suited to those that are already familiar with O'Briens works and thus want to find out more about the person that wrote them.
What really made the reading of this memoir worthwhile is its beautiful prose. Edna O'Brien truly is a writer, and a brilliant one. Rarely have I found a writer put words together in a better manner. This memoir truly got me interested in O'Brien's work and I am sure I will pick up some of her books in the future. Because of its literary brilliance, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
More reviews can be found at http://www.wordshipping.blogspot.ca