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Big Girl, Small Town
- Narrated by: Nicola Coughlan
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
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Publisher's summary
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD
FINALIST FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARD FOR NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
FINALIST FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE
“Darkly hilarious . . . Wildly entertaining.”—The Guardian
Meet Majella O’Neill, a heroine like no other, performed by Nicola Coughlan, star of Derry Girls.
Majella is happiest out of the spotlight, away from her neighbors’ stares and the gossips of the small town in Northern Ireland where she grew up just after the Troubles. She lives a quiet life caring for her alcoholic mother, working in the local chip shop, watching the regular customers come and go. She wears the same clothes each day (overalls, too small), has the same dinner each night (fish and chips, microwaved at home after her shift ends), and binge-watches old DVDs of the same show (Dallas, best show on TV) from the comfort of her bed.
But underneath Majella’s seemingly ordinary life are the facts that she doesn’t know where her father is and that every person in her town has been changed by the lingering divide between Protestants and Catholics. When Majella’s predictable existence is upended by the death of her granny, she comes to realize there may be more to life than the gossips of Aghybogey, the pub, and the chip shop. In fact, there just may be a whole big world outside her small town.
Told in a highly original voice, with a captivating heroine listeners will love and root for, Big Girl, Small Town will appeal to fans of Sally Rooney, Ottessa Moshfegh, and accessible literary fiction with an edge.
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Critic reviews
A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Best Book of 2020
“An immensely lovable debut novel . . . Gallen manages to evoke in us a wave of complex feelings. It’s the kind of magic you’ll feel lucky to find.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post
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“An inventively foulmouthed gem of a novel . . . Majella, our clear-eyed protagonist, is far more than a gifted wisecracker . . . Majella is a welcome addition to the diverse family of protagonists that includes young Christopher Boone in Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Hesketh Lock in Liz Jensen’s The Uninvited, and Keiko in Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman, all of whom perceive reality through a similar lens . . . In this oddly affecting novel of everyday defeats, [Majella’s] triumph is more thrilling than any army’s victory.”—The Wall Street Journal
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Astrid Bell has known most of her roommates for years, but while they have a history together - romantic pairings, one-night stands, friendships - each of them also has a past. Astrid is on her way home one day when her neighbor knocks her off her bike. Seeing she is bruised but not broken, her roommates help her home. The next day, they learn that same neighbor was beaten to death hours later. Each of them tells the police what they know and are dismissed - until Astrid stumbles over another body.
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My First Nicci French Novel recommended Goodreads
- By Beverly on 12-18-11
By: Nicci French
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What listeners say about Big Girl, Small Town
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Eileen McGowan
- 12-19-20
Not my kind of story
This is more a character study than a story where something happens. It’s well written, but to me, ended rather abruptly with no catalyst for the final decisions that were made. I feel like I’ve wasted my time.
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- PHXJBK
- 01-28-21
Small town Northern Ireland growing up story
Tragic, funny, real. loved it. very easy to embrace young woman as real story teller
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1 person found this helpful
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- Lynne W
- 12-13-20
Extraordinary narration
This mystery is actually a sensitive if gritty novel of a quiet, unremarkable life. The decency and struggle of the main character is revealed through the accretion of small details and small actions . There is a lot of focus on body functions and the wretched food she prepares and consumes both at home and at the squalid pub where she serves as cook. But she inspires real sympathy and concern, and the reader cheers when life unexpectedly deals her a transformative reward. The marvelous narration is in an Irish accent so rich that phrases can be difficult for an American reader to catch . I listened twice through specifically because I just enjoyed hearing it.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Laura
- 01-14-21
So enjoyable!!
Loved this book. Got so many LOL moments with it. Very relatable. Nicola was brilliant!
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1 person found this helpful
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- N. Lawrence
- 12-09-20
Brilliant book, brilliant narrator
This story takes us away from our four walls and tidy lives. The narrator does such an amazing job, worthy of the incredible writing.
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1 person found this helpful
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- b. b.
- 09-19-24
Great performance makes it worth it
Loved the story as authentically narrated - laughed hard many times. But that ending?!?!? Wha? Felt like an deadline had to be met, and was left confused and unsatisfied.
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- liketolisten
- 03-21-21
Title sums it up in four words
I enjoyed listening to this recording. The story depicts the mind-numbing repetitiveness of life in a small Irish town, and the limited alternative options, as experienced by a heavy single girl who appears to be "on the spectrum". The broader context - sectarian strife, and colonization by the Brits,and the trauma they inflict on untold generations, is skilfully woven into to the protagonist's everyday.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Atlanta Woman
- 06-13-24
A truly brilliant writer
Paints the atmosphere of Ireland during the troubles and being trapped in a small town. She is brilliant. The book has humor without going overboard. This book lets you feel the situation and the character on an emotional level. The narrator is excellent.
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- Churchill
- 12-20-20
Marjella will stay with you long after you listen
Gallen has created a classic non heroine in a fictional town shaped by The Troubles. The characters from Mammy to the people who come into the Salt and Battered chipper live lives of not so quiet desperation. They have been through so much, expect nothing and look for the "crack" to get them through. The narration is art in itself. I have now bought the book and will give as gifts. Priceless.
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- Scott J. Wiser
- 04-05-21
Hard to follow
Hard time following the story. The accent of the voice performance was difficult for me.
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