Welcome to Litsy!

I just don‘t get this book! Majella is a young woman living in the Catholic enclave of a small town in Northern Ireland. She likes a few things and hates a lot. The people in her town are funny, but not having heard much of that dialect, making it and the slang out in writing was difficult. Also, Majella‘s grandmother was recently murdered, and despite her being M‘s fave person, she seems really strangely unconcerned about it! Bailed at 60%.

Love everything about the writing, caught myself even 'speaking to myself in the accent', if that's at all possible😜
The author brought me into her protagonists lives' and I feel so much fuller as a hooman because of that. Also will rem the book because I was reading it when I ran into the love of my life after 7 years. 💗🌟

On the plus side, Majella is a wonderfully well-drawn and believable character and the dialogue is pitch-perfect. For a short book, though, it does drag a bit, as the monotony of Majella's existence is shown through repeated descriptions of her getting up, going to the bathroom, and serving in the chip shop. And that's about it.

A wonderfully narrated #audiobook by Irish actress Nicola Coughlan. It's a very voicey novel, told from the perspective of Majella, a neurodivergent woman living in a small Northern Irish town. Her routine of working at the "chipper" & taking care of her alcoholic mom is interrupted when her granny is killed. Her death brings up longstanding wounds: her father's disappearance and the lingering effects of the Troubles. A quiet, slice of life novel.

I love Nicola Coughlan's #audiobook performance of this book! Hearing it in an Irish accent is amazing.

I tried the print edition of this, but felt it got bogged down with too many mundane details. The audiobook version is much better, because it gave a better feel for the voice and character. It‘s a story about a young woman who is a bit of a misfit in her small town, but she really doesn‘t care. A fun read. 3.5⭐️ #hoopla

I liked the structure and the Aghybogeyisms! I read the ebook but I bet it would be great to listen to the audio

Sometimes Majella thought that she should condense her whole list of things she wasn‘t keen on into a single item: Other People.

Aghybogey was a town in which there was nowhere to hide, so people hid stuff in plain sight.

Majella O‘Neill is a large young woman in a small town in Northern Ireland. She seems to be on the autism spectrum, which gives her a unique perspective.
I adore novels like this, written in the kind of original voice that I won‘t forget. Hearing that voice, peppered with Irish colloquialisms, read by Nicola Coughlan in #audiobook format, is even better! ☘️💚

... when he was just plain oul Franci O‘Neill, or Franci the Feel as he‘d been called after their fourth-year trip to the Jet Centre in Coleraine when Franci was seen down the back of the bus with Fionnuala Quinn, his hands rummaging around underneath her pink shellsuit. Majella hadn‘t been keen on pink shellsuits before then, and went right off them after that.
(Internet photo)

This is one of those books that reflects the saying “most people live lives of quiet desperation.” It follows a unique character with a somewhat sad existence set amidst the troubles of Northern Ireland. I‘ve read reviews calling it repetitive and that‘s the whole point—that‘s her life, despite the violence swirling around her. Not a favorite for me, but a solid read.

This book just completely missed the mark for me. Couldn‘t get past the monotony and lack of plot. ⭐️⭐️ #arc

Full review at https://erinkonrad.com/2020/12/05/big-girl-small-town-book-review/

http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2020/12/01/big-girl-small-town-book-review/

Did not really like this one. Writing was fine, just found the heroine unlikeable.

Thanks Algonquin Books for this treasure chest of books ❤️A wonderful variety fiction ,non fiction each book looks perfect for me.@ Algonquin books your the best,

9.1: Makeup – Nail Polish: is to heavy – weighing fingers down – looks utterly unnatural when coloured e.g. red, orange, black giving the people the appearance of wearing beetle carapaces on their fingers.💅🏻

This book wasn't what I expected. When I first started to read it I enjoyed it, it made me laugh. The main character Majella has a long list of things she doesn‘t like about life. The more I read though the more monotonous it became. However it wasn‘t until I came to write my review and reread the synopsis, I realised the main character was autistic but it didn't change my rating. My Rating 2⭐⭐

This could be a fun list to get through lockdown.

Comedy Women in Print prize long list. I've read a few already - any you would recommend?