A fascinating look into life in Northern Ireland after the Troubles. The book had a unique voice, and the characters kept your attention.

Love this book and especially love the narrator. I love these types of character stories and anticipate a fan base similar to ottessa moshfegh. Looking forward to sharing this week readers.

The description of this book really caught my eye and I was excited to dive into it. It started off well, but it just couldn’t keep my attention. I very much enjoyed the main character, but other books just kept pulling me away from this one with more intriguing plots.

Majella O'Neill doesn't like things to change. Her life is one of routines she has developed over the years. She goes to work in the fish and chips every day wearing the same outfit. Majella is fat but doesn't care, she likes the extra weight and the comfort it brings her. She eats the same dinner every night, fish and chips from where she works. She watches the same show, Dallas, in her bedroom on her DVD player. When she is home, she stays in her room, avoiding her alcoholic mother.

Underlying this routine is sadness. Her father disappeared almost a decade ago and has never been heard from since. Her mother has never worked so it falls on Majella to support them. Now her grandmother has been attacked in her caravan out in the country and has died, a murder case. Majella is sad about her grandmother's death and upset that it puts her in the spotlight as the murder is all anyone can talk about.

But things are changing. Her grandmother surprisingly has left the family land to Majella instead of her aunt. That means there is finally the possibility that Majella could do something different with her life. She could sell the land and move away although it has been in her father's family for decades. She could move to the land away from everyone. What will she do?

This Irish novel won several awards. It was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and longlisted for the Irish Award For Newcomer Of The Year. Gallen has created a memorable character in Majella. Although others may look down on her, she is comfortable with herself and her life and knows what brings her happiness. She is a survivor and can sustain herself with small comforts and occasional human interaction. Readers will remember Majella long after they finish the novel. This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. It didn't seem fair for me to review a book that I didn't finish.

I loved the premise of this book and particularly its Irish setting. But while this book is loved by many, unfortunately it wasn't for me. The pacing and heavy use of dialogue wasn't a fit for my reading style and Majella's quirkiness felt forced instead of endearing her to me. But full disclosure, I often struggle with quirky characters that the majority of people love.

This could definitely be an instance of great book, wrong time/reader and I know I'm in the minority with my thoughts so definitely encourage you to check it out to see if it's a fit for you!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC for an honest review.

2.5

This book ended up just not being for me. I at no point was excited to pick up this book and was never interested in what was going to happen next

Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen tells the story of Marjella as she trudges through her mundane life in a small Irish town. Though it doesn't seem like the day to day of woman who works in the chip shop would be a compelling read, Marjella was an interesting character and it was enjoyable reading about her life.

Majella is a girl just living life in her small town in Ireland. She goes to work when she has to and comes home. She doesn't do much else than that. Occasionally she will take a lover. But what is to become of her life. Her mother is an alcoholic and Majella is supporting her. Her father is nowhere to be found, and even though her grandmother is as lovely as can be, she has her own secrets she keeps close to the vest.

For me this book was just alright. It didn't really hold my interest, but I did finish it.

Majella lives in Northern Ireland with her mother and has a running list of things she likes and things she does not: one of those things is gossip, which is a natural occurrence in her small town. This book follows a week in the life of Majella after the death of her grandmother.
The dialect the book was written in was immersive and definitely distinct. This is a book that is character-driven, but there was no observable development to Majella throughout the story as described in published summary. The descriptions and actions are repetitive and tedious, which was the intention to show the cyclic day-to-day of Majella's life, but the result was, unfortunately, well...boring. There was no resolution in the two major mysteries: Majella's father's disappearance and Majella's grandmother's murder. The language, though immersivity written in dialect, was vulgar without adding to the narrative. Overall, I didn't hate it, but I was expecting more of a resolution.

Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen takes place in Ireland after The Troubles (which is a fascinating point in history) with
a quirky protagonist in Marjella.

Marjella is not a perfect lead, but her humanity is ultimately endearing. It’s a book about character development and what happens after tragedy. It’s also a book that gives voice to neurodivergence, which I’d love to see more of.

Plus, if you listen to the audiobook, there are accents!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Utterly original and thoroughly enjoyable. A recommended first purchase for general fiction and audio collections.

Special thanks to Algonquin Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

This was probably one of the most unique books that I read in 2020 because of the writing style, the character(s), and the setting in Northern Ireland.

The story is written as it's spoken and it's a style that reminds me a bit of Trainspotting. It's less "stream of consciousness" in comparison to that, and I feel it has a bit more structure to it, but it admittedly still took some adjusting to get used to the dialect and use of local words. That said, this style of writing/voice really suited Majella's story perfectly and I couldn't imagine it told differently. It was also broken up into shorter sections, which indicated the time/date and a reference to Majella's dislikes (and sometimes likes) that ended up being the focus issue/topic of that section. Not only did this make it an easier read but also gave you a good idea of what to expect.

Big Girl, Small Town is very much a character-driven story with little to no plot. We follow Majella over the course of a week as she goes about her everyday life in the small town of Agheybogey. Although Majella doesn't know it, she's autistic and her days are planned down to a T, even to the extent of knowing when so-and-so will come into the chippie, what they'll say to her and how she should respond to it. You'd think that with nothing major happening and a somewhat repetitive daily routine, the story would get dull but it was far from that. I found Majella to be such a unique character and one that I found myself easily rooting for. Her voice can be quite humorous/dry and I've had a few good laughs with how she very frankly describes the people in town and how they interact with each other. I was intrigued by her observations and her perception/understanding of The Troubles and how that affected their small-town life. I found a lot o

I really don't know much about Ireland's history, specifically about The Troubles, so at times it did get confusing when Majella talked about her uncle and da, the Protestants and Catholics (through local terms), and the split between the two in Aghybogey... But I learned quite a bit through her story and it made me really curious to learn more about it in general! As I kept reading, the bits we're fed about her da snapped jarringly into place and my heart absolutely broke for her, especially as it's a realisation that she doesn't come to or understand about what happened to him.

Overall, this was such a unique read and I'm very glad that it was put on my radar. The minute I finished it, I was not only badly craving a fish supper that I knew I'd never get, but I felt surprisingly sad knowing that Majella wasn't real. This is quite unlike anything I’ve read before and while nothing really happens in the book, I found myself constantly looking forward to coming back and experiencing life in Aghybogey through Majella’s eyes. It's also made me want to binge Derry Girls ASAP 😂

Big Girl, Small Town by @michellegallenauthor is definitely one of my most unique reads of this year. It’s quirky, it’s thought-provoking, so funny, so honest. I loved reading about Majella’s everyday life working at a chip shop which might sound mundane, but the routine of it all was rather charming in a way. And made me nostalgic as I worked at a fast food restaurant myself when I lived in Ireland 😅 but I can’t say my experience there were as exciting.

Majella is such a multifaceted and interesting character. She’s autistic, which she herself does not realise. Her ways of coping with everything, the comfort she finds in routine... definitely makes you think.

Majella’s father left her and her mother years ago and it’s fascinating to see how one person’s choice affects others on so many levels. It’s obvious Majella still lives at home because of her alcoholic mother. Even though she takes her frustration out on her daughter and Majella tries to act she doesn’t care, all the little things show she obviously does - making sure she eats her toast, takes her meds, sleeps on her side so she doesn’t choke on her own vomit after another night of drinking.🤭

Gellan has built a wonderfully funny and eccentric world with a rather lovable main character and side characters that make the story that much more enjoyable. Small towns tend to have the weirdest people and this book definitely has plenty.

My favorite part of the book is definitely the humour in it. I’m still chuckling over period sex being described as “playing on a flooded pitch”. Good old Irish humour. Perfection.

✨ SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD, THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR, THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE ✨

If all that doesn’t make you want to grab a copy, I don’t know what will 😏

Rating: 3/5
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SYNOPSIS: Majella is viewed as odd and possibly autistic by her small town neighbors. She has a set routine which she never veers from. She lives an ordinary life doing the same things every day in her never changing small town in Northern Ireland. Until one day the murder of her granny upends her life and Majella learns there’s more to life then living in a small town.
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THOUGHTS: It’s a slow start but as soon as your into the story line Majella grows on you. She’s is funny and often I could relate to her dislikes in life. You want to see Majella succeed and see more then what is within her small town. The Northern Ireland dialect was not difficult to read or understand as assumed. If you think you may have a difficult time with dialect I would highly recommend the audiobook paired with the physical copy. I do believe this novel deserves an audience I have found myself wanting to watch Derry Girls to see the similarities.
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Thank you to @algonquinbooks & author @michellegallenauthor for the gifted copy & adding me to your book tour in exchange for an honest review!

For those who feel safest bundled up in bed, this one's for you. Majella lives in a small Irish village where everyone knows everyone's business and they're a little too comfortable crossing appropriate social boundaries. She finds comfort in routine, in her dependable job at the local fish and chips shop, and in curling up in her duvet.

This is a fun and witty book with underlying dark and brooding themes that captures just what's it's like to be a human. I think we all have a little Majella in us. It was also super fun to read Irish dialect in the kooky townspeople and Majella herself. There's a bit of a murder mystery element, some family drama, some flirty parts, and a ton of endearing human aspects - plus it *mostly* takes place in a chipper, which is so fun.

Trigger warning about harm to cats. 😿

A very interesting mix between the precise details of a young woman's daily life and the backdrop of much larger issues including disappearances and murder. It is set during "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland right on (or near) the border. The author allows the reader to see through these daily details how the larger issues of her country and family have affected the main character without hitting the reader over the head with the politics or the history. The story is sort of a quietly sad description of a small life of a young woman who has never quite fit in and who does her best with her limitations. Her strength comes through in a way that is not overdone - you feel sad for her circumstances but you don't feel sorry for her. Which is important because a small life does not deserve pity in this telling. I was surprisingly satisfied with the seemingly "unimportant" details of this woman's life and with the plot which was almost entirely her day to day experience at work and at home. Over and over it is easy to picture these scenes because of the spot on descriptions. I can picture her work overalls that are too tight and pressed against her chest uncomfortably, and her comforter that was too small and didn't warm her feet, and the particular way her encounter with a high school classmate was annoying. I enjoyed learning Irish words like 'craic' and 'weans', and liked the use of 'grand' where Americans would use 'great' and other uses of language that allow you to hear the accent as you are reading. I have to admit that I am puzzled by the uses of the words "hilarious" and "darkly funny" in a couple of the blurbs for the book. The author uses some humor but I would never use the words hilarious or funny in describing this work. The main character goes through life with a wry resolve. The feel of the book was never a laugh out loud one nor one where you would even crack a large smile. What was so satisfying about it was not the humor that was occasionally used. The satisfaction is from the highly skillful way the author gave you a feel for what life was like during political struggle that had religious elements along with violence and terror without ever mentioning those things directly, but by showing you one woman's experience during a short window of her young life. This richly and expertly drawn character will stick with me, and I will not be surprised if in a year I am wondering how Majella O'Neill is doing.

Big Girl, Small Town

First off, I enjoyed this book immensely, not because it was a “page-turner” in the traditional sense, or that it was an incredible and extraordinary story, but because it was absolutely ordinary, sometimes crass and graphic, and 100% real.

Another in the long line of books I’ve read this year set in Ireland, I was taken from the usual scenic landscapes or busy cities to a small, gritty town with a tense past. Beginning with a tragedy, the story follows Majella through her everyday routine and interactions, specifying her likes and dislikes outright. I was absolutely thrilled that despite her less than “fit” physique or being classically attractive, Majella is comfortable in her own skin, confident in her abilities, and content in her unremarkable life. She’s honest and loyal without gushing and responsible without ambition.

I like to describe these types of books as being more about the journey than the destination. Focusing on relationships and engagements, recalling significant events and memories, and reveling in the tasks at hand, this brand of storytelling takes talent and finesse to be successful. Gallen has proven that she knows how to capture the reader’s attention with the perfect blend of commonplace and introspection. Taking a walk in Majella’s shoes and experiencing her life firsthand allows the reader to get a sense of what it’s like to live in post-conflict Northern Ireland with its unique trials and adversity.

It would be remiss for me to not warn the reader about the challenge of reading this book on an empty stomach. Descriptions in this book are so vivid and detailed that I craved fish and chips throughout the entire story and ended up making them upon finishing the book. They were delicious and I devoured them as quickly as I devoured this novel.

Thank you Algonquin Books and Michelle Gallen for an advanced copy of this book. The opinions are my own.

I was a chapter or so into this as an eARC when I read Ron Charles' review that mentioned Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls) is the narrator, so I jumped to the audio. It is such a strong voice and character study that hearing it really made a difference. By the way, I've seen this compared to Milkman and Ottessa Moshfegh but I liked this more than both of those things.

Majella lives in the town of Aghybogey in Northern Ireland after the Troubles, and leads a quiet life taking care of her mother sometimes and working at a chip shop, the Catholic one; she's never had a Protestant chip! You become acquainted with the town and recent history through her eyes and experiences. The publisher site even has a glossary of terms but I felt most could be deciphered through context.

I liked Majella from page one and think everyone can relate to feeling some of these things. Isolated and stuck. Small, but at once too large, and like you take up too much space and often wondering whether or not you deserve it.

Majella is in her 20’s and is managing life as best as she can. Things are still tumultuous in Ireland and the division between Protestants and Catholics is still tinglingly sensitive and often tumultuous.

Her life has a predictable pattern to it, and who can’t relate to that right now I wonder? In spending time with her we see how she manages to get through it, to keep going, what things she finds interesting, what sustains and encourages, comforts, occupies her thoughts, and challenges her.

What makes this debut special, to me, are the ways in which Gallen highlights the most universal sensations about growing up that apply so singularly to Majella, and still, to all the rest of us too. Majella describes her body often, and in ways that had me nodding and chuckling to myself thinking, yes, I’ve felt that way too but had forgotten.

Gallen writes charmingly dark observations through the eyes of Majella that have just the right balance of humor and edge to have my heart strings plucked and taught.

She manages to take an interesting character exercise - a list of things Majealla likes and dislikes - and with it create an annotated examination of Majella’s life in incredible and fascinating detail.

This is a wonderful debut novel and I’m eager to see what Gallen does next. Majella will be in my thoughts for a long time to come.