Are You Somebody?: The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Nuala O'Faolain
- ISBN：080508987X
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Summary
"You don't want the book to end; it glows with compassion and you want more， more because you know this is a fine wine of a life， richer as it ages。"--Frank McCourt， author of Angela's Ashes
One of nine children born into a penniless North Dublin family， Nuala O'Faolain was saved from a harrowing childhood by her love of books and reading。 Though she ultimately became one of Ireland's best-known columnists， her professional success did little to ease her loneliness and longing for a deep connection to the world。 Are You Somebody？ distills her experiences into a wisdom that can only come from an obstinate refusal to shrink from life。
This commemorative edition of her landmark memoir celebrates O'Faolain's remarkable life and work with a new foreword from Frank McCourt as well as additional archival materials。 Strikingly vivid and starkly emotional， Are You Somebody？ is， like O'Faolain herself， a singular example of courage， honesty， and bold living。
One of nine children born into a penniless North Dublin family， Nuala O'Faolain was saved from a harrowing childhood by her love of books and reading。 Though she ultimately became one of Ireland's best-known columnists， her professional success did little to ease her loneliness and longing for a deep connection to the world。 Are You Somebody？ distills her experiences into a wisdom that can only come from an obstinate refusal to shrink from life。
This commemorative edition of her landmark memoir celebrates O'Faolain's remarkable life and work with a new foreword from Frank McCourt as well as additional archival materials。 Strikingly vivid and starkly emotional， Are You Somebody？ is， like O'Faolain herself， a singular example of courage， honesty， and bold living。
Reviews
Janine
，
check out her interviews， such as with Eleanor Wachtel， Writers & Company， from 2003。 She was a lovely woman。 So honest。
Paula Boyce
，
Although I generally enjoy reading memoirs， as I'm curious about others' lives， this book did not hold my interest。 I continued to read it because I hoped this author's life would get better。 Nuala O'Faolain was an Irish writer， activist and journalist。 She had a very difficult upbringing in a very dysfunctional family。 It seems that many other Irish children did too， during this time。 Her life had lots of high points （travel， meeting and interviewing famous people， intense relationships） and lo Although I generally enjoy reading memoirs， as I'm curious about others' lives， this book did not hold my interest。 I continued to read it because I hoped this author's life would get better。 Nuala O'Faolain was an Irish writer， activist and journalist。 She had a very difficult upbringing in a very dysfunctional family。 It seems that many other Irish children did too， during this time。 Her life had lots of high points （travel， meeting and interviewing famous people， intense relationships） and lots of low points （growing up in poverty with parents who paid no attention to their children， alcoholism within the family， loneliness）。 I think the point of the book was that she understood herself and her circumstances better by writing it all down。 She was utterly surprised by the outpouring of support and love she received from readers of her book。 They could relate to her life situation and wanted her to know that she was not alone in her depression and confusion。 。。。more
Melissa A Comer
，
The late Irish feminist penned a remarkably frank and often cringe-worthy memoir。 The "Afterwords" is an outstanding reflection。 The late Irish feminist penned a remarkably frank and often cringe-worthy memoir。 The "Afterwords" is an outstanding reflection。 。。。more
Emily
，
Thanks， Nuala
Carmel Breathnach
，
“Are You Somebody？” published in 1999， exceeded all publication expectations by becoming an instant best-seller in Ireland and spending several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list。 The book achieved a level of recognition for O’Faolain that had previously eluded her。 Growing up in Ireland I often heard my father mention the writer Nuala O’Faolain （pronounced oh-FWAY-lawn） but it wasn’t until this year， living in the US that I picked up her memoir and I’m so glad I did。 I realized I hadn’ “Are You Somebody？” published in 1999， exceeded all publication expectations by becoming an instant best-seller in Ireland and spending several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list。 The book achieved a level of recognition for O’Faolain that had previously eluded her。 Growing up in Ireland I often heard my father mention the writer Nuala O’Faolain （pronounced oh-FWAY-lawn） but it wasn’t until this year， living in the US that I picked up her memoir and I’m so glad I did。 I realized I hadn’t read or heard many stories by women who came of age in church dominated Ireland of the 1950’s and 60’s。 How is that possible？ I could offer a guess。Growing up in Ireland with a philandering， absentee father and a sad， isolated， alcoholic mother in a houseful of children， O’Faolain writes of her schooling， failed attempts at love， a life in England and her work in the world of journalism， public radio and television as a female in a typically male-dominated profession。 Although educated， intelligent and progressive in her views， she shares how for most of her life she held onto the belief that marriage and pregnancy were the ultimate goals。O’Faolain’s candid writing on grief， the crushing oppression of women and her search for love struck a chord with me。 O’Faolain writes “My problems are banal only because so many people share them。”I would love to give this book five stars but I'm giving it four because it was a bit slow in parts and the structure a little disorganized。 It's an important book though and I'm glad she wrote it， and wrote it so beautifully。 。。。more
Karen
，
I had no knowledge of this woman writer， but I really enjoyed listening to this audible book！Than you Cheri for bringing it to my attention！
Cheri
，
’I was born in a Dublin that was much more like something from an earlier century than like the present day。 I was one of nine children， when nine was not even thought of as a big family， among the teeming， penniless， anonymous Irish of the day。 I was typical: a nobody， who came of an unrecorded line of nobodies。 In a conservative Catholic country， which feared sexuality and forbade me even information about my body， I could expect difficulty in getting through my life as a girl and a woman。 But ’I was born in a Dublin that was much more like something from an earlier century than like the present day。 I was one of nine children， when nine was not even thought of as a big family， among the teeming， penniless， anonymous Irish of the day。 I was typical: a nobody， who came of an unrecorded line of nobodies。 In a conservative Catholic country， which feared sexuality and forbade me even information about my body， I could expect difficulty in getting through my life as a girl and a woman。 But at least--it would have been assumed--I wouldn’t have the burden of having to earn a good wage。 Eventually some man would marry me and keep me。’O’Faolain was a journalist for the Irish Times， and this memoir was born in a roundabout way， sitting down to write an introduction to a collection of her columns。 I can only imagine that in revisiting some of her work she felt the need to offer a more expanded view of her life， her family， her love of the written word， as well as some of the men she shared parts of her life with。 Sharing the story of her life， from her younger years， with one younger sibling and seven older ones， there’s a lot that seems to echo other Irish memoirs。 Her father was a journalist， a man who spent as much of his time away from home and family as he possibly could， leaving her mother to shoulder the responsibility of raising them。 Her mother spent much of her time in a book or a bottle， or both and they seemed to raise themselves， or each other。 As she entered her teen years， she was sent to a convent school， which proved to be， for her， a welcome refuge from home。 But this is not a story of neglect， she never seems to feel that her parents did less than they were capable of， they each had their own reasons， their own ghosts to deal with， as does she。 In some ways， as this is an era where women are just beginning to have a voice， she views that her voice is heard because the other， ’hitherto silent voices。。。were just on the brink of speaking out。 I was just slightly ahead。’ Listening to this was captivating， she held me as if under a spell， her voice soothing， and her story mesmerizing， her acceptance of things recognized， perhaps， as not ideal。 An unflinchingly honest sharing of her life， and her love of this experience of life despite the limitations。 Without resentment。 Her narration held an air of wistfulness， and yet embraced the moments of love and loveliness that make life worth living。 While there are moments which are heartbreaking - because life tends to be that way - overall this is a memoir of a life well lived， and lived on her terms。 Lived with a passion for life， despite the sadness， and shared through some lovely， haunting prose that made my heart sing。 。。。more
Elly Lewin
，
Gelezen als 'vergeten klassieker' voor het vak Literatuur en boekbedrijf， en het was inderdaad een leuke verrassing。 Wat een fris en geestig iemand is die Nuala O'Faolain en wat een eigenzinnig， boeiend inkijkje geeft zij in haar leven en haar maatschappij。 Ik ben ook heel benieuwd naar haar roman。 Gelezen als 'vergeten klassieker' voor het vak Literatuur en boekbedrijf， en het was inderdaad een leuke verrassing。 Wat een fris en geestig iemand is die Nuala O'Faolain en wat een eigenzinnig， boeiend inkijkje geeft zij in haar leven en haar maatschappij。 Ik ben ook heel benieuwd naar haar roman。 。。。more
Aditi
，
Are you somebody？ is the memoir of Irish Journalist Nuala O'Faolain capturing her personal and professional journey， the socio-economic situation of Ireland she grew up in and the changes that happened and influenced her。This book is an honest， uncensored and an emotional account of Nuala's life。 The writing is engaging from the very beginning and flows into her life， the places she has lived， the people she had been around， curiosities， mistakes， actions and motivations around her decision maki Are you somebody？ is the memoir of Irish Journalist Nuala O'Faolain capturing her personal and professional journey， the socio-economic situation of Ireland she grew up in and the changes that happened and influenced her。This book is an honest， uncensored and an emotional account of Nuala's life。 The writing is engaging from the very beginning and flows into her life， the places she has lived， the people she had been around， curiosities， mistakes， actions and motivations around her decision making。 The writing is neither too introspective nor too philosophical but rather a written log of her life as she lived it。 It gets philosophical only at the end and is in someway quiet a motivating serene text to read。 The way events are tied to her own thinking makes this book a great coming of age text。This book looks at the parents from a child's perspective and as the child grows up her perspective on her parents comes of age too nourished by understanding and the changing times。 What's heart wrenching is her feelings and outlook on her parents， her dilemma about knowing and understanding her parents or rather not being able to know or understand them。 How she could seethe world shaping her mother and how her mother shaped her own life。 For the father on the other hand， the writing makes one feel as if the child is so detached from her father that his father's life seems like a cinema the child is watching。 Its a person's experience of her own suffering in poverty and seeing her brothers and sisters struggle through it and her parents never being there to take care of them。 The condition of her family， her house， her siblings tied to the socio-economic conditions of Ireland helps throwing a light not just on her own family but also on Ireland of that time。A major part of book is a commentary on how unstructured and uncared for life was then for the Irish youth - directionless and almost chaotic with too many influences of alcohol， sex and lack of money。 The writing is so eloquent that it flows through the time of her childhood， her youth and adulthood and one gets a clear picture of Dublin then and how it changed with time。 The possibilities of those times， and the tragedies of it bringing the literary and culture scenes back to life。The women's movement in Ireland is not recorded as an event but the memoir accounts for what shaped that event。 How the world was so centered around men that women could just not see one another。 I think she became the voice of women because of what she saw happening to women around her， not just women of her generation but also those before her。 The account of the story of her mother makes you realise the foundation of feminism， it's a retrospective journey but it forms the premise of the adversities that she saw happening through generations and hence it was no surprise that she advocated liberation for women。 The condition of middle aged women in Ireland， the tragedy of it， is the most moving part in spite of all the personal stories the book is filled with。Her relationship with books， her list of how she got lucky， the time at the boarding school， UCD， Oxford， BBC and RTE are briefly discussed and even though they are non-recurring themes in the book they help the reader understand how her youth or profession shaped her thinking and the person she became。 The matter of fact way it is put and to be honest， the cruelty of her love life or rather the tragedy of it gives you a clear image of how so many things shapes a person。Sometimes it's hard to catch up as the timeline goes back and forth too much， and people appear and disappear without much context or backdrop but I think this makes sense as it helps making a point about people and their nature in one's life - they come and go quiet inconsistently。 It's a must read to understand feminism and socio-economic changes in Ireland from an individuals perspective， as she said， "The world changed around Ireland， and even Ireland changed， and I was to be both an agent of change and a beneficiary of it" 。。。more
Lily
，
I really liked the parts where she reflected on her life， but a lot of the telling about her life didn’t really work for me。 She kept saying names of lots of people with no introduction like I should just know who they were。 Or names of pubs or places as if the reader should know where they are。
Patricia
，
I didn’t really enjoy this or like the author but it is almost redeemed by the Afterwords which was written after the book was published to huge success。 In this section Nuala O’Faolain looks back on her family and the suffering the children went through。 Many people contacted her after the book was published with stories about her parents and insights into the Irish family in the middle of the 20thC， the alcohol， the poverty and the large and neglected families。 It pulls the threads together in I didn’t really enjoy this or like the author but it is almost redeemed by the Afterwords which was written after the book was published to huge success。 In this section Nuala O’Faolain looks back on her family and the suffering the children went through。 Many people contacted her after the book was published with stories about her parents and insights into the Irish family in the middle of the 20thC， the alcohol， the poverty and the large and neglected families。 It pulls the threads together in a way that her narrative only hints at。 。。。more
Jacqueline
，
The Afterwords was the best part。 For me this was certainly not a page turner。 I had read something else by her， some work of fiction I’d enjoyed some years back， so recognizing the authors name thought I’d enjoy this book more than I did。 I’m sorry for her， for the life she’s lived， for how she’s lived her life。 I’m grateful to be done reading about it。 I can also understand why there are those for whom the story would be meaningful。
Chrissie
，
**************************Are You Somebody？: The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman*My Dream of You*Almost There **************************Are You Somebody？: The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman*My Dream of You*Almost There 。。。more
Felicia Paradiso
，
I don’t think I really like memoirs but the second half of this was very good and very sad。 I am a sucker for any and all writing about loneliness
Charlotte Norris
，
deep， wonderful， moving， and just beautifully written。
Elisa
，
I was unexpectedly blown away by this book， its raw honesty， its painful yet unflinching self-reflection， its touching on the one thing we all look for， lose ourselves over， and act like we don’t need: love （all tangled up in sex， longing， social mores， parental neglect， political issues， and gender politics， to name a few of our most pressing and suffocating issues）。 Nuala is something else。 I’ve rarely seen someone bare it all for the sake of understanding herself， her loved ones， and the ones I was unexpectedly blown away by this book， its raw honesty， its painful yet unflinching self-reflection， its touching on the one thing we all look for， lose ourselves over， and act like we don’t need: love （all tangled up in sex， longing， social mores， parental neglect， political issues， and gender politics， to name a few of our most pressing and suffocating issues）。 Nuala is something else。 I’ve rarely seen someone bare it all for the sake of understanding herself， her loved ones， and the ones that got away。 And， in the process， crack open the loneliness we’ve all encased ourselves in。 The afterword， where Nuala talks about the outpouring of warm and confessing reception her memoir got， is heartbreaking， eye-opening， and devastating。 Absolutely stunning， this one。 。。。more
Ciara H
，
There is no doubt that O'Faolain was a great writer。 Her words are beautiful。However， the final three chapters of this book are mind blowing。 Her ability to touch the inside of my heart， to allow me to feel her love， sadness， anguish， is unique。She reached out to women and gave them a voice without a plan to do so but embraced the responsibility。 Stunning。 Accurate。 Beautiful。 There is no doubt that O'Faolain was a great writer。 Her words are beautiful。However， the final three chapters of this book are mind blowing。 Her ability to touch the inside of my heart， to allow me to feel her love， sadness， anguish， is unique。She reached out to women and gave them a voice without a plan to do so but embraced the responsibility。 Stunning。 Accurate。 Beautiful。 。。。more
minibulle87
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Une écriture assez belle et sensible mais un récit trop décousu à mon goût ; une traduction bancale qui m'a gênée （les femmes "d'âge moyen"。。。） ; certains passages m'ont touchée （la description du sentiment de solitude d'une femme célibataire de plus de 50 ans par exemple） ; j'ai aimé aussi l'évocation très vivante des voyages de l'autrice， par petites touches， comme des cartes postales， et de l'atmosphère stimulante de la vie universitaire et intellectuelle de sa jeunesse， ainsi que la peinture Une écriture assez belle et sensible mais un récit trop décousu à mon goût ; une traduction bancale qui m'a gênée （les femmes "d'âge moyen"。。。） ; certains passages m'ont touchée （la description du sentiment de solitude d'une femme célibataire de plus de 50 ans par exemple） ; j'ai aimé aussi l'évocation très vivante des voyages de l'autrice， par petites touches， comme des cartes postales， et de l'atmosphère stimulante de la vie universitaire et intellectuelle de sa jeunesse， ainsi que la peinture d'une certaine Irlande rurale des années 1940。 Malgré tout le récit m'a globalement un peu ennuyée après le récit de l'enfance de l'autrice， me paraissant destiné surtout aux Irlandais ou connaisseurs de l'Irlande et de ses personnalités intellectuelles， avec beaucoup de "name-dropping" en milieu de récit et d'apparitions très courtes de différentes personnalités。Succès immense en Irlande。。。 。。。more
Joyce Korab
，
Fascinating book with an Irish cultural Perspective via a memoir style of growing up in a very poor， dysfunctional family and emphasizes women’s struggles during this time period。 Inspirational and interesting。 Love her focus on reading and how This influenced her ability to survive， her writing and her love of books。 It made me want to pick up book after book to read。
Olga Dennehy
，
I usually wouldn't be drawn to reading a memoir but this was brilliant！ It was really refreshing to read about what it was like to be a successful woman working in Ireland at the time， a point of view that is so rarely written about。 She really was extraordinary and well ahead of her time！ I usually wouldn't be drawn to reading a memoir but this was brilliant！ It was really refreshing to read about what it was like to be a successful woman working in Ireland at the time， a point of view that is so rarely written about。 She really was extraordinary and well ahead of her time！ 。。。more
Mary Cooney
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Lovely Memoir， read many years ago
Éabha Wall
，
What an extraordinary person。 I enjoyed a lot about this memoir， Nuala's style of writing is so rich， her turn of phrase so elegant and unexpected。 Structurally I found this a bit of a mess at times， the interrupted flow meant I never read too much at a time。 With so many names and time hops my brain would tend to get a bit frazzled。 She was truly an outrageous character and I appreciated her candor。 She was completely herself and didn't shape the story to present a particular narrative， or forg What an extraordinary person。 I enjoyed a lot about this memoir， Nuala's style of writing is so rich， her turn of phrase so elegant and unexpected。 Structurally I found this a bit of a mess at times， the interrupted flow meant I never read too much at a time。 With so many names and time hops my brain would tend to get a bit frazzled。 She was truly an outrageous character and I appreciated her candor。 She was completely herself and didn't shape the story to present a particular narrative， or forgiving picture of herself。 She accomplished many great things， but my word there are so many deeply tragic anecdotes。 。。。more
Mike
，
“My life burned inside me。 Even such as it was， it was the only record of me， and it was my only creation， and something in me would not accept that it was insignificant。”
Kathryn
，
“Permanence， I once copied down from a magazine， is what we all want when we can love and can be loved; change is what we want when we cannot。”a stunning work， made all the more powerful by Nuala growing up in the very part of northside dublin I live in now。 This is the type of book I want to shove in all my friends faces because if you want to understand Ireland and why I’ve fallen in love with it， you need to read this book。
Be Patrick
，
4。5 🌝🌝🌝🌝🌜You will sit up all night to read this book。 Especially if you want to know what Irish society was like in the back half of the 20th Century， before Jaysus returned to the Holy Ground， arriving in the form of the mighty EU。An important book of another child in Ireland with one parent an alcoholic and the other completely feckless。Do all versions of this book feature articles of the great Nuala O'Faolain's days as a journalist？ If not， sure God， be sure to search out the version that doe 4。5 🌝🌝🌝🌝🌜You will sit up all night to read this book。 Especially if you want to know what Irish society was like in the back half of the 20th Century， before Jaysus returned to the Holy Ground， arriving in the form of the mighty EU。An important book of another child in Ireland with one parent an alcoholic and the other completely feckless。Do all versions of this book feature articles of the great Nuala O'Faolain's days as a journalist？ If not， sure God， be sure to search out the version that does。 。。。more
Stephen Moran
，
An education on what women （and children！） went through in Ireland and are still going through， the academic， media and literary scene in Dublin from the 60s to the 90s。 One brilliant but troubled person's emotional and intellectual journey through relationships and very many wonderfully evoked places， times and events。 An education on what women （and children！） went through in Ireland and are still going through， the academic， media and literary scene in Dublin from the 60s to the 90s。 One brilliant but troubled person's emotional and intellectual journey through relationships and very many wonderfully evoked places， times and events。 。。。more
Quirkyreader
，
This memoir sucks you in fast and hard。 I wanted to finish it in one sitting。What was the most amazing thing about this memoir was， all the people that she knew from everyday life who ended up becoming literary superstars。 She grew up and lived with creative people and became one herself。 I would have enjoyed seeing an appendix of all the books she read during the time frame of her memoir， as well as a list of books that her mum read during this period as well。 If you want a good， unputdownable This memoir sucks you in fast and hard。 I wanted to finish it in one sitting。What was the most amazing thing about this memoir was， all the people that she knew from everyday life who ended up becoming literary superstars。 She grew up and lived with creative people and became one herself。 I would have enjoyed seeing an appendix of all the books she read during the time frame of her memoir， as well as a list of books that her mum read during this period as well。 If you want a good， unputdownable read give this one a go。 。。。more
AnneMarie
，
2 for the memoir， 4 for the essays so even it out to a 3。 The essays are wonderful and the selection of them is genius; they're timeless and succinct and， bar some of the ones dealing with religion， almost as relevant today as they were 25 years ago （a fact that is depressing in places）。 The memoir is interesting but feels very incomplete and vague in places， I'm not sure it's aged as well。 2 for the memoir， 4 for the essays so even it out to a 3。 The essays are wonderful and the selection of them is genius; they're timeless and succinct and， bar some of the ones dealing with religion， almost as relevant today as they were 25 years ago （a fact that is depressing in places）。 The memoir is interesting but feels very incomplete and vague in places， I'm not sure it's aged as well。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
Before writing this landmark memoir， O’Faolain was a TV documentary producer and Irish Times columnist。 Her upbringing in poverty is reminiscent of Frank McCourt’s: one of nine children， she had a violent father and an alcoholic mother who cheated on each other and never seemed to achieve happiness。 Educated at a convent school and at university in Dublin （until she dropped out）， she was a literary-minded romantic who bounced between relationships and couldn’t decide whether marriage or a career Before writing this landmark memoir， O’Faolain was a TV documentary producer and Irish Times columnist。 Her upbringing in poverty is reminiscent of Frank McCourt’s: one of nine children， she had a violent father and an alcoholic mother who cheated on each other and never seemed to achieve happiness。 Educated at a convent school and at university in Dublin （until she dropped out）， she was a literary-minded romantic who bounced between relationships and couldn’t decide whether marriage or a career should be her highest aim。 Though desperate not to become her mother – a bitter， harried woman who’d wanted to be a book reviewer – she didn’t want to miss out on a chance for love either。O’Faolain feels she was born slightly too early to benefit from the women’s movement。 “I could see sexism in operation everywhere in society; once your consciousness goes ping you can never again stop seeing that。 But I was quite unaware of how consistently I put the responsibility for my personal happiness off onto men。” Chapter 16 is a standout， though with no explanation （all her other lovers were men） it launches into an account of her 15 years living with Nell McCafferty， “by far the most life-giving relationship of my life。”Although this is in many respects an ordinary story， the geniality and honesty of the writing account for its success。 It was an instant bestseller in Ireland， spending 20 weeks at number one， and made the author a household name。 I especially loved her encounters with literary figures。 For instance， on a year’s scholarship at Hull she didn’t quite meet Philip Larkin， who’d been tasked with looking after her， but years later had a bizarre dinner with him and his mother， both rather deaf; and David Lodge was a friend。 The boarding school section reminded me of The Country Girls。 Two bookish memoirs I’d recommend as readalikes are Ordinary Dogs by Eileen Battersby and Leave Me Alone， I’m Reading by Maureen Corrigan。 。。。more
Sue Johnson
，