Fiction

Big Girl, Small Town

Big Girl, Small Town

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-04 14:50:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Michelle Gallen
  • ISBN：1529304229
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Introducing Majella O'Neill， the lovable heroine of this darkly comic and highly original Irish debut。

Majella O'Neill is happiest out of the spotlight， away from her neighbors' stares and the narrow-minded gossips of the small village in Northern Ireland where she grew up during 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 every day （overalls， too small）， has the same dinner each night （fish and chips， microwaved after the pubs close）， binge watches episodes of Dallas from the comfort of her bed （best show on TV）。 She has a long list in her head of things that she sees the point of， including eating， sex， her da， her granny， and cleaning， and a much longer list， complete with categories and subcategories， of things "she isn't keen on。" Sometimes， she thinks， that list can be condensed into one item: other people。 People are just too confusing for her。
 
Big Girl， Small Town takes place in 2004 during the week after the funeral of Majella's grandmother， whose mysterious death shatters Majella's safe and predictable existence and makes her an object of fascination in the town。 As much as she wants things to go back to normal， Majella comes to realize that maybe there is more to life than the chip shop， the pub， and the town of Aghybogey。 And it might just be that from tragedy comes Majella's one chance at escape。

Introducing a truly original voice and a truly original heroine， Big Girl Small Town should appeal to lovers of both literary and commercial fiction。

 

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Reviews

Jill Blevins ，

Just like Shuggie Bain， I feel like I need a shower and an hour tidying up after reading a few pages of another loser-protagonist UK-colonial based novel。 Unlike Shuggie Bain， I couldn’t find a spark or glimpse of brilliance in the writing anywhere。 I love a loser protagonist。 I love a down on your luck， never had a chance but hopeful and determined character to get inside my head and live through for a few hours。 At 16% completed， I’m taking a break。 Maybe I’ll get back to it when I want to liv Just like Shuggie Bain， I feel like I need a shower and an hour tidying up after reading a few pages of another loser-protagonist UK-colonial based novel。 Unlike Shuggie Bain， I couldn’t find a spark or glimpse of brilliance in the writing anywhere。 I love a loser protagonist。 I love a down on your luck， never had a chance but hopeful and determined character to get inside my head and live through for a few hours。 At 16% completed， I’m taking a break。 Maybe I’ll get back to it when I want to live a few days in a dead end greasy job in a filthy house with an alcoholic mom and the horrid effects of family members died or disappeared due to sickening Troubles terrorism。 I know there’s a plot twist with an inheritance but at this point， it feels contrived and I’m just not feeling it。 If this character was a little less sad， maybe I’d believe there’s hope。 I’m off put by the lack of respect the character has for herself so much already （sex with coworker at work just seems nasty and truly disgusting） and every time the author describes the breakfast of nasty toast， I think of cheap， nasty toast in a nasty， dirty home on a chipped nasty plate， eaten with rotting teeth and that’s the best of her diet。 Don’t even get me star n the chippy dinner she eat before going to bed。 If this were someone I knew I’d have a hard time watching them punish themselves like this。 And I don’t have to keep reading so I won’t。 。。。more

Jill ，

Majella lives in the small town of Aghybogey， Ireland。 She works in the local fish’n’chip shop， A Salt n Battered， and lives with her mother。 She is relatively happy with her life。 For enjoyment she watches reruns of Dallas and goes out the local pub once a week。 But mostly， she codifies her life experience。 There are a lot of things she doesn’t like， from loud noises to dirt。 Really， it can best be summed up as one thing she doesn’t like: Other People。 The year is 1994， shortly after the ceasef Majella lives in the small town of Aghybogey， Ireland。 She works in the local fish’n’chip shop， A Salt n Battered， and lives with her mother。 She is relatively happy with her life。 For enjoyment she watches reruns of Dallas and goes out the local pub once a week。 But mostly， she codifies her life experience。 There are a lot of things she doesn’t like， from loud noises to dirt。 Really， it can best be summed up as one thing she doesn’t like: Other People。 The year is 1994， shortly after the ceasefire in Ireland。 But the Troubles still ripple through the area， as Aghybogey is near the border。 And while the fighting between the Catholics and the Protestants is officially over， there is still the possibility that it had something to do with the disappearance of Majella’s father。 And no one knows the cause of the recent attack on Majella’s grandmother， that led to her death。 Majella’s days are spent taking care of her alcoholic mother and working in the chipper。 She knows her customers and makes sure their orders are right。 She pays attention to the supplies and the cleanliness in the restaurant。 In short， she is all about the details。 Big Girl， Small Town is author Michelle Gallin’s study of one week in a young woman’s life。 Majella tries to get her mother to eat something， she gets ready for work， she waits on customers， she has a fag， she warms up her fish and chips dinner in the microwave when she gets home after work。 In need of some comfort， she buys herself a new duvet for her bed。 This book is mostly about Majella’s inner life， her thoughts on what makes her uncomfortable， her thoughts on her family， her thoughts on her future。 It’s poignant and moving， sometimes funny and often sad。 But Majella doesn’t lie。 She doesn’t try to be someone she isn’t。 She doesn’t impose herself on others。 She just tries to get through each day as best she can。 The audio book of Big Girl， Small Town is read by Nicola Coughlin， best known for her role on Derry Girls。 The accent she uses for Majella is a little broad， but it couldn’t be more perfect for the character。 She embodied Majella from the first page to the last and brought her to life。 I was really looking forward to reading this book ever since I heart if got short-listed for the Booker Prize。 However， I struggled with it。 Majella’s inner monologue gets monotonous at times， and I had to work to keep my mind from wandering。 I did think that there was some amusement in the story， but there were also sad circumstances that， in my experience with the book， outweighed the humor。 I liked Big Girl， Small Town but didn’t love it。 I thought the narration was pitch perfect for the book， but it was the book itself that I had to force my way through。 A copy of the audio book of Big Girl， Small Town was provided by Workman Audio through NetGalley， with many thanks。 。。。more

Barbara ，

This has to be one of the stupidest books I have ever listened to。。。I kept expecting it to improve but it never did。 I listened while cleaning the house and the accent was interesting but otherwise， it’s a monologue of a girl’s pointless days。 I can’t think of one redeeming element。 She lives with her alcoholic mother and works at the local Fish and Chips shop - her dad disappeared 10 years before， her grandmother was attacked in a home invasion and died。 She is left to figure out life completel This has to be one of the stupidest books I have ever listened to。。。I kept expecting it to improve but it never did。 I listened while cleaning the house and the accent was interesting but otherwise， it’s a monologue of a girl’s pointless days。 I can’t think of one redeeming element。 She lives with her alcoholic mother and works at the local Fish and Chips shop - her dad disappeared 10 years before， her grandmother was attacked in a home invasion and died。 She is left to figure out life completely on her own - I felt sorry for her but honestly， why would anyone be interested。 。。。more

Freddie ，

Majella's life as a 20-something chip shop employee living together with her alcoholic mother in a fictional small post-Troubles Northern Ireland town of Aghybogey is quite unremarkable， except that her grandmother has just recently been killed and everyone in town knows about it。 We also learn that her father is missing， possibly related to his involvement in the conflicts during The Troubles。 This novel excels in highlighting the awkwardness and tedium that Majella faces in her daily life。 Majella's life as a 20-something chip shop employee living together with her alcoholic mother in a fictional small post-Troubles Northern Ireland town of Aghybogey is quite unremarkable， except that her grandmother has just recently been killed and everyone in town knows about it。 We also learn that her father is missing， possibly related to his involvement in the conflicts during The Troubles。 This novel excels in highlighting the awkwardness and tedium that Majella faces in her daily life。 。。。more

Jam Ardemer ，

An awesome story here！ I like how the plot is going。 If you still have stories like this， you can publish it on novel star。 Just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Asha ，

This book was a hard slog。 The writing was good， but the book lacked a narrative arc， instead focusing on everyday details without ever evolving。 It all seemed quite pointless in the end。

Derval Tannam ，

This was quite an entertaining book， although the use of the vernacular occasionally annoyed me- would someone ALWAYS describe their armpit as their oxter？ Nothing really happened for the bulk of the story， and then it ended quite abruptly; I would have liked to know more about what Majella did with her inheritance， and whether she moved away from her awful mother。 I did like Majella as a character， and there were some funny moments， as well as some interesting observations about the Troubles。

Rosamund ，

Loved the strong voice of the protagonist and the immersion in small town Northern Ireland。

Craig ，

DNF， 1/3。 Listened to the first three hours of this， but as much as I enjoyed some of it， it just became too repetitive and stagnant， so I quit。 I could see liking this more when in a different mood， but it wasn't to be this time。 DNF， 1/3。 Listened to the first three hours of this， but as much as I enjoyed some of it， it just became too repetitive and stagnant， so I quit。 I could see liking this more when in a different mood， but it wasn't to be this time。 。。。more

Stephanie Linnell ，

I read this book for the 2021 BookTube Prize Octafinals。 This ended up being my fourth favorite of the six books。 This book was very much a week in the life of the main character， which I apparently enjoy as I liked this quite a bit。 I ended up giving this 4。25/5 stars （rounded down to 4/5 stars）。

Aisha Bellamy ，

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This book surprised me， it wasn’t what I was expecting at all and found it truly refreshing。 ‘Big Girl Small Town’ follows a week in the life of 27 year old Majella who lives a simple and structured life。 Majella and her alcoholic ma become the talk of the town when Majella’s granny is murdered。 This event only highlights all of Majella’s dislikes， which she thought could be narrowed down to one thing - other people。 I genuinely enjoyed being in the company of Majella and found the dark ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This book surprised me， it wasn’t what I was expecting at all and found it truly refreshing。 ‘Big Girl Small Town’ follows a week in the life of 27 year old Majella who lives a simple and structured life。 Majella and her alcoholic ma become the talk of the town when Majella’s granny is murdered。 This event only highlights all of Majella’s dislikes， which she thought could be narrowed down to one thing - other people。 I genuinely enjoyed being in the company of Majella and found the dark humour and honest emotions to resonate with me。 However， I didn’t feel there was a direction or journey that needed to be completed - I feel as though that would have pushed it to a 5 star read。 Either way， this was a quirky and awesome debut novel by Michelle Gallen。 。。。more

Anna ，

I loved the beginning of this book！ I listened to the audiobook and the Irish accent is super charming and brings the book to life。 Unfortunately， the book became very repetitive - I never want to hear another fish and chips order again！

Jerrie （redwritinghood） ，

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⭐️

Margot ，

I generally am drawn to ‘slice of life” novels with quirky characters。 If I had not listened to this one （great reader） I would never have finished。 While the reader develops some empathy for Majella and her dull， mundane life， the story goes nowhere。 I know writers aim for readers to feel they know the protagonist intimately but numerous descriptions of changing tampons was just too much。

Carolyn ，

I enjoyed this Irish "slice of life" I enjoyed this Irish "slice of life" 。。。more

Rebekah ，

I think this will be a highly polarizing book and a good chunk of people will DNF it pretty early on。 This book is about monotony， really， and about the reliable rhythms of small town life （in this case， in Northern Ireland）。 I'm in the group of people who thought this really worked， although I do admit that Nicola Coughlan （of Derry Girls fame） played a big part in why I enjoyed this so much - I think without her voice acting， had I been left to read this as a physical book， I would have DNF-ed I think this will be a highly polarizing book and a good chunk of people will DNF it pretty early on。 This book is about monotony， really， and about the reliable rhythms of small town life （in this case， in Northern Ireland）。 I'm in the group of people who thought this really worked， although I do admit that Nicola Coughlan （of Derry Girls fame） played a big part in why I enjoyed this so much - I think without her voice acting， had I been left to read this as a physical book， I would have DNF-ed it。 But it works as a character study， and as a piece where the town itself is a character， and I think it works well， but it won't be for everybody。 。。。more

Sam Grill ，

So tedious。

Ginny ，

This novel is totally original， and Majella will win you over from the first sentence。 Funny and sentimental， Ms。 Gallen captures small town life in Northern Ireland after the Troubles。 The story， the jargon and the daily life of the townsfolk will completely engage you。

Annaluna Grandt ，

Ohhhh boy I really tried to get with this and I just couldn’t。 It was， at best， such a snooze fest。 And also much darker than I anticipated。 Not understanding what all the praise is about？

Meredith ，

One of my favorite novel structures is the slice-of-life， which chronicles the minutiae of the protagonist's daily life for a particular period of time。 This novel is a great example of the genre; we get to know Majella through the mundanities， broken down nearly by the hour， over the course of a short time （a week， I think， though via her ruminations we see many of the moments， big and small， that make up her life up to that point）。 This book has some similarities to Shuggie Bain， in that it is One of my favorite novel structures is the slice-of-life， which chronicles the minutiae of the protagonist's daily life for a particular period of time。 This novel is a great example of the genre; we get to know Majella through the mundanities， broken down nearly by the hour， over the course of a short time （a week， I think， though via her ruminations we see many of the moments， big and small， that make up her life up to that point）。 This book has some similarities to Shuggie Bain， in that it is set in an economically depressed area; the author uses a lot of dialect and slang （which are quite similar between the Glasgow of Shuggie Bain and small-town Northern Ireland in this book）; and there is a lot of drug and alcohol use and abuse。 I know little to nothing about the Troubles in Northern Ireland， other than an impression from the evening news of my childhood that a lot of cars blew up， and while this book doesn't rise to the level of historical fiction， the setting and some of the character arcs give you a sense of what individuals and families went through during that time and in its aftermath。 I've written in other reviews that intergroup conflicts fascinate me， so the mentions of Catholic-Protestant rivalries definitely caught my attention here。 It's lightly done， more contextual than expository， but now I want to know more about it。 Another aspect of this book is the way it deals with the embodied experience of a woman - her appetites， her physiological functions， her sensory impressions。 Majella unabashedly both enjoys and loathes the various sensations of being in her body。 The author gives an almost uncomfortable amount of physical detail， but in a way that I appreciated because it is so deeply human and brings the reader so firmly into the story。 We experience every moment right there with Majella。 I'm going to miss her and spending time with her in the chip shop。 。。。more

Suzanne Helston ，

Fucken brilliant！

KBuck ，

Just a slice of life。

Karen Sweeney ，

I liked the author’s voice。 As to the plot， it needed more to be fulfilling。 I would def read another book about the protagonist。

Jennifer ，

By the end of this novel， I was invested。 But I have some reservations。 The surface story involves a week or two in the life of a twenty-something woman in a small town in Northern Ireland。 She navigates her own large body and her complicated relationships to people and sounds and routines （She appears to be on the autism spectrum， but the book never says that outright）。 The reader walks with her through her work day at the local fish and chips place and her home life with her often drunk mom。 U By the end of this novel， I was invested。 But I have some reservations。 The surface story involves a week or two in the life of a twenty-something woman in a small town in Northern Ireland。 She navigates her own large body and her complicated relationships to people and sounds and routines （She appears to be on the autism spectrum， but the book never says that outright）。 The reader walks with her through her work day at the local fish and chips place and her home life with her often drunk mom。 Under the surface， the reader gets a glimpse of the long reach of the Irish Troubles。 The division between Catholics and Protestants impacts all the details of the main character's world （including， hilariously， two separate fish and chips shops: The Cod Father for the Protestants and A Salt and Battered for the Catholics）。 But also， her father disappeared under suspicious circumstances during her childhood， and her grandmother was recently murdered in her own home。 The violence and personal trauma from political upheaval is always underneath the character's accounting of the more mundane details of her life。 My reservations come from thinking about whether this character needed to be neurodivergent （and， for that matter， be heavy） in order for this story to exist。 I came to love her for her approach to life and the kinds of struggles she encounters， but I also wonder whether this portrayal is authentic and respectful。 I hope so。 。。。more

Emily ，

Not sure if my lack of knowledge of Northern Ireland is the issue here， but this was the dullest book I've read in ages。 I have no idea why it won a comedy prize because I didn't think it was humorous at all。 Not sure if my lack of knowledge of Northern Ireland is the issue here， but this was the dullest book I've read in ages。 I have no idea why it won a comedy prize because I didn't think it was humorous at all。 。。。more

Jodi ，

I'm not sure if this is a problem with many General Fiction books right now， or a problem with me， but once again I finished a page， turned to the next page and discovered the book was over。 I enjoyed this book。 The protagonist is so interesting that you keep reading through long sections where nothing really happens。 But would it have been a crime against the story to give us a real ending？ I'd still say go ahead and read this book。 The characters are great and the setting is interesting， and a I'm not sure if this is a problem with many General Fiction books right now， or a problem with me， but once again I finished a page， turned to the next page and discovered the book was over。 I enjoyed this book。 The protagonist is so interesting that you keep reading through long sections where nothing really happens。 But would it have been a crime against the story to give us a real ending？ I'd still say go ahead and read this book。 The characters are great and the setting is interesting， and as for the rest - it may just be me。 。。。more

Carla Kaiser ，

Really 3。5。 Would have been higher until the last 70 pages or so。

Sally Robinson ，

I just couldn't get into the writing style of this one nor did I connect with the protagonist。 I just couldn't get into the writing style of this one nor did I connect with the protagonist。 。。。more

Georgia ，

Read this now。But listen to it too。 Then read it。I will definitely be visiting this book again

Linnea ，

a week in the life of an unremarkable young woman from northern ireland that， in its mundanity， becomes remarkable。it's difficult for me to review this book because it's so different from most books i read。 not much happens: majella works at the chip shop， majella's mother is demanding， majella gets a new comforter， majella introspects。。。 plot points that might be driving forces in another book （majella's father has been missing for a while， majella's grandmother has recently been murdered） feel a week in the life of an unremarkable young woman from northern ireland that， in its mundanity， becomes remarkable。it's difficult for me to review this book because it's so different from most books i read。 not much happens: majella works at the chip shop， majella's mother is demanding， majella gets a new comforter， majella introspects。。。 plot points that might be driving forces in another book （majella's father has been missing for a while， majella's grandmother has recently been murdered） feel almost mundane in this one。the narration， however， is anything but mundane。 nicola coughlan is a delight to listen to and i could recommend this book on her narration alone。ultimately， for a complete change of pace， this book could be quite the refresher。 but be warned: if you're looking for a gripping fast-paced tale with shocking twists and turns， this is not the book for you。thank you to netgalley and workman audio for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Big Girl, Small Town

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Big Girl, Small Town&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Big Girl, Small Town&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0