The Country Girls Trilogy books in order

Q: "How many books are in the The Country Girls Trilogy series?"

"There are five books in the The Country Girls Trilogy series, published between 1960 and 1964."

Q: "What is the first book in the The Country Girls Trilogy series?"

"The first book in the The Country Girls Trilogy series is The Country Girls, published in 1960."

Q: "What is The Country Girls Trilogy about?"

"The trilogy follows Caithleen (Kate) Brady and her friend Baba Brennan from their rural Irish childhood through their move to Dublin and their adult lives in London. The three books trace a journey from youthful hope and rebellion to the compromises and disappointments of marriage and independence."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	The Country Girls	1960	Edna O’Brien	Buy
2	Girl with Green Eyes	1962	Edna O’Brien	Buy
3	The Lonely Girl	1962	Edna O’Brien	N/A
4	Chicas felizmente casadas	1964	Edna O’Brien	N/A
5	Girls in Their Married Bliss	1964	Edna O’Brien	Buy

The Country Girls Trilogy is the work that made Edna O’Brien famous and got her books banned in Ireland. Starting with The Country Girls (1960), the trilogy follows two friends — the romantic, sensitive Kate and the brash, practical Baba — as they escape the convent schools and farmlands of western Ireland for Dublin and eventually London.

Girl with Green Eyes (also published as The Lonely Girl) continues Kate’s story through a doomed love affair with an older man, while Girls in Their Married Bliss follows both women into unhappy marriages and the reality that freedom from Ireland didn’t bring the happiness they expected. The trilogy was later published in a single volume with an epilogue that revisits the characters decades later. These three books remain O’Brien’s most widely read work and are considered foundational texts in modern Irish literature.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the The Country Girls Trilogy series?

There are five books in the The Country Girls Trilogy series, published between 1960 and 1964.

What is the first book in the The Country Girls Trilogy series?

The first book in the The Country Girls Trilogy series is The Country Girls, published in 1960.

What is The Country Girls Trilogy about?

The trilogy follows Caithleen (Kate) Brady and her friend Baba Brennan from their rural Irish childhood through their move to Dublin and their adult lives in London. The three books trace a journey from youthful hope and rebellion to the compromises and disappointments of marriage and independence.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order