NEWS

Top 35 Books in 35 Years!

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Join us as we celebrate 35 years (and counting) of great books at The Lilliput Press!! Today’s list spotlights some of our favourite books written and edited by women, as chosen by publicity intern, Gemma! Take a look! Have you read any of today’s picks?

 

  1. The State of Grace by Catherine Donnelly

First published by a Lilliput imprint in 2003, this book remains a wildly entertaining and witty read. Nuala O’Faolain put it best when she said that ‘Beneath its frothy cappuccino exterior, there beats a heart of gold, and a story told with increasing joie-de-vivre.’ A wild ride from start to finish, this book details the trials and tribulations of 46-year-old Grace as she is fired from her job as a TV producer in an advertising agency, loses her house, falls off the wagon, gets to know her children as people, starts a new career and rediscovers her sense of humour. This book is sure to give you a giggle.

  1. Before the House Burns by Mary O’Donoghue

An engrossing novel from Mary O’Donoghue, this book makes your spine tingle! Its time-spanning and dream-like presentation heaves you into the story’s world and doesn’t let go! Set on Ireland’s Atlantic coast, Before the House Burns is a tender, implosive first novel by an award-winning short story writer and poet. It concerns the lives of its three young narrators, children of a bereaved father and witnesses to a shared grief. If you are needing a new page-turner, Lilliput has you covered!

3. The Cruelty Men by Emer Martin

A much more recent title, The Cruelty Men spans generations and dispenses with sentimentality. It’s a story of survival incredibly well-composed, capturing the politics of an Ireland in a flux between the 1930s and 70s. A delightful abundance of poetic and surreal phrases, quips and curses in this book give it vitality and authenticity. Poignant and swift, The Cruelty Men tells an unsentimental yet emotional tale of survival in a country proclaimed as independent but subjugated by silence. An intense read, this one keeps us reading late into the night. P.S, as part of our #Lilliput35 celebrations, this book is 20% off!

4. An Unravelling by Elske Rahill

A truly wonderful book, Elske Rahill paints a complex, intricate picture of female relationships in this hefty volume — perfect for reading during that winter hibernation. The characters are deftly realised, radiating nuance, insight and tenderness of approach. This intricate web of female relationships comes under terrible strain when Molly, her health sapped by her constant efforts on behalf of others, decides to consult the family solicitor about changing her will.  

5. A Danger to the Men? edited by Susan M Parkes.

A history of Trinity that pays homage to the protestors, petitioners and early graduates that made women’s entry into the college possible. Brimming with memoirs and reminiscences it’s a fascinating and expository read capturing, over 100 years later, the historic shift that took place in 1904. This magnificent history traces the long campaign for admission, the achievements of early women graduates, the struggle for equality by female students and staff, and the eventual establishment of the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies. Lively memoirs and reminiscences of women graduates, collected by the Dublin University Women Graduates’ Association, combine with academic essays to tell the fascinating story of one hundred years of women in Trinity. Bring this book with you on your next wander through Trinity’s campus.

 

If you would like to read any of these titles, pop in or give us a ring! Don’t forget to be on the lookout for tomorrow’s Top 35!