About the book
Winner of the John McGahern Prize for Fiction 2025
A Guardian ‘Best Fiction of 2024’ Selection
‘Captured in careful, accurate detail … a novel of concealment and shocking revelation. Fitzgerald has managed to create an unforgettable heroine and a dark picture of the world around her.’ Colm Tóibín
‘Devastating’ Anne Enright
‘A gifted writer’ Irish Times
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Jean Kennedy is a gentle, perceptive girl growing up in a very strange world: suburban Dublin in the 1970s and '80s. In the company of her mother, her Aunty Ida, and her little brother Baby John F., Jean experiences love and joy. But home is not a safe place, and Jean is unequal and unprotected. When she speaks just one small part of the truth, she must quickly learn to navigate the dangers and possibilities of a world she scarcely understands.
Jean’s hypnotic, unsparing and ultimately hopeful voice captures the dreams and terrors of girlhood in a brutally hypocritical world, and offers glimpses of a better life. Through it all, Jean’s voice pulsates with insight and passion. Girl in the Making is a deeply moving, propulsive coming-of-age story from a major new talent.
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‘Beautiful’ Louise Nealon
'Magnificent' Aingeala Flannery
'Masterful' Kathleen MacMahon
‘Deeply moving and beautifully written … Fitzgerald’s prose has a crispness and a depth that surprises and delights’ Irish Times
‘Tender and perceptive … simply unforgettable’ Irish Examiner
'Reminiscent of the work of Tessa Hadley and Elena Ferrante' Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
'Devastating and superb' Irish Independent
Editions of Girl in the Making
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781844886470
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781844886487
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780241999349
- EBook
- ISBN 9781844886494
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9781405964524
Read an Excerpt
Winner of the John McGahern Prize for Fiction 2025
A Guardian ‘Best Fiction of 2024’ Selection
‘Captured in careful, accurate detail … a novel of concealment and shocking revelation. Fitzgerald has managed to create an unforgettable heroine and a dark picture of the world around her.’ Colm Tóibín
‘Devastating’ Anne Enright
‘A gifted writer’ Irish Times
---
Jean Kennedy is a gentle, perceptive girl growing up in a very strange world: suburban Dublin in the 1970s and '80s. In the company of her mother, her Aunty Ida, and her little brother Baby John F., Jean experiences love and joy. But home is not a safe place, and Jean is unequal and unprotected. When she speaks just one small part of the truth, she must quickly learn to navigate the dangers and possibilities of a world she scarcely understands.
Jean’s hypnotic, unsparing and ultimately hopeful voice captures the dreams and terrors of girlhood in a brutally hypocritical world, and offers glimpses of a better life. Through it all, Jean’s voice pulsates with insight and passion. Girl in the Making is a deeply moving, propulsive coming-of-age story from a major new talent.
-----
‘Beautiful’ Louise Nealon
'Magnificent' Aingeala Flannery
'Masterful' Kathleen MacMahon
‘Deeply moving and beautifully written … Fitzgerald’s prose has a crispness and a depth that surprises and delights’ Irish Times
‘Tender and perceptive … simply unforgettable’ Irish Examiner
'Reminiscent of the work of Tessa Hadley and Elena Ferrante' Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
'Devastating and superb' Irish Independent
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Girl in the Making about?
Winner of the John McGahern Prize for Fiction 2025
A Guardian ‘Best Fiction of 2024’ Selection
‘Captured in careful, accurate detail … a novel of concealment and shocking revelation. Fitzgerald has managed to create an unforgettable heroine and a dark picture of the world around her.’ Colm Tóibín
‘Devastating’ Anne Enright
‘A gifted writer’ Irish Times
---
Jean Kennedy is a gentle, perceptive girl growing up in a very strange world: suburban Dublin in the 1970s and '80s. In the company of her mother, her Aunty Ida, and her little brother Baby John F., Jean experiences love and joy. But home is not a safe place, and Jean is unequal and unprotected. When she speaks just one small part of the truth, she must quickly learn to navigate the dangers and possibilities of a world she scarcely understands.
Jean’s hypnotic, unsparing and ultimately hopeful voice captures the dreams and terrors of girlhood in a brutally hypocritical world, and offers glimpses of a better life. Through it all, Jean’s voice pulsates with insight and passion. Girl in the Making is a deeply moving, propulsive coming-of-age story from a major new talent.
-----
‘Beautiful’ Louise Nealon
'Magnificent' Aingeala Flannery
'Masterful' Kathleen MacMahon
‘Deeply moving and beautifully written … Fitzgerald’s prose has a crispness and a depth that surprises and delights’ Irish Times
‘Tender and perceptive … simply unforgettable’ Irish Examiner
'Reminiscent of the work of Tessa Hadley and Elena Ferrante' Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
'Devastating and superb' Irish Independent
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Girl in the Making?
Fiction > Fiction: literary and general non-genre > Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general
Where can I read a sample of Girl in the Making?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781844886470
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Girl in the Making?
Anna Fitzgerald
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Girl in the Making is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781844886470) and paperback(ISBN 9781844886487) and paperback(ISBN 9780241999349) and ebook(ISBN 9781844886494) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9781405964524)
Where can I buy Girl in the Making online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Girl in the Making from below
Where can I buy Girl in the Making?