The Country Girls Trilogy Books in Order

The Country Girls Trilogy is a series of three novels by Irish author Edna O'Brien — The Country Girls (1960), The Lonely Girl (1962, later republished as Girl with Green Eyes), and Girls in Their Married Bliss (1964) — following Caithleen "Cait" Brady and her friend Baba from convent-school girlhood into adulthood. The books were controversial and banned by Irish censors on first publication for their frank treatment of sexual and social themes, and are now regarded as landmark works of Irish feminist literature and bildungsroman fiction; a 1986 omnibus edition added a revised ending and epilogue.

Publication order

In the order the books were originally released.

  1. Cover of The Country Girls

    The Country Girls

    1960 · Edna O'Brien

    The Country Girls is a 1960 book by Edna O'Brien. It is book 1 of the series The Country Girls Trilogy.

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  2. Cover of The Lonely Girl (a.k.a. Girl with Green Eyes)

    The Lonely Girl (a.k.a. Girl with Green Eyes)

    1962 · Edna O'Brien

    The Lonely Girl (a.k.a. Girl with Green Eyes) is a 1962 book by Edna O'Brien. It is book 2 of the series The Country Girls Trilogy.

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    Buy on Amazon
  3. Cover of Girls in Their Married Bliss

    Girls in Their Married Bliss

    1964 · Edna O'Brien

    Girls in Their Married Bliss is a 1964 book by Edna O'Brien. It is book 3 of the series The Country Girls Trilogy.

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    Buy on Amazon

Frequently asked questions

What order should I read the The Country Girls Trilogy books in?

Read them in publication order, starting with “The Country Girls”. Start with “The Country Girls.”

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

We list 3 books by Edna O'Brien , published between 1960–1964.

Where can I buy the The Country Girls Trilogy books?

Each title above links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.