Are You Somebody?: The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman

I sure don't get the overall three stars on this!Nuala O'Faolian has written some very engaging fiction, and essays. This is a memoir and as such does not have a plot in the normal sense, nor is it expository writing. It is descriptive, musing and a somewhat inconclusive story by someone who can really write. It appears that her life was not happy so you will not find a tidy story with an uplifting ending.But it is not depressing. It is fascinating really; you learn about Ireland, you are engaged in the various adventures of Nuala O'Faolian's life and eventually you are engulfed by her hypnotic prose. This is not for everyone. It's a bit of an intellectual and emotional odyssey and you're not sure where you are going. If you can handle that you are well rewarded. It is very well written and engaging.I found Nuala O'Faolian to be great company and a wonderful discovery. I have gone on to read more. I wish more of her work was on the Kindle!

This is a very moving, beautifully honest, and sometimes disturbing memoir. Growing up in Dublin in the 1950s and 60s was not an easy life for women (and for many men). The sexual repression, the oppression of the Catholic church, and the complications of large families left many young women feeling isolated and confused. O'Faolain covers this terrain in a thoughtful, self-reflective, and often poetic way. She was a natural storyteller. Some of it is very sad, some very funny, and yes as other reviewers have noted there is a little bit of name-dropping, although in the end this did not bother me terribly, as she did have contact with a lot of very powerful people. It was part of her life.The ending of the book I found extremely sad and moving. This is a better, truer book about life in Ireland than Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes.

Smoking,Drinking,and the Pub,the three main facets in the life of the Irish.Maybe not so much today but the last couple of generations have housed these three.One can feel the desolation when reading this book.what possess a a parent to abuse their children as they do?I guess this was how they were treated so they just passed it along.Life in Ireland was not for the weak of heart,WOMEN were less then second class citizens.She is a powerful writer and gets her points across in many varied forms.It was a good read for me others may not like the way it is told.It kind of shatters the idyllic dreams one has of the Emerald Isle.

This is the late Nuala O,faolains best seller which is a warts and all account of her personal and professional life and travels.Nuala was a gifted wordsmith and was not afraid to tackle subjects that provoke interest and critical thought in the reader.This edition is expanded to include some of her articles from her time as a professional journalist., one of which borders on faction( the term coined in the eighties to describe a mixture of fiction and fact) The book and all the articles in it held my interest intensly. Strangely,within this text ,is the only place a reader may find the article ,"The Gold coast of County Down .". sadly it was not included in a later collection of her selected articles of journalism that has been published. If you are interested in a contemporary Irish view of Ireland and the World this is an entertaining and essential read .

I have become hooked on her writing. I have now read two of her novels and found them both wonderful. I was saddened to read that there will be no more--she died in 2002 of cancer (various kinds) so her last year was not a good one. This book was the highlight of the past few years catching up on my reading and finding new writers I didn't know before. I love Amazon because it is so easy to find great, inexpensive reading, and to pass them on to other used book sources.

I'm as surprised at all the bad reviews, as some of you are surprised by the good ones. I would call this book one of the best i've ever read. I love books for different reasons... the quality of writing, the "story" itself, the development of the story, and/or how the book itself makes me feel - ie. how much i'm moved or entertained by it. I sobbed thru about the last 60 pages of this one. This book made me wish i knew this woman. It's incredible to me - her life, her dreams, her intelligence, her inner beauty and turmoil...everything about her. I will read this again...i will be 50 next month, and maybe this book means more to me than most - as i live alone (divorced), and never had children.We love things for different reasons. I love this book for all the right ones. Enjoy.

Thank you Nuala O'Faolain for daring to share in an Irish culture that is known for keeping things behind closed doors. I love your honesty that reveals being a human can be difficult.

Nuala O'Faolain was complicated -- she tried to write this book to explain herself and/or life. She laid it out as she lived it -- fascinating and troubling. That she's at peace now is the consolation she deserved, and the goal she never found.

After reading 'My dream of you'' (One of my most favourite books in many years) I was really looking forward to reading Nualas memoirs but found this book long and drawn out in many ways.I was captured by some of the chapters about her own family upbringing and close family. Will read another book to see if measures up to My Dream of you.

Bought as a gift and they enjoyed it a lot

To be honest, I didn't really get the added value of the book when I was reading it. I didn't get why it was recommended to me. That said, it could be that that's due to age and culture differences. But for some reason parts of it have been coming back to me ever since finishing it, so I can only conclude it's better than I thought it was at the time.

O'Faolain's memoir is simply a must read for anyone interested in narratives that deal with historical and socio-political changes. Her memoir provides a stark portrayal of Ireland and how the Irish managed to survive; a personalized novel of formation that takes you to the unseen Ireland.

Exactly as described, and arrived on time