Edna O'Brien published 22 novels, 4 novellas, 6 short story collections, 4 non-fiction books, 1 play and 1 other book, beginning with The Country Girls (1960).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Edna O'Brien
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The Country Girls
Edna O'Brien's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
The Country Girls (1960)
Girl with Green Eyes (1964)
Girls in Their Married Bliss (1964)
August Is a Wicked Month (1965)
Casualties of Peace (1966)
A Pagan Place (Apr 1970)
The Lonely Girl (1972)
Returning (1982)
The Country Girls Trilogy and Epilogue (1986)
Anna Livia Plurabelle (1987)
The High Road (1988)
Lantern Slides (1990)
Time and Tide (1992)
An Edna O'Brien Reader (1994)
House of Splendid Isolation (1994)
Down by the River (1996)
Wild Decembers (1999)
In the Forest (2002)
The Light of Evening (2006)
James Joyce (Lives) (2011)
The Little Red Chairs (2015)
Girl (Sep 2019)
Novellas in order
Zee & Co (1971)
Night (1972)
Johnny I Hardly Knew You (1977)
Virginia (1981)
Short story collections in order
The Love Object (1968)
A Scandalous Woman (1974)
Mrs Reinhardt, and Other Stories (1978)
A Rose in the Heart (1979)
A Fanatic Heart (1984)
Saints and Sinners (2011)
Non-fiction in order
Mother Ireland (1976)
Some Irish Loving (1979)
Byron in Love (2009)
Country Girl (2012)
Plays in order
Triptych (2003)
Other books in order
Tales for the Telling (1986)
About Edna O'Brien
Josephine Edna O'Brien was an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Edna O'Brien FAQ
- How many books has Edna O'Brien written?
- Edna O'Brien published 22 novels, 4 novellas, 6 short story collections, 4 non-fiction books, 1 play and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Edna O'Brien's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Country Girls.
- What is Edna O'Brien's last book?
- Girl (2019).
- What is Edna O'Brien's most famous book?
- The Country Girls (1960) is Edna O'Brien's most widely read book.
Authors like Edna O'Brien
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.