Stir-Fry: A Novel [Hardcover]

Emma Donoghue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

After coming to Dublin to study at the University, sharing a flat with two eccentric women, and becoming infatuated with a man who turns out to be gay, a teenage Irish girl discovers she is a lesbian. National ad/promo. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Donoghue's wry and tender debut tackles the interconnected themes of coming-out and coming-of-age. Strong-willed, shy and filled with vague feminist sentiments, 17-year-old Maria has left her small town to begin college--and what she hopes will be a thrilling life replete with romance--in contemporary Dublin. Seeking an inexpensive place to live, she responds to a notecard tacked on the bulletin board in the Students' Union and meets her future roommates, Jael and Ruth, two "Mature Students" in their 20s, occupants of a shabby but cozy Georgian flat. Though unworldly Maria does not at first grasp that the two are lovers, it doesn't take her long to realize that swaggering Jael and earnest, sweet-natured Ruth are just the sort of friends she has always longed for. As she comes to grips with her new friends' relationship, Maria gradually unearths the truth about her own sexuality. Eschewing dogma and offering no pat answers, this intimate, highly readable tale ends on a hopeful, love-affirming note as Maria makes a choice that is at once surprising, inevitable and very right for her. Described with wicked, hilarious accuracy, campus life (from women's-group meetings to boozy theatrical shindigs) provides a vivid backdrop to Maria's inner searchings. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

At 17, Maria leaves home in the country to attend the University in Dublin, where she shares a flat with two older women students. Like most first-year students, Maria is searching for her own identity. Attending classes, joining clubs, cleaning offices, making friends, and talking with her flat mates, Maria begins her search. When she discovers that her feminist flat mates are lesbians and lovers, Maria must start questioning her own sexuality. Donoghue has written about lesbianism in various modes, but this is her first novel. There are some drawbacks: Maria has more sophistication and maturity than her age and background would seem to permit, and the use of British slang may cause American readers to miss the point of some of the dialog. Still, this is a readable addition to fiction collections.
Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006017109X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060171094
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,492,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Dublin in 1969, Emma Donoghue is a writer of contemporary and historical fiction whose novels include the bestselling "Slammerkin," "The Sealed Letter," "Landing," "Life Mask," "Hood," and "Stirfry." Her story collections are "The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits," "Kissing the Witch," and "Touchy Subjects." She also writes literary history, and plays for stage and radio. She lives in London, Ontario, with her partner and their two small children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A scrumptious tale of coming alive, October 11, 2001

By 

"blissengine" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stir-fry: A Novel (Paperback)

Maria is a small town Irish girl, who comes to Dublin to attend university. Not wanting to live with her aunt, she shares an apartment with two women, Ruth and Jael, who help introduce her to a grander scope of the world at large. Maria makes a few other friends, but it is Ruth and Jael who are her centerpiece, but when she discovers they're lesbian lovers, she's not sure what to think anymore. She adapts, and tries to follow her classmates and get interest in dating and clubbing, but it all seems flat and uninteresting. Ultimately, a single moment at New Year's clarifies Maria's feelings and helps her realize just who she wants. Donoghue's marvelous first novel is exquisitely rendered, and quite fulfilling. I found some of the middle passages a bit tepid, but this was a brief feeling, and Donoghue's writing captured me again soon after. I am a huge fan of her book "Hood", and it's wonderful this book has come back into print!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!, December 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Stir-fry: A Novel (Paperback)

Donoghue writes simply and clearly, yet conveys so well the complexities of Maria becoming more aware of herself. There is so much going through her mind as she adjusts to life in the city, away from her family and village, and is exposed to new ideas of how to live. We can see Maria changing and yet are still surprised at the end. This book is more about relationships than events, so on the first read it seemed to drag, but the more I read it the more I notice how every insignificant event is designed to show some aspect of Maria that she is barely aware of herself.

4.0 out of 5 stars Read it, liked it, stole it:-), September 23, 2009

By 

Sifter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stir-fry: A Novel (Paperback)

Happened on this book perchance in my local library, and as another reviewer put it, read it, liked it, stole it.

This was my introduction to this author. Maria at 17 years, is written in as very mentally matured by the auhor. This is actually not an easy book to read. The writing style reminded me of Jane Rule. Mixes a lot of politically incorrect situationsThe Irish slang made it a bit confusing to read though.

But i liked the way the book is written though.