Book summary

In this sequel to THE MAMMY, set in 1973, Agnes Browne is a widow trying to raise her seven children (the "chisellers" of the title) in public housing. She has an immigrant boyfriend (a pizza maker named Pierre), one son who's about to lose his job as an apprentice to a furniture maker, and another who's a skinhead and becomes involved in an episode of violence that hits close to home. Mrs. Browne is unfailingly feisty but also human and vulnerable. O'Carroll's series of novels about her and her family provide a humorous, touching look at life in Dublin's inner city.

Media reviews

"In this half-melodrama, half-farce, the most successful scenes are comic...."