Valley of the Squinting Windows

Valley of the Squinting Windows

infobox Book |
name = Valley of the Squinting Windows
title_orig =
translator =


author = Brinsley MacNamara
cover_artist =
country = Ireland
language = English
series =
genre = Novel
publisher = Anvil Books
release_date = 1918
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 182 p. (paperback edition)
isbn = ISBN 0-900068-35-3 (paperback edition)
preceded_by =
followed_by =

Valley of the Squinting Windows is a novel by Brinsley MacNamara, set in the fictional village of "Garradrimna", County Westmeath, Ireland. While McNamara insists that Garradrimna could represent any village in Ireland, geographical landmarks mentioned in the book indicate that Garradrimna coincides with the real-world town of Delvin. The novel itself never refers to Delvin by name.

Plot introduction

The novel would have been unremarkable except for the tale of Irish life that it told at the time of its publication in 1918, the immediate scandal, and the ensuing ramifications. The novel centred on rural life and the power of gossip, and public perception which people attempted to present of the family and individual and of an inward-looking society, similar to the Keeping up with the Joneses theme. Such was the stir created by the book that the author's father, a schoolmaster, was boycotted and eventually had to leave the area and emigrate; the author himself never returned to the area. The novel also resulted in a high-profile court case by those who thought that they had been described, and there was such bad feeling in the area against the book that it was publicly burned.

MacNamara's novel has been reprinted several times, particularly when interest in the topic re-emerges. "Valley of the squinting windows" has become a colloquial term, particularly in Ireland, for a society obsessed with providing neighbours and peers with a good perception of one's own personal matters.

Release details

*1918, Ireland, ?, Pub date ? ? 1918, hardback
*1976, Ireland, Anvil Books ISBN 0-900068-35-3, Pub date ? September 1976, paperback
*1984, Ireland, Anvil Books ISBN 0-900068-83-3, Pub date 11 July 1984, paperback
*1984, Ireland, Anvil Books ISBN 0-900068-82-5, Pub date 11 July 1984, hardback
*1985, Ireland, Anvil Books ISBN 0-947962-01-8, Pub date ? September 1985, paperback (in print)


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