Ma, Now I'm Goin Up in the World: A Memoir of Dublin in the 1960s

by Martha Long

Sixteen-year-old Martha's luck is finally changing. Taken in by a kind young priest, Father Ralph Fitzgerald, and his wealthy mother, she gets a taste of "how the other half lives" and resolves to make a better life for herself once and for all. Soon she's off to school to become a her ticket to a respectable middle-class existence. But even as her fortune improves--she has a roof over her head, food in her belly, and the freedom to do as she pleases--the love and community she has sought since she was a child continue to elude her. Her friendship with Father Ralph, the first person to make her feel truly special, may hold the key to her happiness. However, as their friendship becomes something more, Martha discovers that love can heal--but it can also hurt, deeply. In Ma, Now I'm Goin Up in the World , Martha navigates 1960s Ireland with her trademark compassion, optimism, and fiery strength. But will these traits be enough to see her through the greatest challenge of her life thus far?

448 pages, Paperback

Published March 26, 2019

About the author

Martha Long was born in Dublin in the early 1950s and still lives there today. She calls herself a ‘middle-aged matron’ and has successfully reared three children. The Bookseller described her as a ‘truly gifted storyteller’ & Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, compared her to Charles Dickens. Her seventh and final book in the bestselling Ma series will be published by Mainstream Publishing in the UK, Australia and New Zealand in September 2013. Her first book was published in North America by Seven Stories Press in November 2012.

Reviews

[Magi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So heartbreaking. Martha can not seem to get ahead. When she thinks she has found love it slip's away.