Anna Edith Fitzgerald was born in Dublin where she grew up and was educated. She studied for an Arts degree in Trinity College. Having spent some time in the United States, she returned to Ireland where she settled with her family. Her first novel, Girl in the Making was published by Penguin in 2024. Set in the suburbs of 1960s and 70s Dublin, the story is narrated by the central character, Jean Kennedy, a child in the household of the troubled Kennedy family. She lives in Dublin with her husband and the youngest of their children. She recently featured in the Dublin Book Festival and the West Cork Literary Festival in July 2025.
Girl in the Making is the winner of the John McGahern prize 2025 and was included in the Guardian’s list of Best Fiction of 2024.
She has recently completed her second novel “Swing.”
Reviews of Girl in the Making
“Furious, tender, and redemptive, with a register that lands somewhere between Jeanette Winterson and Sinéad O’Connor.” Aingeala Flannery
“Writing this good is a rare thing… This writer has arrived fully formed.” – Kathleen MacMahon
“Nostalgic, rich, intimate and authentic” – Irish Times
“There is a poignant mix of insight and innocence that harks back to O’Briens The Country Girls.” Sarah Gilmartin, Irish Times
“This novel is devastating. And superb.’” Anne Cunnigham, Irish Independent
“Tender and perceptive … simply unforgettable.” Sue Leonard, Irish Examiner
