A Prairie Legacy
inspirational fiction
Series · family saga
O'Malley Family Saga
The O'Malley Family Saga series by Andrew M. Greeley has 7 known books (7 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Summer at the Lake (1997).
- Books
- 7 known books (7 novels)
- Published
- 7
- First published
- 1997
- Status
- deceased
- Shelved under
- Literary Fiction
- Last checked
Start here: Summer at the Lake (1997) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Summer at the Lake
Summer at the Lake opens Andrew Greeley's seven-novel O'Malley Family Saga in 1997, introducing Chucky and Rosemarie O'Malley in their youth and courtship as Greeley begins tracing mid-century Chicago Irish Catholic life through their decades-spanning marriage. At 412 pages, it's the longest entry, setting up the family chronicle that follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Summer at the Lake - Book 2:
A Midwinter's Tale
A Midwinter's Tale continues the O'Malley Family Saga in 1998, following Summer at the Lake as Greeley moves Chucky and Rosemarie's story forward toward the Second World War era. It sits between Summer at the Lake and Younger Than Springtime in the family's chronological arc across the twentieth century.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Midwinter's Tale - Book 3:
Younger Than Springtime
Younger Than Springtime, the third O'Malley novel, appeared in 1999 at 348 pages, continuing Andrew Greeley's chronicle of Chucky and Rosemarie's marriage and Chicago's Irish Catholic community. It falls between A Midwinter's Tale and A Christmas Wedding in the saga's roughly chronological reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Younger Than Springtime - Book 4:
A Christmas Wedding
A Christmas Wedding is the fourth entry in the O'Malley Family Saga, published in 2000 at 488 pages. It carries Chucky and Rosemarie further into the family and ambassadorial life Greeley traces across the series, following Younger Than Springtime.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Christmas Wedding - Book 5:
September Song
September Song, the fifth O'Malley novel, appeared in 2001, moving Andrew Greeley's chronicle of Chucky and Rosemarie's fifty-year marriage into its later chapters. At 384 pages, it precedes Second Spring in the family's decades-spanning story.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of September Song - Book 6:
Second Spring
Second Spring, the sixth book in the O'Malley Family Saga, followed September Song in 2003 at 347 pages, continuing Andrew Greeley's portrait of Chucky and Rosemarie's marriage as it stays passionate and complicated into later life.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Second Spring - Book 7:
Golden Years
Golden Years closes the O'Malley Family Saga in 2004, following Chucky and Rosemarie O'Malley into old age as the seventh and final book in Andrew Greeley's chronicle of a marriage that spans the twentieth century. It runs 366 pages, ending a series that Greeley's death in 2013 left permanently closed.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Golden Years
About the O'Malley Family Saga series
A seven-novel chronicle of the O'Malley family -- Charles "Chucky" O'Malley and his wife Rosemarie chief among them -- across the twentieth century, from Chucky and Rosemarie's youth and courtship through the Second World War, into ambassadorial and family life, and finally old age in Golden Years (2004). Greeley uses the family's decades-spanning story to trace mid-century American Catholic life, Chicago's Irish community, and a marriage that stays passionate and complicated across fifty years, rather than centering on a single mystery plot.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the O'Malley Family Saga?
Seven, published 1997-2004, following Chucky and Rosemarie O'Malley from young adulthood into old age.
Is this a mystery series like Greeley's other work?
No -- it's a family saga tracing a marriage and family across the twentieth century, without the mystery-plot structure of Blackie Ryan or Nuala Anne McGrail.
If you like the O'Malley Family Saga series
Reading order last verified .