Brooklyn
The iconic prequel to Long Island, a 'masterwork' Sunday Times
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4.2 • 143 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
A devastating story of love, loss and one woman's terrible choice between duty and personal freedom. Discover Brooklyn before reading its eagerly anticipated follow-up, Long Island.
It is Ireland in the early 1950s and for Eilis Lacey, as for so many young Irish girls, opportunities are scarce. So when her sister arranges for her to emigrate to New York, Eilis knows she must go, leaving behind her family and her home for the first time.
Arriving in a crowded lodging house in Brooklyn, Eilis can only be reminded of what she has sacrificed. She is far from home - and homesick. And just as she takes tentative steps towards friendship, and perhaps something more, Eilis receives news which sends her back to Ireland. There she will be confronted by a terrible dilemma - a devastating choice between duty and one great love.
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'With this elating and humane novel, Colm Tóibín has produced a masterwork' Sunday Times
'Unforgettable' Spectator
'The most compelling and moving portrait of a young woman I have read in a long time' Zoë Heller, Guardian, Books of the Year
'Magnificent' Sunday Telegraph
'A work of such skill, understatement and sly jewelled merriment could haunt your life' Ali Smith
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We were captivated by Irish author Colm Tóibín’s gentle, bittersweet novel about the immigrant experience. Eilis’ family presses her to leave Ireland and take a chance on a new life in Brooklyn. Tóibín portrays life in ‘50s New York in vivid detail—from boarding houses, parish dances and department stores to Coney Island and baseball. Eilis’ emotional journey is deeply moving. She cycles through homesickness, cautious joy about her blossoming relationship with ambitious Italian boy Tony, and the pain of choosing between her new and old lives.
Customer Reviews
Siobhan
A wonderful and evocative book which brought enriched colour and vividness to stories recounted by grandmothers and great aunts. A window into the lives of our grandparents.
Heart warming
Such a lovely read, great book and great film
Brooklyn
Beautifully written, I was immersed in both worlds but the ending was very abrupt and I’d hoped for more!