Long Island (Oprah's Book Club)
by Colm Toibin
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* OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *
* NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2024 BY TIME MAGAZINE, THE NEW YORKER, WASHINGTON POST, VULTURE, GLAMOUR, FRESH AIR, NPR, THE GUARDIAN, THE ECONOMIST, THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, THE TIMES (London), THE IRISH TIMES, THE NEW STATESMAN, THE INDEPENDENT, THE OBSERVER, and more *
"Stunning." --People * "Dazzling yet devastating...T³ibn is simply one of the world's best living literary writers." --The Boston Globe * "Momentous and hugely affecting." --The Wall Street Journal *
From the beloved, critically acclaimed, bestselling author comes a spectacularly moving novel featuring Eilis Lacey, the complex and enigmatic heroine of Brooklyn, T³ibn's most popular work in twenty years.
Eilis Lacey is Irish, married to Tony Fiorello, a plumber and one of four Italian American brothers, all of whom live in neighboring houses on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, Long Island, with their wives and children and Tony's parents, a huge extended family. It is the spring of 1976 and Eilis is now forty with two teenage children. Though her ties to Ireland remain stronger than those that hold her to her new land and home, she has not returned in decades.
One day, when Tony is at work an Irishman comes to the door asking for Eilis by name. He tells her that his wife is pregnant with Tony's child and that when the baby is born, he will not raise it but instead deposit it on Eilis's doorstep. It is what Eilis does--and what she refuses to do--in response to this stunning news that makes T³ibn's novel so riveting and suspenseful.
Long Island is a gorgeous story "about a woman thrashing against the constraints of fate" (Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air). It is "a wonder, rich with yearning and regret" (Star Tribune, Minneapolis).
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781476785110
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Authors
- Colm Toibin
- Publisher
- Scribner Book Company
- Published Date
- May 7, 2024
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 304
- Physical Info
- 1.2 in H x 9 in L x 6.1 in W (0.95 lb)
It is interesting to see the divided reviews for this book. People either loved it or hated it. I am in the "loved it" category. The book is a sequel to "Brooklyn" which I also loved. It is important to read or watch the movie "Brooklyn" first in order to discover the backstory of Eilis and Tony.I don't want to spoil the book for other readers but will say that the marriage between Eilis and Tony is in trouble. They are living in a family "compound" in Long Island where Eilis is treated like an outsider by Tony's family who take his side in a serious marital upheaval. At that point, Eilis returns to Ireland where her teenaged children join her after they finish the school year.The book is about Eilis and her life in Ireland which ended very unsatisfactorily. Many readers hated it and said that the book had "no ending." In fact, it DID have an ending. Just not one that I and many other readers found acceptable. I would not have done what Eilis did but this is not MY story, rather, it is hers.I love Colm Toibin's writing and especially enjoyed his careful unfolding of the story and his detailed description of the characters and their internal thoughts.I am wondering if there is a third book in the works about Eilis Lacey. I hope so.
I usually don't write reviews, but this book had me at the edge of my seat for the last few chapters. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the characters in the book. I don't want to delve into spoiler territory.- Eilis discovering that her husband is having a baby with another woman due to an extramarital affair and how she's dealing with it.- Nancy who is a widow in Ireland who starts having an affair with an old friend of her deceased husband.- Jim who is having an affair with Nancy and has a change of heart as soon as he sees Eilis back in Ireland after she left over two decades ago.My only gripe is that I want this book to be turned into a film with the same actors from the film "Brooklyn." This book is a sequel to "Brooklyn." While "Brooklyn" has a happy ending, I assure you that "Long Island" does not. It is a fantastic read, nevertheless.
I enjoyed Long Island until the end. I had no idea that the end was on it's way so soon. I wanted more!
What a ride - 20 years later. Great sequel. My only complaint is that in all the intense emotion within the characters, we don’t know why Tony did what he did. His voice is missing. Why would he expect that his wife would accept his raising the baby and not leave him? Everyone else we know. Waiting for the three-quel.
Most of the characters are very likable and I was rooting for Jim and Nancy to find happiness. I did not care for Eilis as she was a two-timer all along. The book got more like a soap opera than his other books. But the ending was nonexistent. Disappointing and lazy.
