Skip to main content
BrooklynBrooklyn by Colm Tóibín

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's been an emotional read but I did like it a lot. Toibin does a fantastic job of of painting an emotional picture of what Eilis Lacey is feeling in leaving Ireland for the US and what she experiences in her first years here; I feel like I've been through this journey with her, and as parts of it were very similar to my Nana's, she will remain with me for some time.

My Nana never talked in any detail about what she went through before leaving Ireland, during her journey across the sea & once she arrived here and I had hoped reading this novel would give me at least an idea of what she went through. It did more than that and at times was very difficult for me to get through but I am glad I've read it; glad for the understanding it has given me of a woman I love dearly but never fully knew.



View all my reviews
Labels:

Comments

Leah Murphy said…
Wow, this sounds like a great and intense read...I am part Irish but adopted by a 100% non-Irish family, so really know very little about my family history. I've really taken an interest to Irish literature and history, especially since I met by very Irish boyfriend!

I was very fortunate to learn a lot about my adopted paternal Grandmother's family from her before she passed away(in 2006). I'm glad you have been able to see more of her and her history in some of what you've read!
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 10:12:00 PM EDT
Bloomin'Chick Jo said…
It was and that was totally unexpected (how emotional this read was for me). I used to think I had to Know my family members to know my heritage (hard to do since nearly all are long passed away now) and I think I'm finding that knowing what specific heritage they are and then learning about that heritage and what's specific to the region of the country they came from will help me grow my roots in the long run. I highly recommend the read Leah!
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 3:52:00 PM EDT
Lisa said…
Glad to hear you liked this one so much. My book club is reading it in May. I don't know that any of them have the connection to Ireland that you do but it still sounds like it will be very touching.
Monday, March 28, 2011 at 11:24:00 PM EDT
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Enchanted Garden Party

Welcome to my post! To visit other participants, please head over to the Practical Magic Blog Party 2010 blog. I must say that while I think Practical Magic the movie is adorable, I think the novel is incredible. And that is where I gleaned my inspiration from for these festivities. Gardens are mysterious, magical and enchanting, don't you think? Now follow me out into the garden, I have everything all ready for you, including music! (Turn your volume on). *Update: Music has reverted to my regular Fall soundtrack, 9/28/2010* For all of you non Practical Magic Blog Party folks, head on over to NJ Through My Eyes where I've posted 2 new slide-shows today; one is a preview of a new project I'm working on!
60 comments
Read more

A Walk Through The (Dis)Enchanted Forrest (Halloween Party Post)

Welcome & thank you for visiting my post! For more Halloween fun today & throughout the weekend, visit A Fanciful Twist . For more Halloween & Autumn Fun, check out my "Autumn Tuesday" & "Halloween Thursday" posts by clicking on their labels in the left hand column. ~Happy Halloween & Pumpkin Blessings! *Update for those friends wondering, I put this together prior to surgery yesterday to make sure I would be able to post it for today! (Though it didn't post at 12:01am like it was supposed to). Anyhoo, I'm home and resting (uncomfortably). Surgery went well, my kidney tube and stone are gone! I have an internal stent on the left hand side but I'm okay with that because it comes out in the doctor's office in 2-3 weeks (no back to the hospital) and especially because it meant they could take that nephrostomy tube out! (The last nearly 2 weeks of that 15 weeks was rough with that thing, my body was simultaneously trying to heal aroun...
51 comments
Read more

Not Exactly Music To My Ears and Acceptance

Went to my 'every 6 weeks' follow-up doctor's appointment with my Rheumologist yesterday morning. Apparently my heart palpitations/racing (not often, though enough to be noticeable), vision issues (blurriness and discomfort) and muscle cramps (too often & not dehydration) are "disease progression." Not exactly music to my ears I can tell you that much. We discussed my pain & swelling levels (back on the rise through the last 2 iv treatments) and agreed that my iv med should be increased from 400mg every 8 weeks to 500mg every 8 weeks. (This brings me closer to the area of 800mg, which Dr. A feels would be the max dose for me, and the fact that I'm getting closer to that mark scares me). One good thing to note, my blood pressure was "normal" for (at least) the 3rd follow-up in row and without meds, so at least that's one less thing for me to worry about (though it's like a needle in a hay stack really). I'm always on the verge ...
21 comments
Read more