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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.



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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
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