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Comments (52)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 52 items
Aug 16, 2023EljayJohnson rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I loved this book very, very much. It's the story of the remarkably unremarkable Eilis, a young immigrant from Ireland in 1950s New York. She studies bookkeeping, lives in a boarding house, works in a department store. I could say some…
Aug 09, 2023rab1953 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This novel presents an unflattering picture of Ireland in the 1950s as a conservative backwater, which is contrasted with Brooklyn where life, if not perfect, at least has the possibility of growth and change. Written in Tóibín’s usual…
Apr 15, 2023CareyMacaulay rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
"'She has gone back to Brooklyn,' her mother would say. And, as the train rolled past Macmine Bridge on its way towards Wexford, Eilis imagined the years ahead, when these words would come to mean less and less to the man who heard them…
Apr 10, 2022Alpha_zzz rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I loved this storyline but hated the ending. There were too many loose ends that needed neater tidying. It isn’t a fast-paced book or a thrilling book, but is very ‘day-to-day’ in the life of an Irish woman who, as she matures into…
Oct 13, 2021Leonagail rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Loved the movie, not so much the book.
Apr 24, 2021esmom1 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I loved this movie and should have read the book first; but opted for the audio. I do love how scenes from the book are word for word in the movie but there are parts of the movie that seemed botched together. The book has helped fill…
Mar 31, 2020
DGG: I’m so sorry I saw the movie first! Would have been better to do it the other way ’round as the book — about a young Irish girl who escapes to Brooklyn — is so much richer than the film. Toibin has a very distinct way of writing and…
Jul 23, 2018liljables rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I absolutely loved the film adaptation of Brooklyn, so much so that I was nervous to read the book. My trepidation was warranted, unfortunately - while Toibin's writing was beautiful, the book didn't evoke the same melancholy that endeared…
Jan 02, 2018bibliosara rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Brooklyn, as my first Colm Toibin book, set the standard high. I had already watched the movie (which I loved) and was eager to read the book it was based off of. Toibin has a natural gift for storytelling. This novel was stirring,…
Sep 07, 2017diannehildebrand rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The writing in this book feels so awkward at times that I had to convince myself that that was the only way Toibin could convince us of the awkwardness of the main character. Her indecision sometimes leaves the plot floundering and when…
HMWLibrary2017
Jul 14, 2017HMWLibrary2017 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A quiet, lovely book about that momentous period of your early twenties. Nothing stands out though.
Aug 27, 2016
A cut above the usual "Irish" books. determined, imaginative Irish girl succeeds to reinvent her life. Good read.
Aug 27, 2016Eil_1 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
This probably made a good 'chick' flick. I found the book long-winded, too many lengthy descriptions, and - sorry - boring. Probably best suited for adolescent girls. Obviously not my 'cup of tea'.
Jul 30, 2016KMJ_ rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
At first I really didn’t like how incredibly passive Eilis was. She moved to America because her mother, sister, and Priest told her to, not because she wanted to. In America she still just went along with what those around her wanted, but…
Jul 16, 2016djcowden rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
did enjoy this book and can't wait to see the movie
Jun 05, 2016TSCPL_ChrisB rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Colm Tóibín's Brooklyn is simple storytelling at its best. This is a novel which doesn't accomplish much. It doesn't woo or provoke; it doesn't spend long developing characters or wallowing in language. It's a plot-driven story that really…
May 23, 2016gusmcrae rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Every once in awhile I have to step away from the thrillers and suspense novels and delve into something that's a bit more literary. I certainly got that in Colm Toibin's "Brooklyn." This is a relatively quiet novel. A lot happens, and yet…
Apr 20, 2016Kathey rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed everything except the ending. It seemed rushed to me. Truthfully, I preferred the ending presented in the movie version in which Eilis simply seemed to be a stronger, more decisive, mature adult.
Apr 18, 2016
The book ‘’Brooklyn’’ by Colm was the first that I was reading from him and I eagerly excited to read from new authors. I had already watched the movie adaptation and I was already in love with the story and the movie so my expectations…
Mar 28, 2016
Wanting more opportunities than 1950s Ireland can offer, Enniscorthy native and aspiring bookkeeper Eilis Lacey leaves her mother and sister to start a new life in Brooklyn, where she attends school and finds work -- as well as romance.…
Mar 14, 2016alibraryguy rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
After all the accolades this novel has received, I was surprised by how dull it was. Toibin’s deliberately sparse, unadorned prose, for which he receives praise, comes across as flat and unimaginative. At times, the novel reads like a…
Mar 14, 2016TheresaAJ rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
After seeing the movie based on this book, I wanted to read the novel. Eilis Lacey leaves a small town in Ireland to find work in 1950s New York. As she settles into work at Bartocci's Department Store and takes night classes at Brooklyn…
Mar 14, 2016jazpur rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I saw the film first and enjoyed it. The book is even better. Colm Toibin knows his Irish people and can get them exactly on the printed page. He has a great facility with words.
Feb 07, 2016Rogerhockett rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
If you are looking for action, adventure, and the clash of titans.... skip this book. On the other hand if you enjoy the art of developing a character in the vein of Henry James (A Portrait of a Lady) then you will be warmly satisfied by…
Feb 01, 2016Audrey1976 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I was inspired to read this book after seeing the movie. This is an easy read, and ultimately a story of a young woman's choice between two men. I would agree with other posters that the ending of the book was somewhat unsatisfying. The…