Welcome to Litsy!

Finished this book on Christmas Eve and it was a good end of year book. It is a gently told story of Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey who seems to passively greet most of the happenings in her life, both good and bad. While she can be frustrating at times, I think that‘s because Toibin draws her so realistically, flaws and all. His writing is utterly absorbing and made Eilis‘s experience very vivid. I think the sequel will find its way onto my TBR!

I don't know what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued.

Brooklyn is a gentle story about the challenges of being alone, far away from home, and making big decisions about the direction your life takes, who you want to be, and where you want home to be. I didn‘t always love, or even like Eilis Lacey. At certain points in the novel she‘s hopelessly naive, a bit prejudiced, thoughtless, or helpless. But I think that‘s what makes her such a real character and so I never begrudged Eilis these imperfections.

Toibin is one of my favorite authors but this was not one of my favorite books. It was a soft pick (more of a so-so). At the risk of sounding like a book snob (sorry 😭), this one read more like commercial fiction than the ones I‘ve loved (Heather Blazing being a favorite) although it was shortlisted for the Booker. He is quite brilliant at writing the voices of women though. It follows the life a young Irish woman who moves to the U.S.

A lovely little book. The story itself I‘ve more or less read before - a quiet Irish girl sent to make a living in America, leaving the life she‘s known behind - but it was told in a gentle and sparing way that I really liked. Loved the conflicted ending, and now looking forward to the upcoming sequel (although maybe that ending should be left as is).

I enjoyed the historical fiction story about a young Irish woman who left Ireland in the early 1950s for America when work couldn‘t be found at home. The characters were interesting. The courage need for a young woman to pack up and head off so far from home made an impact on me.

I really enjoyed this quiet book about leaving your home and family as a young adult, through little choice of your own, and coming of age in an unfamiliar community. The small details made the time & place feel beautifully clear. Tóibín‘s writing has a gentleness and subtlety I loved, and that felt just right for this story.

This was my #DoubleSpin pick for January. #BookSpinBINGO

Here is my book stack for the #JoyousJanuary readathon. I hope to finish the tagged book tonight and then finish at least three of the others this week.

#ImmigrantMC

#BookBinge

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#MayMontage #discussionbook I read this book in 2010 as I was leaving Ireland for the second time. The interesting thing was all my Irish friends and family had one very strong opinion about the ending, and all my American friends had an equally strong, but different opinion. I was conflicted so some good discussions were had.

Subtle yet unique ending that struck me as fitting.

I loved this. I‘d seen the movie and loved that too - but this really showed me a lot more of Eilish (the protagonist) inner thoughts and made me consider a couple of the relationships in a new light. I liked the way Toibin doesn‘t explain everything about Eilish to the reader, let‘s us sit with the little inconsistencies that make up a life. And his writing is just lovely. Two books in and he‘s fast become a favourite author.

Just what i needed. Slow historical fiction / lite romance /didnt really need to think too much book. A palate cleanser? Set in 1950s Brooklyn a young Irish immigrant struggles to make her life her own. 3 🌟

I'm in NYC for a couple of weeks, right now staying at my son's apt in Brooklyn where we walked over to visit this iconic library. My Seattle friends are arriving tomorrow for a week of museum visits. My son will be visiting his wife's family in Israel and they have graciously lent us their apt for the week. ETA the top got cut off, but it's the Brooklyn Public Library.

I read it physically and in audio. Loved to listen the accent because is part of the region, culture, and identity. I think Eilis immigration in general was more manageable in comparison to other people, she had a job and persons that supported her. She even had some money when she left her country. But she questioned some of her decisions which would changed her life. There are some sad parts. Liked the story and author‘s writing style. 3.5/3.8⭐️

Just FYI, all these reviews I‘m posting are books I finished in July 🤦‍♀️

I actually really liked this book. It‘s slow and the plot is simple and yet I didn‘t want to put it down. I felt for Elis and though I wish she took more of a stand in her life, I never got mad at her. This book is not my typical read and I thoroughly enjoyed just slowly reading and going through this book.

#QuotsyApr21 Day 29: #Arrival

With 30 pages left in this book I honestly had no idea how it was going to end 😰 In my head I knew how I wanted it to end, and I honestly thought I was going to chuck this book at the wall if it didn‘t end the way I wanted it to. There were good parts and parts that I didn‘t really think added anything. I‘m torn between 3 and 4 stars, but a definite pick 👍🏻

I started ‘Brooklyn‘ today because it‘s St. Patrick‘s Day ???? I‘ve got my Guinness and a rainy night, I‘m ready to dig in!
???????? ???? ????
“May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and night."

I loved the writing in this, I loved how all the domesticity was so subtle and revealed so much about the MC and the countries she lived in. The quiet time the writer took over the descriptions of Eilis‘ several homes and how her feeling change over time hit me really hard. I don‘t know if I‘ve read a better book about Irish immigrants in America

Part 4 of 5 of my top #20of2020

@MeganAnn You truly spoiled me I love everything the books have been on my to buy list for a long time. I now know what I‘ve been smelling the bathbomb. I love the blanket it‘s so soft. The tea is perfect and from one of my favorite sellers. The lights are beautiful and the candle smells good. And the ribbon will be going in my hair lol. Thank you again😊#Cozyswap @Avanders @ferskner @Chrissyreadit and thank you girls for putting it together🥳.

This book started a little slow, but before long I was enamored with Eilis and her circle. As her social butterfly sister shines in their small Irish community, Eilis plays the role of dutiful daughter, working hard and being a companion to their mother. But when the chance to study in America comes, her sister urges her to go and spread her wings. I only wish the ending hadn‘t been so abrupt. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Free space square for #bookspinbingo.

Sitting in my sunny spot, enjoying the morning. It‘s been a crazy week and I am glad for some quiet time. ❤️📚 Goal is to finish this book this weekend.

4.25 ⭐️ Finished my #doublespin book for September!! Anyways, I really enjoyed it. I did have the movie playing in my head as I read the book. An excellent portrayal of a young woman moving to Brooklyn and making a life outside of her small Irish town. #movietiein #historicalfiction #costaprize #fiction #brooklynnovel #nyc #bookstagram #bookreview

Reading this next. Another square on my #bookspinbingo. Hoping to squeeze it in before the end of the month! ❤️📚

... #thathavebeenmadeintomovies

Book: Tagged
Author: John Boyne
Movie: Beauty and the Beast
Band: Blue October
Song: Be Bop A Lula

#ManicMonday. #LetterB. @JoScho

I started to really like the book, but I did not like ending very much... 😕

Men. 🙄 Lol

Why is Mrs. Kehoe acting so suspicious? Also, what kind of name is Kehoe?

#introverted

#COVID
I wonder if they knew about the Corona Virus. 😵

I listened to this on audio. I did not like the writing style and think if it had been reading it I probably won't have finished. The language was just so cold which created flat characters and a boring story.

From the first few sentences this feels like it is going to be a challenge. The language is fairly sterile and choppy. Might be a cadence that you have to get into the groove of?

My first audiobook. 😊

Taking a break from reading to watch a movie based on a book. Anyone seen it?
#page2screen

As well as being an amazing bookshop, with a lovely cafe - they have such a great logo! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

https://centerforfiction.org

Excellent classic, leaves you hanging but his next novel nora Webster continues in the future

After the buddy read of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I really wanted to finally pick this up. Brooklyn isn‘t a character the way it was in ATGIB but it was nice to revisit the city through Eilise‘s eyes. Such a beautiful book!

It was a nice book but that's about it. I liked the basis of the plot but it just wasn't very engaging.
#ReadingEurope2020 #Ireland (7th country)

I forgot to post this for #ReadTheUSA2020 #NewYork after I read it. This #HistoricalFiction is about a young woman named Eilis who immigrates to Brooklyn from Ireland in the 1950s in search of work.
@ljuliel

This was so good that I read the entire book today! The story was interesting, and I loved how well Toibin wrote it in a way that you could really understand Eilis' thoughts and feelings about leaving her family in Ireland and moving to Brooklyn for better opportunities.

#ReadWithMrBook #January #OneWordTitle @MrBook

#Booked2020 #Winter #FinishInADay @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

#LitsyAtoZ #B @BookishMarginalia

I‘m perfectly content to place my comfy armchair smack-dab in the center of Times Square and read Manhattan for a full year. But In an effort to track where else I may wander (and prioritize my TBR) I‘m participating in #ReadingEurope2020 and #ReadTheUSA2020. And look! I made it to Brooklyn - and I liked it, a lot! #NewYork

I remembered reading this book a few years ago and loving it, so I had to read it again. Perfect this time of year, especially for anyone who has ever felt divided between family and making a life for themselves.

We‘re both enjoying this re-read.