Set in the 1950s, Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín follows Eilis Lacey, a young Irish immigrant, as she adjusts to a new life in Brooklyn, New York.

As the novel begins, we meet Eilis, a young woman in her twenties in Enniscorthy, Ireland, where she lives with her elder sister Rose and their mother. Her brother had emigrated to England in search of better work opportunities and Rose, a vibrant and ambitious young woman, is gainfully employed. However, opportunities are limited in her hometown and Eilis, despite training to be a bookkeeper, is only able to find a part-time position at a local grocery store. With the help of a local parish priest settled in New York, Rose arranges for Eilis to emigrate to Brooklyn, hoping to secure a better future for her sister.

After a turbulent journey by sea, Eilis lands in Brooklyn, finds work in a department store and is set up in a boarding house owned by Mrs. Kehoe, a widowed Irishwoman. Eilis, in a new culture surrounded by strangers and on her own for the first time in her life, initially finds it difficult to adjust. As the narrative progresses, we follow Eilis for over two years as she gradually opens up to new experiences, navigates familial expectations, homesickness, loneliness, her hopes and dreams, first love and much more. But when a tragedy calls her back home, she is compelled to confront her own reality - how her experiences have changed her and how her definition of home has changed over time- and choose between her new life in Brooklyn and the life she had left behind.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and was invested in Eilis’s journey. The immigrant experience and the trials and tribulations associated with assimilation are themes that resonate with me on a personal level. The characters are well thought out and I loved how the author depicts Eilis’s bond with her family, especially Rose, and her relationship with Tony. The author’s portrayal of Eilis’s struggles and her reactions are realistic and relatable and I especially liked how the author captures how Eilis grows as a person, the contrast between Eilis’s life before and after her emigration and how her experiences change her, evident in the choices she makes in the second half of the novel culminating in a life-altering decision she is compelled to make at the very end.

The author’s prose is sparse but elegant and the narrative, which is presented from Eilis’s perspective, flows well. This is a slow-moving novel, the pace suiting the nature of the story. Despite being a short, deceptively simple and seemingly predictable story, this is a thought-provoking read that will have you thinking about Eilis after you have turned the last page.

I’d been meaning to read this novel for years (having put off watching the movie adaptation until I did) and the release of the sequel Long Island pushed me to pick this one up and I’m glad to have finally read it.

I paired my reading with the audiobook, beautifully narrated by Kirsten Potter, which made for an engaging immersion reading experience. ( )

One of those "life is what happens while you're making other plans" -- or maybe not even making other plans -- books. I have given Tóibín 3 tries & will now give up. ( )

Beautifully written story about a young girl after WWII in Ireland, who realizes that she has no future there. An Irish priest arranges for her to move to NYC, have a room, and a job. In NY, Ellis Lacey meets Tony, an Italian, and his family, and they fall in love. Ellis is sad to leave her home, her sister, and her mother. When tragedy strikes, she returns to Ireland, where she questions her decisions.
I really enjoyed this story, and felt for Ellis as she navigated life in her early 20s, falling in love, and wondering if she made the right decisions. ( )

This may be my book of the year. It's the story of quiet, undemonstrative, passive Eilis, sent to America by her family to get work though she, like they, would sooner have stayed at home. She's accepting of all the difficulties of the horrific voyage, a new job not of her choosing, her boarding house presided over by an Irish immigrant, her loneliness. She seeks to better herself by gaining book keeping qualifications, and in due course she meets Tony. He's clearly a lovely lad, and she likes him a lot. But does she love him? She rather supposes not. The plot twists when a family tragedy summons Eilis back to Enniscorthy.... and here you'll have to find out for yourself how the plot moves on. This is a simply written undemonstrative book,in which we come to care very much about unspophisticated Eilis. Emotionally engaging, this book charmed its way under my skin ( )

Brooklyn - Toibin
Audio performance by Kirsten Potter
4 stars

This was a good book to follow several books that were high tension reading.It’s a very low key story. Eilis Lacey has the usual struggles of a young woman in a new land. Difficult adjustments, certainly, but nothing earth shattering. Her story was interesting to me without disturbing my peace.

The stifling, judgemental atmosphere of the mid-century Irish village caused me some frustration. I wanted Eilis to find some assertive rebellion. She was fortunate to have her sister's manipulative backing. I enjoyed looking over Eilis’ shoulder as she adjusted to life in Brooklyn. This is a book of detailed character study with a rich historic atmosphere. It wasn’t exciting, but I liked it.

I’m looking forward to checking out the upcoming sequel, Long Island, in May, 2024. ( )