Brooklyn: A Novel, Colm Toibin

 Eilis Lacey, sitting at the window of the upstairs living room in the house on Friary Street, noticed her sister walking briskly from work. She watched  Rose crossing the street from sunlight into shade, carrying the new leather handbag that she had bought in Clerys in Dublin in the sale. Rose was wearing a cream-coloured cardigan over her shoulders. Her golf clubs were in the hall; in a few minutes, Eilis knew, someone would call for her and her sister would not return until the summer evening had faded.


Eilis Lacey grew up in a small town in Ireland. A priest from Brooklyn offers to sponsor her in America, and she decides to go, leaving her mother and sister behind. Eilis works in a department store, and finds unexpected love in the form of Tony, who loves the Dodgers. He slowly wins her over, but a family tragedy back in Ireland threatens her future.  


I mainly decided to read this book because of the title; I really love New York. This book, however, did not impress me. The characters felt flat and unreal; I barely cared about them. The narration was sort of passive and basically nothing happened. Even when something did, I didn't get too excited about it, because the way it was told was boring. I only finished it because it was fairly short and I thought I might as well to see if it ever picked up. But it didn't

Read Brooklyn:

• if you like books set in Ireland and New York
• if you like historical fiction
• otherwise, just skip it

262 pages.

If the library doesn't have it, don't worry about reading it!