Not quite what I was looking for in a sequel. It did not have the same charm the first book had. It was a quick read, but the ending was too abrupt.

Colm Tóibín’s Eilis Lacey is a prototypical American heroine and his <i>Brooklyn</i> is a classic immigration story. It is set outside of time, but in fact during the late 1940s, in a parochial Brooklyn beautifully depicted by Toibin. The Irish, Italians, and African Americans all keep to themselves in their own neighborhood enclaves, going to their own churches and social clubs. But the change wrought by WW2 came to even Brooklyn, with department stores welcoming its new and lucrative African American clientele.

<i>Long Island</i>, or Lon<b>g</b>island as a Brooklynite would say, brings us twenty years later into Eilis’ life. She’s jumped ethnic lines by marrying Tony, her Italian boyfriend; she, Tony, and their two children live in suburban Long Island surrounded by houses occupied by two of Tony’s mothers and his parents. Eilis’ mother is about to turn 80. Eilis, angry at Tony about his infidelity and at his mother for her casual acceptance of it, visits Ireland for the first time since she emigrated.

What could go wrong with Eilis’ return? And therein lies the plot of Toibin’s <i>Long Island</i>: infidelity repaid with infidelity, immigration repaid with isolation upon return to her hometown, and maternal mysteries revealed.

Like <i>Brooklyn</i>, <i>Long Island</i> is a fine story. But it left me yearning to understand more: why is Eilish attracted to Jim, who’s portrayed as little more than a love-befuddled cipher; why is Tony’s mother, ever so upright and religious, accepting of her new out-of-wedlock grandson; and why is Eilish’s mother, so withholding and distant, so loving towards her granddaughter? More insights into central personalities of <i>Long Island</i> would help, rather than leaving the reader to try to unravel these minor personality mysteries.

<i>Long Island</i> is a second and welcome volume in the unfolding saga of Eilish Lacey.

Thank you to Scribners and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy of this fine novel.

I was as drawn to Eilis Lacey Fiorello as I was in [book:Brooklyn|4954833] when I first met her, even more so, perhaps. I found her more mature and stronger. I found it sad, though, that she’s lonely, 20 years after emigrating from Ireland and still not really feeling a part of her husband’s extended Italian family who live houses away from each other on Long Island. However, she manages to live her life, care for her family and maintain some independence and work as a bookkeeper. That is, until her husband Tony commits a transgression that turns their lives upside down. Sad because she has no one to call. I was impressed with Eilis’ strength, though, as the family plots to take care of things going against Eilis’ wishes as if what is happening doesn’t affect her and if she should have no say . She takes the reins and decides to return home to Ireland to visit her mother after twenty years.

Anyone who has read [book:Brooklyn|4954833] knows that Eilis is a complex character and that things were complicated when she returned to Ireland back then. As you might suspect, they will again be complicated upon her return. Told not just from Eilis’ point of view, but also from the man she once loved and her best friend, we get an introspective and intimate view of each one filled with uncertainty and emotions that are so realistic . Tóibín also gives us another ending that has me wanting to know what the future holds for Eilis. His alluring writing has me wanting to get to those books of his that I have not yet read . And hopefully a third book about Eilis.

I received a copy of this book from Scribner through NetGalley.

This was probably one of the top novels that I was anticipating in 2024. I just loved Brooklyn, so was I was hoping to equally love Long Island. While it was good, Colm Toibin is an incredible writer, this was not as gripping as Brooklyn.

I loved living in the world Eilis Lacey once again. This time, we have jumped forward and she’s been married for many years with two teenage children. When she finds out that her husband cheated on her, and the woman is pregnant with his child, she flees to Ireland to have some time to think about everything. Once there, she reconnects with an old love and the ending was so ambiguous, that I can imagine her story may continue.

Synopsis:

Eilis Lacey is Irish, married to Tony Fiorello, a plumber and one of four Italian American brothers, all of whom live in neighboring houses on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, Long Island, with their wives and children and Tony’s parents, a huge extended family that lives and works, eats and plays together. It is the spring of 1976 and Eilis, now in her forties with two teenage children, has no one to rely on in this still-new country. Though her ties to Ireland remain stronger than those that hold her to her new land and home, she has not returned in decades.

One day, when Tony is at his job and Eilis is in her home office doing her accounting, an Irishman comes to the door asking for her by name. He tells her that his wife is pregnant with Tony’s child and that when the baby is born, he will not raise it but instead deposit it on Eilis’s doorstep. It is what Eilis does—and what she refuses to do—in response to this stunning news that makes Tóibín’s novel so riveting.

Long Island is about longings unfulfilled, even unrecognized. The silences in Eilis’s life are thunderous and dangerous, and there’s no one more deft than Tóibín at giving them language. This is a gorgeous story of a woman alone in a marriage and the deepest bonds she rekindles on her return to the place and people she left behind, to ways of living and loving she thought she’d lost.

Out now!

I read Brooklyn years ago and once I got into Long Island, some of the themes and characters started returning to memory. Ultimately, I had a hard time connecting with or feeling good about any of the three main characters - Eilis, Jim, or Nancy. All three were living on half-truths whether they were self-imposed or not. Reading along and noticing I had 12 minutes left in the book (kindle version) I could hardly believe the story would wrap up so quickly. Indeed, it simply ended. That left me feeling disoriented and detracted from the overall enjoyment. Thankfully the relationship between Eilis' mother and daughter was refreshing and they ended up being a highlight for me.

Well written (of course!) but not entirely satisfying follow-up to Tóibín’s novel Brooklyn. Although it is not strictly necessary to have read Brooklyn first, it definitely helps to put this second novel in context.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Long Island opens by dismantling the love story that began with Brooklyn. While it initially appears that Ellis and Tony have lived a fairly successful and happy life, it almost instantly is shattered by the news of Tony’s infidelity. Eilis’ struggles are worsened by the fact that this infidelity will be made very public, as Tony has fathered a child with this unnamed woman. I found it so easy to fall back into this story that I had read so many years ago - with Brooklyn, it was clear that Tony & Ellis’ relationship was not perfect, as made clear through Eilis’ uncertainty and relationship with Jim Farrell. So while it ended on a “happier” note, I think Toibin was easily able to continue this story and I liked that it did not feel like a forced sequel, it instead felt like a natural progression.

The symmetry between the two novels is so clever; Tony and Ellis leave Jim brokenhearted in Brooklyn and Ellis and Jim plan to leave Nancy brokenhearted in Long Island. Toibin’s use of perspective leaves you conflicted about who you want to have a happy ending. I feel like Toibin has made every character sympathetic and it’s hard to distinguish a true villain within the story.

Aside from Tony’s infidelity, there isn’t a lot of action within the novel but it still kept me wanting to know what would happen next. I found myself both hating Nancy and having so much empathy for her. The ending felt similar to Brooklyn’s in the sense that you feel like the story could again be resumed. For me, that is a happy thought as I would love to hear more about the characters again in the future.

I really enjoyed the story and found myself thinking about it often. Colm Toibin has done a wonderful job and I will continue to read any of the work that he publishes.

First let me say that having read "Brooklyn" is not necessarily a prerequisite for reading "Long Island," which can easily be read and enjoyed as a stand alone. Having said that, readers will almost certainly finish "Long Island" wanting to go back and read "Brooklyn," so I really recommend just starting with it now and then moving straight into "Long Island." Given this, I don't want to talk too much about the plot of this latter book, the setup of which is a massive spoiler for its predecessor. I will only say that it was lovely to be back in Enniscorthy, Ireland with Eilis and the other characters author Colm Toibin introduced in "Brooklyn." I particularly enjoyed how Toibin broadened the scope of this novel, telling the story not only from Eilis's perspective, as he did in "Brooklyn," but also giving her best friend Nancy and town pubkeep Jim much more development and voice. (Nancy, in particular, emerges as an interesting and complicated character in her own right.) The relationships between these three characters--the secrets they keep, the things left unsaid--is at the heart of the novel; the underlying tension and sense of longing that marked the second half of "Brooklyn" simmers throughout most of its sequel. Toibin is a great admirer of author Henry James (his earlier book "The Master" is about James) and he has said that "Long Island" owes a debt to James' "The Golden Bowl." I was reminded of another Golden Age American author, James's friend Edith Wharton and her book "Age of Innocence," as events unfolded toward the end of "Long Island." Wherever his inspiration came from, Toibin has crafted a novel worthy of both James and Wharton, and of continuing Eilis's story. I couldn't put this one down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review. I loved it and highly recommend.

I have been waiting for the follow up to Brooklyn! Thank you @scribner for my early copy and @simon.audio for my early listening copy of LONG ISLAND by Colm Toibin.

Several decades have passed since Eilis’s story ended in Brooklyn, so I recommend you start there- it is WORTH IT! This novel begins with news that rocks Eilis’s world as she knows it- a pregnancy from her husband’s affair. The novel then follows Eilis’s life decisions as she copes with this revelation, and how her Italian in-laws are handling it.

Broken into Parts, Eilis soon decides she’s headed back to Ireland (with her children) to celebrate her mother’s 80th birthday. Town & familial drama continue to fuel the novel through until the very last line. I often found myself literally sitting the book down, even though I didn’t want to, because the drama was giving me true Outlander drama vibes. I would take a deep break and then pick it right back up and keep reading, because y’all, I just HAD to know what happens.

The ending is definitely one that you will want to talk to someone about. I was sending @lyon.brit.andthebookshelf play by play through most of it! So find yourself a Brittney that will laugh with you while you spam all your shock at these characters!

Brooklyn was published in 2009, and Long Island 2024… I REALLY hope there is a 3rd book, and I deeply do not want to be into my late 50s when I read it.

Secret Consequences

Fifteen years after bringing us Eilis Lacey in the novel (and movie) “Brooklyn,” Colm Toibin updates us on her life. Still married to Tony, she has been slotted into a composed life in Long Island with her in-laws and their two children. A knock on the door changes everything. An irate man tells Eilis that Tony has impregnated his wife, and the man will not raise the child, that he will leave the baby at their doorstep.

No, no, no… Eilis makes a stand. She will not raise the child, will not accept the baby being brought into her house. She learns that her mother-in-law is plotting to take the baby in, literally just across the street. Eilis tells Tony she is going away, back to Ireland, to visit for her mother’s eightieth birthday. Their children will join her there– the question of whether she will return is up in the air. Though unspoken, the threat is that if Tony takes in the baby, the marriage will be over.

In the novel “Brooklyn,” Eilis left for Ireland after secretly marrying Tony. During her stay she drifted into a romance with Jim Farrell, who was unaware she was married, unaware of her secret. In the twenty-five years that have passed, he really never got over her or the abrupt way things ended. As fate would have it, just before Eilis returns, Jim develops a relationship with another woman, Nancy, and they secretly plan to marry. And then Eilis reappears.

Secrets, secrets, secrets. Nearly every character, every plot twist, is filled with them. No one considers that they are lying, it is more that concealment is preventing unnecessary complications. Every silence, every deception adds to the risk of discovery and the consequences we dread only increase the tension as the story progresses. The time bomb is ticking, and we are propelled to the finale. A brilliantly crafted novel.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #ScribnerBooks #ColmToibin #LongIsland

Colm Tóibín continues the story of Brooklyn's Eilis Lacey as she returns to Ireland.
Readers last encountered Eilis Lacey in Colm Tóibín's best-known work, Brooklyn (2009). In Long Island, the author returns to his enigmatic heroine in 1976, twenty years after events in the earlier novel. Eilis is now in her 40s, and married with two teenagers. Her house is one of four in a Long Island cul-de-sac, the others populated by her husband's parents and his two brothers with their large families. She hasn't returned to Ireland since 1956, and her mother hasn't visited. Although Eilis finds the closeness of the extended family claustrophobic at times, she's content with her life, working as an accountant from her home office and caring for her husband and children.

All this changes one morning when a man Eilis has never met appears at her home. He claims his wife is pregnant with her husband's child, and when it is born he intends to deposit the child on Eilis's doorstep, as he won't have another man's baby in his house. It's this announcement that sets the plot in motion. Eilis decides her mother's 80th birthday is a fine occasion to visit, and it will allow her time to consider the situation and how she will respond to it. As she returns to Enniscorthy, older and more Americanized, her unexpected reappearance unleashes a torrent of mixed emotions among those who knew the younger Eilis.

Like Brooklyn, Long Island is a quiet novel. Part of what makes Tóibín such a remarkable author is his ability to make his readers care about unremarkable people and situations. There's a richness to his characters, a depth that few other novelists are able to achieve. He captures the interior world of each with amazing realism. As her husband drives Eilis to the airport, for example, they sit in silence while Eilis contemplates the ultimatum she wants to issue (i.e., if he accepts the baby she'll leave him):

"[S]he saw that if she made the threats, she would mean them. And it was that knowledge that was stopping her from speaking. She was not sure she wanted to lose him, not certain either that she wished to bring [her children] from adolescence to adulthood without everything they had been used to, including their father. Her uncertainty almost made her nauseous as they began the last stretch toward the airport."

The author evokes deep empathy for each character he describes, even those that might appear for just a page or two. His work here is masterful.

Tóibín also illustrates universal experiences and feelings in vivid detail, making the plot feel exceptionally relatable. In one scene, for example, Eilis decides to surprise her mother by buying her a refrigerator without asking. Her mother is outraged and insists on leaving it in the hallway to be taken away. Only later does Eilis realize her mother's refusal of the gift is because she enjoys walking to the various grocery stores twice a day to see friends and gossip. This mother-daughter dynamic has played out countless times across generations and is one with which many are familiar.

The other scenes that I found rang particularly true are those that explore missed opportunities, times when the characters should have done or said something but didn't, left to later wonder "what if." It's this type of common sentiment – something that most of us have experienced – that helps readers become profoundly invested in the plot and characters; we genuinely care how the story will play out.

It's not necessary to have read Brooklyn before picking up Long Island; the latter book stands well on its own. That said, I was happy that I had read Brooklyn first, as I appreciated knowing more of these characters' pasts; Tóibín doesn't waste words delving into their backstories or revisiting the earlier work here. I also think Long Island is the superior book, and some may be a little let-down if reading them in reverse order. Don't get me wrong, Brooklyn is marvelous, but Long Island is on another level.

I can't recall another book in my recent reading that I've been so eager to discuss with others, so I have to think Long Island would make an excellent book club selection. Those looking for an outstanding character-driven novel will most certainly want to put this one on their lists. Tóibín is at the height of his powers here, and his fans won't be disappointed.

I did not read Brooklyn, which I would recommend doing prior to reading Long Island. You could read Long Island independently but I felt as though I was missing the back story. The book was alright but felt as though it was a filler for a trilogy.

Thanks to Scribner for an advanced copy of Long Island by Colm Tóibín's and to Simon Audio for the advanced audiobook copy. Brooklyn is one of my favorite books so when I saw he was writing a sequel I was very excited!

We find Eilis and Tony twenty years later and is 1976. They have two teenage children and live in a cul-de-sac on Long Island next to all of Tony’s family. Eilis still feels different and hasn't been back to Ireland since that fateful trip home. She's always felt alone surrounded by Tony’s family and when she finds out Tony’s been keeping a huge secret from her, she decides to go home to Ireland for the summer for her mother's 80th birthday.

I love Colm Tóibín's writing. This is a story of family, love and life decisions and how life evolves and changes. I enjoyed seeing Eilis twenty years later. The way he writes such characters and strong emotions is un-matched and this sequel is just as strong as Brooklyn.

I highly recommend reading Brooklyn before Long Island and if it's been a while re-read the last few chapters. I re-listened to the last few chapters of Brooklyn and I'm glad I did.

Long Island comes out on Tuesday - May 7th.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read Long Island. Toibin has a direct style of writing which took some getting used to for me, in fact I stopped reading Brooklyn because of it. But then I saw the movie and understood why the story is so beloved. Brooklyn matched my grandmother's story so much, it really helped me understand more about going back and forth, which I didn't quite understand before - it's such a big trip, why would they go back and forth? So I really looked forward to Long Island.
This was very different from my grandmother's story but at this point I was used to the writing style and the story drew me in, of course, how could it not since I am a mother? I was so intrigued and interested, I could not put it down. The ending felt abrupt but I know the author's intent is to leave us wanting more, which he accomplished. I hope he is working on the next book now because I can't wait!

Wow! I read this in 24 hours. Could not put it down. The funny thing is I LOVED the book but found almost all of the characters frustrating and incredibly flawed. And I wished they all communicated more rather than manipulated their environment to suit their needs but I think it was reflective of that era. The writing transported me to both Long Island and Ireland. I literally disappeared into the lives of both communities. There is no doubt this will make the NYT List. I will long remember this story and felt sad upon its conclusion.

Long Island is the sequel to Colm Toibin’s wonderful book Brooklyn. I absolutely loved Brooklyn and was anxious to delve into the follow up story of Ellis and her marriage to Tony. Ellis has returned to Ireland after 20 years of being in America. She is escaping a bad situation and had decided to have a long overdue visit with her 80 year old mother.
I was drawn into the story from the very beginning. I love stories about Ireland and the Irish people. Colm Toibin never disappoints me. I have a feeling there will be a third book because of the way Long Island ended. I am already looking forward to that.

Eilis Lacey returns as Toibin continues the story from his beloved novel Brooklyn.

Long Island takes place in the 70s, a full twenty years after the events of Brooklyn [if you haven't read it or seen the movie, stop what you're doing now and catch up!]. Eilis is still married to Tony. They have a teenaged son and daughter, and the story opens with a massive betrayal by Tony. Feeling both constrained and unsupported by Tony's family (they did build their houses that closely together) Eilis heads to Ireland to get away and clear her head, and help celebrate her mother's 80th birthday.

Back in her small village where everybody knows everybody's business, she finds that not much has changed. Her mother is still prickly, gossip is gold, her best friend Nancy and old beau Jim are still in town.

We feel Eilis struggle with not belonging to either America or Ireland. In America she's a foreigner who embarrasses her kids with her accent and different cultural ways (they identify with their Italian cousins), in Ireland she's exotic with her fashionable clothes and chic demeanor.

Toibin illustrates this beautifully. In the descriptions of the towns, the houses, the pubs, the conversations. The dialogue feels real, we're in the characters' heads and understand their motivations. The emotion is understated, impactful.

I couldn't put this one down, and didn't want it to end (did it end, really?). Toibin's a master at capturing the character dynamics, the love, the lies, the truths unsaid. They're so well drawn out that it's hard to fault any of them for their actions (or lack thereof).

More Eilis Lacey please! The ending was barely an ending. We need more.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.

“Long Island” is a book that pulls you into its world without you really realizing it. I went into the book not knowing what to expect, and finished it wishing I there were more to read.

The writing style of the book is fairly simple, and the author doesn’t spend a lot of time digging into each character’s emotional thoughts or feelings. While reading, I wasn’t sure I liked that because I didn’t think I was forming an attachment to any of them, which for me is a must with books I love. We jump right in the meat of the story from page one, but it took me some time to jive with the storytelling and become invested in what was coming. Again, at points I wasn’t sure I was invested.

And then the ending came…and I was left googling if or when there would be another book. I need to know more, and the fact I have to wait kind of drives me crazy. Without even realizing, I am so invested in what happens next to Eilis and all the other characters, and I think the ease in which that happened is the brilliance of this book.

**Thank you to Scribner, NetGalley and Colm Toibin for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!**

Colm Tóibín’s “Long Island” continues the story of Eilis Lacey, following the quiet masterpiece that was “Brooklyn.” I loved the first novel and after so many years, I was surprised to see a sequel coming out – but I couldn’t wait to read it! While “Brooklyn” was a sweeter, coming-of-age tale, “Long Island” is full of the complexities of Eilis’s life two decades later. Facing marital problems and complicated family dynamics in America, Eilis decides to visit Ireland for the first time in twenty years, forcing her to confront her past and contemplate her future. Tóibín is such a wonderfully subtle writer, and I felt the characters’ feelings and struggles so deeply while reading. Do yourself a favor and read this (and “Brooklyn” too!) – you won’t be disappointed!

4.5. Colm Tolbin is one of my favorite authors. His novels are just beautiful to read. I loved The Master, The Magician, Brooklyn, The Testament of Mary, and Nora Webster, to name a few. His prose is always lovely and concise. His newest novel, Long Island, is a continuation of the story of Eilis Lacey Fiorello., a young Irish woman who comes to New York to find a new life with a better economic future than what she found in post World War II Ireland. Long Island takes us to 1976, where Eilis is living reputedly successfully in Long Island with her husband Tony, and two teenage children, Rosella and Larry. Due to a totally unforeseen event, Eilis’ life takes an unusual turn which brings her back to her home, Enniscorthy Ireland, ostensibly to visit her mother for her 80th birthday, and has her children come, who have never been to Ireland or met Eilis’family, friends or background. A very moving and poignant tale. The characters are very well developed, the prose is masterful, and the story turns on several developments. As much as I liked this book, as others have mentioned in reviews, the ending was too abrupt without any sense of resolution. Perhaps there is a sequel but still a tad too disconcerting for me but certainly opens up a lot of different options and discussion on a resolution. Another well done novel by Mr. Tolbin. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for a candid and honest review.