Long Island
by Colm Tóibín · 2024
Buy on AmazonEilis 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.…
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"This exploration of a woman's past and present, grappling with identity and belonging, fits Oprah Winfrey's interest in character-driven narratives that spark deep personal reflection."
Oprah's Book Club 2.0 (Recent Picks) · en.wikipedia.org
"A word about sequels: I don’t usually review them because not everyone has read the first book. But in this case, it would be well worth your time to catch up: Colm Tóibín’s Long Island, together with its 2009 predecessor, Brooklyn, is a devastating dual portrait of a woman in two different seasons of her life, thrashing against the constraints of fate. As readers familiar with Brooklyn know, Eilis Lacey is a restless soul. The opening shocker on the second page of Long Island is that Tony – her easygoing husband of now 20 years – has been getting restless himself."
NPR Books We Love — 2024 · apps.npr.org