Long Island

By: Colm Toibin

Narrated by: Jessie Buckley

* OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK * INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *
* NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2024 BY TIME MAGAZINE, THE NEW YORKER, WASHINGTON POST, VULTURE, GLAMOUR, FRESH AIR, NPR, THE GUARDIAN, THE ECONOMIST, THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, THE TIMES (London), THE IRISH TIMES, THE NEW STATESMAN, THE INDEPENDENT, THE OBSERVER, and more *

“Stunning.” —People * “Dazzling yet devastating...Tóibín is simply one of the world’s best living literary writers.” —The Boston Globe * “Momentous and hugely affecting.” —The Wall Street Journal *

From the beloved, critically acclaimed, bestselling author comes a spectacularly moving novel featuring Eilis Lacey, the complex and enigmatic heroine of Brooklyn, Tóibín’s most popular work in twenty years.

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. It is the spring of 1976 and Eilis is now forty with two teenage children. 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 work an Irishman comes to the door asking for Eilis 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 and suspenseful.

Long Island is a gorgeous story “about a woman thrashing against the constraints of fate” (Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air). It is “a wonder, rich with yearning and regret” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis).

How weak everyone was!!

This isn’t the same girl. Elise seemed so cold and distant even from the start. Not in love with her husband which is why she came back in the fist place. I felt that the writer forgot about her and Tony’s connection. They were closer than that. I don’t believe Tony would have cheated either. The ending didn’t make sense and I also felt that he Jim way too weak. Nancy would have been that way, she never was sure of herself and would have acted that way to secure her relationship. Jim, I feel would have talked to her sooner though.
Tony would have stood up for his wife to his family, and though no fault of the baby, they could have found a home other than his parents. To me, none of this was believable or in my opinion what would have happened to a strong marriage.
I hated to see a story end just so we have to wait for another book.

Pitch perfect!

I thought the book was perfect. It’s an intensely intimate story and a marvelous, cultural history of a time and place. The characters are richly described and their relationships and unfolding story keeps you on the edge. This book flows naturally and perfectly balances the written word with the reader.

Cliffhanger…

Loved the book overall, but definitely left it a cliffhanger! Hoping for a sequel soon!

Great book struggled with one character

This was a great book! I listened to Brooklyn and then listened to this after. The lack of Italian accent for Francesca ( Tony’s mother) in Long Island was awful! There’s no way she loses her Italian accent in twenty years and takes on a Long Island accent! All other character portrayal’s were excellent Bravo

An Excellent Story by an Excellent Storyteller

I did not want this book to end. Yes, it was that good.

I never read Brooklyn, Colm Toibin's first novel in this short 2-book series, but the movie was so beautifully realized, directed, and acted, that when I heard a sequel to Eilis Lacey's life -- 20 years later -- was published, I couldn't wait to read it. I was not disappointed.

Right from the start, her marriage with husband Tony is in jeopardy and Eilis is strong in her opinion about how to handle it. When she finds resistance from Tony and his family -- all of whom live in the same cul-de-sac -- she decides to fly home to Ireland, ostensibly to help her mother celebrate her upcoming 80th birthday but mostly to get a break from Tony and his family, who have ideas of their own about how to handle the dramatic moment that has surrounded Eilis, her husband, and their two children.

The author treats this trauma with care and sensitivity, never presenting a right or wrong but leaving that up to the reader.

A real treat for me was listening to the Audible version. The narrator, Jessie Buckley, is superb, rendering both Irish and New York accents with perfection.

I loved this book and will read/listen to it again.