Long Island by Colm Toibin – 4 Stars

[Hannah]

This book is a follow-up to Brooklyn although it could be read as a standalone novel. Eilis Lacey returns to Ireland for a visit where she meets up with the people she knew when she was younger before she moved to the United States. To everyone in Ireland she seems to have a successful life and is the envy of many. Her return to Ireland upsets many in the small community she left, though she doesn't realise this at the time. The book is very character-driven, and I became engaged in the story and the character’s complicated lives straight away. It is very easy to imagine each of the lives of the different characters, and the writing brings a strong sense of place to the small community. The book does end on a small cliff-hanger, and so I would expect there to be a third book at some stage.

[Joy D]

I really liked this book too! Toibin is such a wonderful writer.