pickWOW!! I loved this book! Irish immigrant experience, Brooklyn experience. Spanned from turn of the 20th century to I‘m guessing around 1940. the love story was frustrating at times, but unique, for sure. Very good family saga. Pub date 1958. It‘s a Betty Smith year! #Brooklyn
I‘m posting one book a day from my massive collection. No description, no reason for why I want to read it.
#ABookADay2025
pickThe protagonist Margy was sweet. Grew up in a strained household, emotionally and financially, tries to find happiness in marriage. Another slice of life type of novel with characters who are just trying to do the best they can with what life has given them. Margy is different, you know she will persevere and eventually be happy. #Brooklyn
pickI have a lot memories of Dad reading this one out loud to us when we were growing up, but I don't think I had read it since! It's a pretty adorable story about a group of kids who live in a little cul de sac alley neighborhood. The main story is that there is a robbery, but there are a lot of little side stories and it's all such good fun.
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pick28-9 Jan 25 (audiobook)
I loved this gentle story of belonging, homesickness and regret.
Like so many Irish, Eilis leaves her home and family to seek work elsewhere, in this case, Brooklyn. She suffers tremendous isolation and homesickness but eventually starts to find her feet in her new home, excelling at work and at night school and maybe falling in love. But tragedy sees her return home to Ireland and reconsider the life she could have there.
pickFinished this book on Christmas Eve and it was a good end of year book. It is a gently told story of Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey who seems to passively greet most of the happenings in her life, both good and bad. While she can be frustrating at times, I think that‘s because Toibin draws her so realistically, flaws and all. His writing is utterly absorbing and made Eilis‘s experience very vivid. I think the sequel will find its way onto my TBR!
