Brooklyn Audiobook By Colm Toibin cover art

Brooklyn

A Novel

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Brooklyn

By: Colm Toibin
Narrated by: Saoirse Ronan
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About this listen

A NEW PRODUCTION NARRATED BY SAOIRSE RONAN, ACADEMY AWARD–NOMINATED STAR OF THE 2015 FILM ADAPTATION!

Colm Tóibín’s New York Times bestselling novel—also an acclaimed film starring Saoirse Ronan and Jim Broadbent nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture—is “a moving, deeply satisfying read” (Entertainment Weekly) about a young Irish immigrant in Brooklyn in the early 1950s.

“One of the most unforgettable characters in contemporary literature” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Eilis Lacey has come of age in small-town Ireland in the hard years following World War Two. When an Irish priest from Brooklyn offers to sponsor Eilis in America, she decides she must go, leaving her fragile mother and her charismatic sister behind.

Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, and when she least expects it, finds love. Tony, who loves the Dodgers and his big Italian family, slowly wins her over with patient charm. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future.

Author “Colm Tóibín…is his generation’s most gifted writer of love’s complicated, contradictory power” (Los Angeles Times). “Written with mesmerizing power and skill” (The Boston Globe), Brooklyn is a “triumph…One of those magically quiet novels that sneak up on readers and capture their imaginations” (USA TODAY).

©2009 Colm Toibin (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio
Coming of Age Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Inspiring
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This was a nice story of the immigrant experience. I wouldn’t call it profound, but it was interesting, well read, and kept my attention throughout.

An engaging story

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Audio skipped and stuttered constantly! It was impossible to listen to. I wasted a credit!

Terrible Audio

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The story follows a young Irish woman who emigrates to Brooklyn in the 1950s and struggles with work, boyfriend, homesickness, and life. It is written tediously and, in the end, makes no sense. The story development is slow, and the author spells out the leading character's activities in tedious detail. For example, we learn how, as a bookkeeper, she records every tiny aspect of each business transaction. Her big emotional conflict comes in the last part of the book, but her way of handling it is clumsily described and seems out-of-character in light of the groundwork about her that the author has laid. Her decision-making at the end was so obviously foolish that I found it painful to read the ending. This book was recommended to me by a friend, but I found it disappointing.

Well performed but a disappointing story

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Great narration by Saoirse Ronan Brooklyn is a nice, easy story to listen to. Stress free listening!

Great narration.

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An interesting story that transported me to another place and time. Saoirse Ronan’s voice was perfect for this reading.

Saoirse Ronan voice is mesmerizing

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A wonderfully told story, whose narration takes it to another level. I wish the same narrator had done the follow-on book, Long Island.

Gorgeous Narration

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Just okay, generally the heroine isn’t sure what she wants, and is easily swayed… so outside forces determine her fate. I hope she outgrows this :)

Inner story

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I liked the quiet way she was exposed in her thoughts and how details made up her decisions

details of everyday lufe

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I loved the narrator. The story was a bit slow, but I never thought about giving up on it. It generally held my interest.

Enjoyable Story

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I’ve just re-listen to this story in order to better understand the book that follows, Long Island. It was wonderful to be reacquainted with these characters, but I was very disappointed in the change of character of both Tony and his mother-in-law back in Ireland. I found it strange that Eilish had not gone back to visit her mother in 25 years and also strange that they have not paid for her to come visit them in America. When we do meet Eilish’s mother again she does not resemble the gentle lady we found her to be in this book. l found her dramatic character change unbelievable and unsettling. I was also so disappointed in Tony, his family and how they treated Eilish. Finally, I have to say that unless there is going to be a third installation in the story of these characters, Long Island was unfulfilling in its lack of closure. If however there is definitely going to be a third book, I can forgive the author leaving so much to our imagination.
Brooklyn is a wonderful story and a delight to listen to.

Human frailty 

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