An Irish novel by Colm Toibin.
This wonderful novel by Colm Toibin embodies the start of America and the history of Brooklyn’s development like no other. It tells the story of an Irish girl immigrating to the USA in the 1950s. Besides being a successful and utterly engrossing novel, it is also the basis for a film shot in 2015.
Eilis Lacey is a young Irish woman living in a small town in the 1950s, and is pushed towards new opportunities in America when she doesn’t find work in her hometown. Her tale of finding herself in Brooklyn and getting to know other residents, as well as returning at some point to her native Ireland and comparing her options, is beautifully written and enjoyable, as Eilis is an interesting character giving plenty of life to the story.
The fascination of the book lies, at least for me, in the foundation of the world we now know to be Brooklyn and America in general. The immigration of the Irish to the American east coast is told from an interesting perspective, including also characters of Italian descent and touching upon the topic of the Jewish community and race in America at the time. The actual living circumstances of immigrants, both at home and then after migrating, is described in a touching way without judging, including also topics such as tricks when entering Ellis Island, homesickness, the struggle to find companionship abroad and more. While history books are often very dry on these subjects, and many films and books deal rather with the crime world of Irish and Italian families than with people working their way up in legal ways. Brooklyn fills this gap in a wonderful way.
This book has been on my reading list for some years (and has been every bit as enjoyable as expected) because the film of the game name (directed in 2015 by John Crowley from a screenplay by Nick Hornby) is so lovely. It might not be the most life-changing film, but it has a very special charm. It is very close to the novel, taking very few liberties only, which are fitting. Eilis is played by Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, who delivers a beautiful performance, bringing her nominations for several big awards including an Oscar nomination. Other main cast include Emory Cohen, Dohmnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Jessica Paré and Michael Zegen. The film brings to life both the Ireland and the Brooklyn of the 1950s with plenty of attention to detail and stunning costumes. If you want to have the faster experience, watch the film - in my opinion, both book and film are equally charming and very fitting for a summer reading or an enjoyable movie night.