Brooklyn colm toibin discussion questions
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Why do you think the Irish had such a rosy view of America? Something happens to Rose that, in retrospect, makes you reexamine the reasons she might have urged Eilis to move to America. Does Jim understand people as well as he thinks he does?
More books than SparkNotes. Or is Eilis really a young woman who does not choose, who allows others to determine her fate?
13. What do these actions reveal about the aspirations and values of characters like Eilis, Mrs. Lacey, Nancy, and Miriam?
Instead, they were happy there and proud” (pg 26). Tony, however, is clear about his love for Eilis from the start. Why would Colm Toibin make this stylistic choice? What do you imagine Eilis’s future holds?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
In:
Oprah Winfrey has selected "Long Island" by author Colm Tóibín as her newest book club pick.
"Long Island," published by Simon & Schuster, is the sequel to Tóibín's 2009 New York Times best-selling novel, "Brooklyn." It is about a young woman named Eilis Lacey, who left her small Irish town for a new life in America.
"Long Island" picks up more than 20 years later.
Some characters in the novel are referred to as Miss or Mrs., while others are identified by their first name. Now, in Long Island, Tóibín's best known character is offered a second chance at the life she left behind in this story complicated by weighty secrets, thundering silences and the deepest desires of the human heart.
Topics & Questions for Discussion
- Eilis quickly decides she wants nothing to do with Tony's illegitimate baby.
Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Brooklyn by Colm Toibin.
Brooklyn Discussion Questions
- In Ireland, much remains unsaid between Eilis, her mother and her sister Rose, particularly when they prepare for Eilis’s departure for America.
Who had more to lose?
- What did you think of Nancy's plan in the final chapters? How are Eilis’s expectations met upon her arrival?
2. Why do you think Toibin chose to end the book there? How important is it to simply like a character at the heart of a story, and do your feelings about a character affect your feelings about a story as a whole?
Content last updated: April 30, 2010
From litlovers:
1.
How is it different today?
6. Is a relationship with such uneven attachment doomed from the start, or do you believe that one person can “learn” to love another over time?
4. If there were another 50 pages to be added, what would you like to see happen for Eilis, and where should she ultimately call home?
In the end, how do they each deal with the consequences of the truth being revealed?