Brooklyn cover art

Brooklyn

the iconic classic narrated by BAFTA and Oscar-nominated actor Saoirse Ronan

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Brooklyn

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

Brooklyn: the iconic classic. Read by the star of the Oscar and BAFTA-nominated film adaptation, Saoirse Ronan.

The classic novel that inspired the major motion picture.
The prequel to Colm Tóibín's bestselling novel, Long Island.

In a small town in 1950s Ireland Eilis Lacey is one among many women of her generation who cannot find work at home. So, when a job is offered in America, she knows she must leave.

Arriving, alone, at a noisy boarding house in Brooklyn, Eilis can only be reminded of what she has left behind. She is far from home - and homesick. And just as she begins to find a new way of living, and the possibility of companionship, Eilis receives tragic news which sends her back to Ireland.

There she will be confronted by a terrible dilemma - between love and happiness in the land where she belongs and the promises she must keep on the far side of the ocean.

'With this elating and humane novel, Colm Tóibín has produced a masterwork' – Sunday Times

'The most compelling and moving portrait of a young woman I have read in a long time' – Zoë Heller, Guardian

'Magnificent' – Sunday Telegraph

 20th Century Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt Tear-jerking

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All stars
Most relevant
Tóibín’s simple recounting manages to draw us into the everyday human tragedy of the emigrant with no unnecessary frills or bathos.

Saoirse Ronan’s voice is perfect

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I liked this book! Narrator does such a great job! Being an expat myself the main story hits hard. Def recommend!

Entertaining and easy to listen to

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I loved this book so much and especially as it was read by the wonderful Saoirse Ronan. If you want a book that feels like a warm bath, I recommend it. But it is so much more and the way the words sing lifts your spirits. I liked it very much, can you tell me? !

A tender hearted story so beautifully read

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A young woman chooses to leave Ireland to make a new life for herself in the USA. Whilst she has, in theory, more freedom than before , she is still subject to the scrutiny of the church and the Irish community. The story is beautifully written and the narrator was excellent. The story was quite suspenseful near the end as I wondered if she was doing the right thing and whether she would make the right choice. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel

A story about choices

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Brilliant narration and heart moving story of what life must have been like for young irish girls moving to USA post war.

Excellent!

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