Fab

Amazing narrator, and the book was highly engaging and emotionally connects to the reader but the ending was a cop out

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A certain genre of fiction . . . .

Listened with interest to a good narration. Characters were well constructed, sympathetic and . . . . . quite interesting and I did care about their futures, just not very much. A simple tale well told that profered a good social history of the era. . .. . I'm trying to be positive because I'm sure this is a good book but really not quite my cup of tea (mature male - me not the tea). Nothing really happens, lots of nice people, no villains just a gentle little tale. Nothing wrong with that but not for me.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Very Weak Storyline

I felt this novel rambled on without really going anywhere. Not much action and so, for this reason, story lacks drama.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A Romance with Bite

This is a well written romantic story. It isn't mawkish and deals with some difficult issues with taste and honesty.
I think you can tell it's about a woman and written by a man but it's sweet and lovely and well worth listening to.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Easy listening but wanted more

It was easy to listen to but wasn't sucking me in like a bestseller. I felt a bit at a loss when it finished as if someone had forgotten the last chapter. But overall enjoyable.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Beautiful

I am so glad I didn't watch the film. This was just stunning. Highly recommended.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Departing, yearning, learning, regret

What made the experience of listening to Brooklyn the most enjoyable?

Niamh Cusack reads it beautifully, and I love Colm Toibin's gentle, understated writing. The perspective draws you in and provokes much discussion and consideration.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Brooklyn?

Elis' outward journey to New York from Liverpool, and eating in an empty restaurant because all the other passengers knew about the rough seas, while she became horrifically seasick (all the more for the food she'd consumed). What a nightmare journey in third class, hard to imagine how anybody coped in those conditions - and how crafty were those who'd made the journey before.

Which character – as performed by Niamh Cusack – was your favourite?

I loved her performance of the lady who runs the shop Elis worked in for a while - brilliantly captured haughty busybody. All the characters were brought to life in entertaining and riveting fashion.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was easy to get caught up in Elis' story, her loneliness, fears and her foreboding - the restrictions placed on her owing to her gender and upbringing: she never quite seems to feel settled or at ease, and you sense she will live her whole life that way.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

Watch the film afterwards

A beautiful little story. I’d seen the film and wanted to read the book to get more insight into the characters, especially Eilis (pronounced Ay-leesh), who was so beautifully depicted by Saoirse Ronan in the film. I wasn’t disappointed until the very end, when I wanted some loose ends tied up. Well, one big loose end, really. Watch the film for an additional few scenes that make the story a little more satisfying for me.

As is so often the case, unfortunately Audible in their wisdom crash the quiet, heartfelt last sentence with suddenly booming their awful, loud, ‘Audible hopes you’ve enjoyed this programme’. It wakes me up every time, when I’m using the app to help me sleep, as I have done every night for ten years or so. It’s the one thing that has spoilt many an Audible book for me.

Niamh Cusack reads beautifully, with her gentle Irish accent, and gives good characterisations to the different people we meet.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Poignant story

I found this book moving. I like how it portrays both the homesick longing for Ireland, and the pull towards a new life of hope and anticipation in the US.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Thoroughly enjoyed it and different from my norm.

I thoroughly enjoyed this easy to listen too audio book. Lighthearted and with no great effort to get to grips with.

A predictable plot but as my favourite genre is thriller, psychological crime and fast paced mystery this book acted like a palate cleanser before picking another from my usual genre.

Narrated beautifully, which I expected from such a wonderful actress and Niamh didn't disappoint at all.

Don't expect thrills,spills and fireworks as this is a gentle love story with a sense of duty thrown in. Imagine Call the midwife but without nuns and nurses.

Nicely written. Clearly read. Easy to digest.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!