I literally couldn’t put this one down and I’m so sad it’s over.

I absolutely ADORE Colm Tóibín’s writing style!!!!

I picked up these books because of a clip I saw on Instagram of Oprah calling him to tell him she picked his book and he’s so sweet, he said “are you calling about the eclipse” 😭 and when she tells him she picked his book he’s obviously freaking out. LOVE IT!!!

Anyway, I think I liked this one more than the first but I can’t really decide because I read them back to back and I feel like they just flow into each other as if they’re the same book. I love that he ends it

essentially on a cliffhanger. I felt this way about Brooklyn too, that it’s almost like he wrote a chapter at the beginning and a chapter at the end that he just cut. Both novels start in the middle of a conversation/story and end the same way, with no real “wrap up.”

I can see how this would annoy people but I love it because it’s left up to the reader to decide.

I liked Long Island because it took place more in Ireland and showed multiple characters POV instead of just Eilis’. It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s sad, it’s everything!

I have so many feelings about Eilis as a character and the way people perceive her. I wish I had a book club to discuss this because wow, I could go on and on!!