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7th November 2025
10:31am GMT

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There's something about Irish novels that makes them that little bit more special. It's the familiarity of home, the similarities of the characters and people in our own lives, and the invisible string that is woven through many Irish people's lives.
We may all be different, but we share many experiences, and one of the biggest is saying goodbye to our loved ones to start anew outside of the Emerald Isle.
One book that perfectly summed up the heartbreak of leaving home and the hope of a new start in a new city is Brooklyn.
Colm Tóibín's bestselling novel is one I still think about to this day, especially after the release of the sequel, Long Island.
Long Island has been described as "the love story of the century," and it's currently on sale with 53% off the original price.
Buy here.

This heartwrenching, reflective, and hopeful novel sees Eilis return to Ireland after her life in America falls apart, after a bombshell revelation from her husband, Tony.
We see Eilis return to her mother, to the town she left behind, and the love she left behind as she comes to terms with the downfall of her marriage.
What I loved so much about Long Island is the stream of hope throughout the story despite Eilis' struggles.
This isn't a fairytale love story, but it's real and raw, it's messy but hopeful, and enthralling, and it summarises exactly what love is perfectly.
A man with an Irish accent knocks on Eilis Fiorello’s door on Long Island. In that moment, everything changes. This stranger will reveal something that will make Eilis question the life she has created.
For the first time in years, she suddenly feels very far from home, and the revelation will see her turn towards Ireland once again. Back to her mother. Back to the town and the people she had chosen to leave behind.
Did she make the wrong choice all those years ago? Is it too late now to take a different path?
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