Brooklyn Novel Review

I have recently read "Brooklyn" by Colm Tóibín. It is the story of an Irish girl named Eilis Lacey who moves away from the small town of Enniscorthy to Brooklyn in order to have better opportunities and prospects in life.

There are many themes in this novel like love and poverty to name just a few.  But the one that I found most interesting is the theme of family. Eilis' mother is a widow. Her older brothers have moved to England for work. Her sister Rose has an office job which support the family. Rose meets a priest back from America who offers to arrange a job for Eilis. She soon finds herself crossing the Atlantic third-class, when it dawns on her that by organising this, Rose has sacrificed her own future so Eilis can have a better life. This has really shown me how strong love between family members can be. Rose will now have to stay at home and look after their mother while Eilis gets to start a new life in America. It is because of how selfless Rose was that I have loved the theme of family in this novel.

Eilis is a very brave, strong and interesting character in this novel. I have to admire how she leaves everyone and everything she knows for a new life she knows nothing about. She is a character that grows and develops as I by the end of the novel it was clear to me that she was less defenceless and more troubled than she initially seemed.

The novel is set in Brooklyn during the 1950's. It has thought me about the roles of men and women and the differences in social class during this time which I found very interesting. This was most clear to me when Eilis is traveling to Brooklyn after leaving home. The third class passengers have a lot lower standard of hygiene and accommodation than the first class passengers on board the ship. When the passengers were sea sick, the third class cabins were the last to be cleaned. 

From reading this novel, I feel Colm Tóibín's outlook on life is quiet negative. In my opinion, this novel is not a particularly happy one but I am feel Tóibín is perhaps a realist and I understand that not everything is always light and happy. 

I enjoyed how Tóibín depicted complicated feelings using simple everyday words in a way which is very effective. His writing is very descriptive and I liked his use of dialogue. 

If I was asked would I recommend this book and I am sorry to say that I don't think I would. I found it dull and slow moving at times and was tempted to give it up. However I persevered and finished it! While I am glad I did, In my opinion a truly good book should be hard to put down and sadly this book for me wasn't. But I do have a friend who read the book and loved it, so don't let me put you off to much! 

Thanks for reading!

:)

Juno And The Paycock Review.

On Wednesday the 19th of October the Transition Year students of St. Wolstan's Community School hopped on board two buses to go see the latest production of Juno and the Paycock at the Abbey Theatre.

Overall the standard of acting was excellent in the play especially in the case of Mrs Madigan. I loved her character in the play and I was delighted that she was given a bigger part on stage. She succeeded in creating a happy atmosphere in Act 2 when all around her was grief and political unrest. 

"Juno I have never seen you in betther form."

However I was slightly disappointed by the character of Juno who I felt was very good up until she was told her son had died. While her lines were very moving I didn't feel that how she portrayed her grief was very realistic. In my opinion she could have just been told that her dog had just run away instead of learning that her son had lost his life.

"Blessed Virgin, where were you when me darlin' son was riddled with bullets"

The set was incredible. Sitting in the Abbey Theatre I felt as if I ad just entered the tenement flat occupied by the Boyle family in 1920's Dublin. The set was very realistic, everything down to the smell of the sausage sizzling in the pan was accounted for. I feel there is great credit due to the set designers who did such an amazing job. I loved the contrast between the bare and boring tenement flat before the Boyle's received news of the money and the same flat after it had received it's luxurious transformation.

"Put on the gramophone, for God's sake, an' stop Joxer's bawlin'."

Throughout the play many themes were highlighted. In my opinion money and lack of it is the biggest and most important one of all. There was a huge difference in the peoples attitudes towards the Boyle family before and after the money. The drastic change can even be seen in the 'Captain' who suddenly wears suits instead of moleskin trousers. They are treated with more respect until everyone finds out there is no money coming. 

"Ever since the Will was passed I've run hundhreds o' dockyments through me hans"

From the play I feel Séan O Casey's overall vision of the world is very negative. He does not give any of his characters a happy ending. In my opinion there isn't much hope left at the end of the play. It is very dark, depressing and negative but I feel that he is also a realist and happy ever afters were not common in the tenements in 1920's Dublin. 

"The whole counthry's in a state o' chassis."

Therefore I conclude that Juno and the Paycock in the Abbey Theatre was an unforgettable experience that I really enjoyed. I was very impressed by the acting and the set. I was fascinated by the themes and now understand Séan O Casey's vision and viewpoint of the world.