It’s that time again! This morning, Oprah announced on CBS Mornings that her 105th Book Club pick is…Long Island, by Colm Tóibín. This novel centers around Eilis Lacey, an Irish immigrant living in New York’s Long Island (hence the book’s title), surrounded by her husband’s extended Italian American family. Within the first few pages, Eilis gets some truly devastating news that forces her to rethink everything she thought she knew about who she is and where she belongs.
Long Island is, in some ways, a sequel to Colm Tóibín’s award-winning 2009 novel Brooklyn, which was adapted into an acclaimed 2015 feature film by the same name, starring Saoirse Ronan (of Lady Bird and Little Women fame) as Eilis. But you don’t have to have read Brooklyn, or even have watched the movie, to dive fully into Long Island. As Oprah explains, “This novel has everything you need to know in its own completely riveting story.”
Tóibín has written 11 novels—not to mention 10 books of nonfiction, two short-story collections, a collection of poetry, three plays, an opera libretto, and, by his own estimate, “thousands” of articles. His most famous works include his award-winning and bestselling novels The Master and The Magician. We are so excited to read his latest with you; we have a feeling it will generate some spirited conversation.
Read along with Oprah’s Book Club by following the schedule below. You can also join in on weekly discussions on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! #ReadWithUs.
Reading Schedule
Week 1: Parts 1 & 2
Pages 3–104
Discussion begins on Saturday, May 18.
Week 2: Parts 3 & 4
Pages 107–185
Discussion begins on Saturday, May 25.
Week 3: Part 5
Pages 189–227
Discussion begins on Saturday, June 1.
Week 4: Parts 6 & 7
Pages 231–294
Discussion begins on Saturday, June 8.
Charley Burlock is the Associate Books Editor at Oprah Daily where she writes, edits, and assigns stories on all things literary. She holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from NYU, where she also taught undergraduate creative writing. Her work has been featured in the Atlantic, the Los Angeles Review, Agni, the Apple News Today podcast, and elsewhere. She is currently working on a book about collective grief (but she promises she's really fun at parties).
