The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends an impressive impersonation of Bob Dylan
The high art of suffocating in a small town
FIONA O’CONNOR relishes an artfully restrained novel whose style is perfectly in tune with the petit bourgeois existence it portrays
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Here, Vermiglio, William Tell and Wolf Man
New releases from Thorpe and Morrison, Daria Kulesh, and Will Finn and Rosie Calvert
RINA ARYA confronts the brutal operation of Francis Bacon’s approach to portraiture
Emphasising his continuous engagement in labour movement struggles, ALISTAIR FINDLAY salutes John Foster’s contribution as activist, strategist, intellectual and defender of the Morning Star
ANDY MIAH advocates the use of AI to assist people by expanding access to global literature and culture
EWAN KOTZ relishes a veteran Glasgow band that have lost none of their verve for live performance
Long Island
Colm Toibin, Picador, £20
THIS is a gorgeous summer read, a subtly crafted love story by the masterful Colm Toibin. For book fetishists the hardback version is a covetable object in itself, with its elegant jade and coral covers.
Colm Toibin is one of Ireland’s most successful writers. His bestseller Brooklyn established him as a global author, amplified by the release of a Hollywood movie version of the same title. 20 years on, Long Island resumes the story of Eilis, the girl who emigrated to Brooklyn in the cause of duty, leaving behind her one great love.
In order to enjoy Long Island you don’t need to have read the prequel, but you can find fascinating threads holding between these two books; the reading of both gives a richer sense of some of the characters and their motivations.
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