For all his charming self-deprecation and 'weaponised helplessness' Tóibín is on top form here, conjuring stories out of the ether with the skill of a magician and the precision of a word-surgeon. Transported to Enniscorthy, can't you just smell the hot vinegary air wafting from the local chip shop? I may not have any immediate travel plans but I'll definitely be reading Long Island.
Just read and partially reread Long Island. Very thought provoking, although the story I read was not exactly the story you (think) you told. I don’t want to delve into it, but this was not a story about adultery in the sense of betrayal, possession, or jealousy. It was just the business of adultery and the undesired byproduct of it that occasionally results from it. A passionless tale, in my opinion. Eilis only seems to be bothered by the unlucky consequence, the impact of the child, not even the pregnancy or the act of love that produced it. Only the unwanted child. No child, no problem. There, no more. I am writing because Mr T has opened the door on the dialogue issue when writing for a tongue the author is not well versed in. For the record, I am 73, born and raised in the Bronx amongst Irish and Italians, although I am neither, but married to an Italian. I think your admittedly not being confident in American expression has lead you to be very careful with the dialogue of the Americans. Too careful. They all speak better than they would have in reality. Francesca, even if she were American born would not be speak so well, with such elegance. Most people spoke in short sentences. That’s safe. I think your editor failed you in 2 places-that’s the trouble when a native reads something by a foreigner trying to be something else (for the page I mean-I don’t wish to be unkind) P. 129 Larry says to his mother: Does that mean that we mightn’t ever come back? Hardly any American would contract might not or even construct a sentence this way. Only an academic would do so, and Larry is no academic. P. 211 Rosella speaking to her mother: My father asked me to tell you that he wants you to come home. As far as I know, only the Irish in the English speaking world would have a daughter refer to her father as “my” father when speaking to her mother (or brother or sister) Not a thing an American would say, but and these kids if anything, are New York Italians. It would be Dad or some variation to her mother; Dad or some variation, or “our” father, to her brother or sister. I am a nit picker I admit. We look for flaws. Errors like these are unimportant, irrelevant even except that they are distracting. But you got the essence of the family dynamic down pat. That family formula which I experienced 50 years ago I am happy to say is less prevalent. What I don’t think you got right, and this is not in your writing but in your discussion of the book, is the harmony of the family unit. You wrote it, I read it, but we see very different things here. I also didn’t read in the book anything to suggest the special relationship Rosella had with Tony. It’s almost as if you are naive, which is far from what I think. Tony is a nice guy, but he is not a good guy. Also, why should we believe him? From my experience, in order for this type of family to exist without overt conflict is with a careful web of lies and subterfuge. The gay brother Frank is the mastermind of the mendacity necessary to keep the family peaceable. Tony risked and possibly lost his nuclear family for the sake of satisfying his mother. If Eilis feels anything it’s not just the disappointment (disgust even) of his choosing his mother over her (and his own family unit) but his lack of strength and character to do anything his family does not direct. So Tony may be nice, when it costs him nothing, but he can’t be anything on his own. He’s hardly a man.
For all his charming self-deprecation and 'weaponised helplessness' Tóibín is on top form here, conjuring stories out of the ether with the skill of a magician and the precision of a word-surgeon. Transported to Enniscorthy, can't you just smell the hot vinegary air wafting from the local chip shop? I may not have any immediate travel plans but I'll definitely be reading Long Island.
Just read and partially reread Long Island.
Very thought provoking, although the story I read was not exactly the story you (think) you told.
I don’t want to delve into it, but this was not a story about adultery in the sense of betrayal, possession, or jealousy.
It was just the business of adultery and the undesired byproduct of it that occasionally results from it.
A passionless tale, in my opinion.
Eilis only seems to be bothered by the unlucky consequence, the impact of the child, not even the pregnancy or the act of love that produced it. Only the unwanted child. No child, no problem.
There, no more.
I am writing because Mr T has opened the door on the dialogue issue when writing for a tongue the author is not well versed in.
For the record, I am 73, born and raised in the Bronx amongst Irish and Italians, although I am neither, but married to an Italian.
I think your admittedly not being confident in American expression has lead you to be very careful with the dialogue of the Americans. Too careful. They all speak better than they would have in reality. Francesca, even if she were American born would not be speak so well, with such elegance. Most people spoke in short sentences. That’s safe. I think your editor failed you in 2 places-that’s the trouble when a native reads something by a foreigner trying to be something else (for the page I mean-I don’t wish to be unkind)
P. 129 Larry says to his mother: Does that mean that we mightn’t ever come back?
Hardly any American would contract might not or even construct a sentence this way.
Only an academic would do so, and Larry is no academic.
P. 211 Rosella speaking to her mother: My father asked me to tell you that he wants you to come home.
As far as I know, only the Irish in the English speaking world would have a daughter refer to her father as “my” father when speaking to her mother (or brother or sister) Not a thing an American would say, but and these kids if anything, are New York Italians. It would be Dad or some variation to her mother; Dad or some variation, or “our” father, to her brother or sister.
I am a nit picker I admit. We look for flaws. Errors like these are unimportant, irrelevant even except that they are distracting. But you got the essence of the family dynamic down pat.
That family formula which I experienced 50 years ago I am happy to say is less prevalent.
What I don’t think you got right, and this is not in your writing but in your discussion of the book, is the harmony of the family unit.
You wrote it, I read it, but we see very different things here. I also didn’t read in the book anything to suggest the special relationship Rosella had with Tony. It’s almost as if you are naive, which is far from what I think.
Tony is a nice guy, but he is not a good guy.
Also, why should we believe him? From my experience, in order for this type of family to exist without overt conflict is with a careful web of lies and subterfuge. The gay brother Frank is the mastermind of the mendacity necessary to keep the family peaceable.
Tony risked and possibly lost his nuclear family for the sake of satisfying his mother. If Eilis feels anything it’s not just the disappointment (disgust even) of his choosing his mother over her (and his own family unit) but his lack of strength and character to do anything his family does not direct. So Tony may be nice, when it costs him nothing, but he can’t be anything on his own.
He’s hardly a man.
He's such a weirdo. 🤭Just eccentric and lovely. I like the way he tells his own literature.......❤️
Nifty specs
sir'inlightnd be'yee of'jelling cultural'salutation leaveing'writeing too'core fatefull'with smarts's in'tow too'entertain in'proper civilized'venue intense'course structure'd hollowd'dyjamic::weseeqing'traditions in'full wholesome'bravada kept'way way'kept hooqery'mate sealing'zeal of'hamiqq::lovevein'poetdeim