Colm Toibin

[Anika]

I just joined recently and after a look around I don't see anything about Colm Toibin. If I've missed it and there's already a thread somewhere, you can let me know.

 

I've decided to read "The Master" again, because I absolutely LOVED it! And I kind of read it at break-neck speed the first time, when it's the type of book one should savor for the imagery and writing quality. It came out in 2004, and I don't want to give anything away, so I'll quote from the back cover:

 

"In stunningly resonant prose, Toibin captures the loneliness and the hope of a master of psychological subtlety whose forays into intimacy inevitably failed those he tried to love. The emotional intensity of this portrait is riveting."

 

Has anyone else read this book? --and if so, what were your feelings about it?

 

Have you read any other books by this author?

[frankie]

I don't know much about Colm Toibin, but when I was once going through the books in English -section in the library I stumbled upon his book The Master. The blurp sounded really interesting and I borrowed the book but didn't have the time to read it I'm definitely going to, especially after reading your post Anika

[Nollaig]

I've read The Blackwater Lightship, it was an optional read in my third year English course on Irish literature and I thought it was a really interesting book. I'm usually not too fond of books I study as reading books unless I've read them beforehand, but the lecturer, who I suspect is an expert on homosexuality and sociological change regarding gay men/AIDS etc, and quite probably gay himself, made it into something of a highly informative and very cultural book group.

 

The book is about a schoolteacher whose brother only tells her he is gay when he's imminantly dying of AIDS - and he asks her to tell their mother and grandmother who she has had minimal contact. So it explores three generations of Irish women trying to reconcile their differences in an attempt to come to terms with something that Ireland was still barely coming to to terms with as a whole. It's a very good book.

 

I haven't read anything else by Toibin, but I can easily recommend his books. He's openly gay himself so it's a recurring theme in his work, inside Ireland or out (out being where gays tend to live more happily, marrying and so on.)

[chesilbeach]

I read the first half of The Master, but it was a library book and I ran out of time, but I definitely intend to get it in paperback at some point and finish it off, as I enjoyed what I'd read.

 

I also like the sound of his new book Brooklyn, and have it on my wishlist for Christmas.

[CornflowerBlue]

I hope nobody minds me resurrecting this thread!

 

I read The Master in my first gap year, and was smitten. I loved Blackwater Lightship. I bought myself Brooklyn when it was on offer at Waterstone's, but I don't have time to read it. It's on my pile of books to read once I finish my MA.

 

Just to make it even harder for me, the author Adele Geras was speaking at a Lancs Book Awards thing recently and raved about how good Brooklyn was. She couldn't stop talking about Toibin's gorgeous prose. Eeeep, I want to read it now!

[frankie]

I'd completely forgotten about this thread and Colm Toibin but I do remember wanting to read some of his books.

 

Now that I was rereading this thread, I read Nollaig's thoughts on The Blackwater Lightship and thought to myself I must mention that to CornflowerBlue because she raised the whole issue of GLTG literature, and then I scrolled down to read more and noticed that of course it was CornflowerBlue who bumped up the thread

[poppyshake]

I recently read Brooklyn and though I liked it, it didn't set my bookcase alight.

 

I liked his style of writing though and definitely want to read The Master.

[Weave]

I have 'Brooklyn' on my TBR pile

[CornflowerBlue]

I read Nollaig's thoughts on The Blackwater Lightship and thought to myself I must mention that to CornflowerBlue because she raised the whole issue of GLTG literature, and then I scrolled down to read more and noticed that of course it was CornflowerBlue who bumped up the thread

 

This is the one and only time I will be ahead of the game! I loved The Master so much, I have a real interest in LGBT relationships and identifications in the past.