Analysis of a review

It is divided in 7 sequences. The attack refers to the idea of immigration of the American public.

The journalist starts from the general part to the particular one.

He use adjectives like: understate, outright passion, alive which gives balance at all first part of the text.

The technique used by the writer is to write first the less important information than the more important so he captures the reader attention.

The second sequence brings the reader into the book.

Hanks, the author of the review, in this paragraph refers to Ireland, the protagonist’s native place, and the time, in the 1950, where the book is set.

He makes another reference to the difficult job opportunities of the era.

In the third paragraph the writer continues the description of the novel focusing on Eilis’s figure and highlights how important is her sister for her personality.

In the next paragraph the journalist deals the protagonist’s voyage from Ireland to New York. He uses adjectives like cramped and drawn-out, to make clear how the voyagers in the 1950 were. Hanks also summarize the activities that engage Eilis in Brooklyn: the work in the shop, the bookkeeping studies…

The fifth paragraph is really short but there the writer describes the main part of the novel: the love story. He uses adjectives like optimist, foreign energy absorbed by, which make clear the idea of the positive time the protagonist is living.

Finally, in the second- last sequences the journalist express his opinion, which is a positive one. The reader can understand this from adjectives like: fresh, strong, and familiar…

Also here he highlights the difficulties Eilis has to deal with: homesick.

The last one is a eulogy of Toibin, Brooklyn’s author. Also it describes the lessons the book gives to the reader.