Long Island Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Fish and Chip Shops and our BookBrowse Review of Long Island.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

A reader's guide for Long Island by Analisa Novak. Posted by CBS News

1. Eilis quickly decides she wants nothing to do with Tony's illegitimate baby. How does she arrive at this decision, and why does she feel so strongly about it? What would she lose by caving to the pressure from Tony's family to accept a future with the baby in their lives?
2. Discuss Eilis's fraught relationship with Tony's large, tight-knit Italian American family. In what ways have they made her feel welcomed or more isolated?
3. Compare Eilis's relationship with her mother to Tony's relationship with his. What aspects do you attribute to cultural differences, and which to the unique circumstances of their lives?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Scribner. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.