Brooklyn

I love reading but have struggled to get into a book in awhile (due to my busy life). I saw a newspaper article about the film version of this that is being made and decided to give the book a go. I'm glad I did! It was a nice easy book to read and is quite short so didn't require a big time commitment. It tackles some very interesting issues in a realistic way. The 1950s setting was also a nice escape from reality, making it possible to read into the issues without them being forced upon you like they may have been in a modern setting. My only qualm is that I felt like nothing much really happened and if it had been half as big again then some really interesting developments might have taken place (yes I realise this is a slight contradiction to my early point about it being nice that it;s a small book). I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

There’s a lot more detail in the book vis the movie . Ellis has 3 brothers . One of which Jack is missed from the movie . Her yellow cardigan she wears when comes back from shopping, rose gave her that’s missing from the movie and her landladie puts a padlock on the gate that’s on her entrance to her basement apartment because she know tony spends the night with her . Well worth the read . The movie could of been so much more

As it's Paddy's day. What a storyteller this man is. A true Seanchaí.I went to see the film and decided it was the film of the year. I had nothing to read so thought the book might be worth a punt. It helps to have an Irish background but only when it comes to the small town, small mindedness (which I'm sure is the same the world over). Everyone must experience homesickness at some point in their life; if you ever have, you will relate to this story...Do yourself a kindness, buy this book and make no plans for a few days.

After watching the very enjoyable film , I brought the book. I liked the back story which the book fills out more and the mentioning of her brothers and the meeting with her brother Jack. The film stays true to a lot of the book ( it needed to the book is short easy read) . The last chapter has her going forward with Jim a lot more than the film has. You could say it's out of character for her but she did go pretty far with Tony before they married. I didn't like the fact that Mrs.Kehoe and Miss Kelly were related and she didn't know . It wasn't believable because it's the first thing people ask and we are told Mrs Kehoe talks about her home place and places she went as a child. She knew were Eilis was and she would have mentioned it. The film version is easier to believe and the ending in the film is so much better. Over all a lovely easy read .

This novel draws you in not in a rush but slowly, as the mood builds and the characters deepen. In the end, however, the heroine is too closed in on herself, too unrevealing in her dealings with others, to arouse my sympathy and by the end I didn't much care which guy she ended up with and in which country, America or Ireland. Maybe the movie will be more compelling.