I thought this was just masterfully done. Everything was a slow build to the ultimate decision, which seemed forced on Eilis by the gossipy, mean-spirited Irish shopkeeper - but if it hadn't been for that gossipy, mean-spirited shopkeeper, who knows if Eilis would have come to do the honourable thing on her own? Told with a flat affect which reminded me a bit of some of Muriel Spark's work, so I'm not surprised some people commented on its seeming "flat". You do have to let what's being said "sink in" before you realize the import of what's going on. Poor Eilis - in some ways, a grown-up "series of unfortunate events" (with some fortunate ones too, of course).

A sweet, heartwarming story set in post WW2 Ireland and Brooklyn. Eilis Lacey lives in Ireland with her Mother and older sister; she is unable to find any job other then in a shop although she is very good with business math. A priest from USA comes to her village and offers to sponsor her if she will emigrate to Brooklyn, work in a retail store and take accounting classes in the evening. This is a very simply written story yet I felt that I was almost in Eilis's mind and could feel and understand her deep homesickness and loneliness. She eventually meets a young Italian man, Tony, and they begin a courtship. Tony was my favorite character and the descriptions of their relationship and his family were also my favorite part of the story.

Easy read. Reveals interesting emigree quandaries, though never got a clear visual of protagonist.

a little on the "fluff" side, yet I coulden't put it down.

A nice coming of age story about an Irish immigrant in the post WWII days. Eilis the main character was a thoughtful and conservative person - careful of everything she did and said to her friends and relatives. I expected a different end to the book, it certainly made me read it quickly to see what would happen. I would recommend it as a book club book as well.

Book Club

Very disappointing. I kept debating whether or not to keep reading, because it felt like nothing was happening, and the characters felt so flat. Eventually, some things do happen, but it didn't make it much better. It also didn't feel like it took place in the 1950s, and I didn't feel like I cared for any of the characters.

The library summarizes this story as: In the early 1950s, Eilis Lacey leaves her widowed mother and charismatic sister behind in Ireland and heads for Brooklyn, where she finds a sort of happiness, but tragic news summons her back to Ireland, and she finds herself facing an impossible decision. In my opinion, Eilis’s decision to return to America was far from impossible: quiter the opposite... it was a no-brainer. She had a job with a future there. She loved her American sweetheart, and she left him with a promise to return to him after she cared for her grieving mother. End of story. The fact that Eilis was actually tempted to stay in Ireland diminished her in my eye. Where was her spunk? Her resolve? Really quite a light-weight book overall.

I found the story flat and I didn’t much like the characters. Its merit, I suppose, was in describing how some women probably lived in those days, pummeled about by the people in their lives rather than following their hearts. Where was Eilis’s resolve? Her spunk? I don’t think she had much of either. There was an innocence about her that made her susceptible to the whims of others. She drifted along doing whatever others expected of her. She judged others but didn’t see what was lacking in herself. Really quite a light-weight book overall. Or maybe that was actually how it was for women in the 1950s? If so, then I'm so glad we've moved on.

Sweet read about a young woman who immigrates to America.