It usually takes me between ten to fourteen days to finish a book like this but I was completely drawn in by 'Brooklyn' and finished it in just two.

The subject matter was so close to me and was so beautifully written that I couldn't put it down! I had to know what Eilis would decide - would she stay at home, surrounded by familiar comforts and close to her poor mother? or would she return to her new life and love in America?

Although I've been a in a situation not unlike Eilis's, I did feel that this book lacked emotion in some respects. I didn't feel like Eilis was really, truly in love with anyone -I felt like she was just settling for people who showed interest in her. I loved the flow of the the story though and was constantly thinking about it in the hours when I couldn't read it. I cried so much for her and her dilemma. It's so hard to choose between family and a new life away from them.

This is the kind of story I wish I'd written.