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irishbelle10's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
3.0
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. There were good parts, but as other reviewers said, a good chunk of it was just kind of flat. And the end of the third/fourth part really ruined it for me because throughout the first bit, it seemed like Eilis was growing up and changing, but the last bit just showed how much that wasn’t the case. I liked Eilis with Tony up until their night together. It was so horribly, painfully obvious that it was written by a man. I wanted it to be a little more romantic. It didn’t even need to be a super lust-filled, gratuitous moment because that wouldn’t have been right for the character’s personalities, but it just needed to have a little more romance. And then when Eilis got back to Enniscorthy, she completely forgot about Tony! It was so clear by the end of the book that she hadn’t taken a moment to stop and think when she was with him, to consider her own feelings instead of just doing what everyone told her to do. And I became so frustrated with Eilis for leading Jim on and cheating on Tony. And then all of a sudden, she was leaving without a word and going back to Brooklyn. The only reason why I wished this book hadn’t ended was simply because I wanted to know what happened to Eilis once she got back to the States. I want to know what would’ve happened with her and Tony, if Jim would’ve found a way to get in contact with her, etc. It could’ve been a great moment of growth for her character. But alas, she just ran away and the book ended abruptly. I hope that the movie finds a way to express the je ne sais quoi that was missing from the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Grief
sib_reads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, and Stalking
readwithchar's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Racism and Antisemitism