How put together I am, drinking my morning coffee on a calm, quiet morning, sitting at my clean kitchen bar, reading a book and all of the sudden, I look down and notice that my coffee mug and book match... How perfect is that?
Who am I kidding. We all know that I went searching for that exact mug in the cabinet and placed it perfectly next to my book and even held down the corner of the book because it was bent up and looked a little wonky. But dang it, is that not a cute as hello photo?
But I really did drink the coffee and I really did sit and read, so that counts.
Anyway... the point is, I read a book this week and wanted to share. Mostly because something has happened to me that has never, ever happened before.
The book, Brooklyn by Colin Toibin, is short and sweet. I knew half way through that it was too short to be a really great saga, which is what I love. The story had potential to be really intense and very involved.
So on to the thing I've never done before. I am never a huge fan of the movie editions of books. I am always the proprietor of reading the book first and seeing the movie just as a cherry on top. HOWEVER- this is a first for me. Even though this book was good, it was a little boring. For the first time ever, I am more excited to see the movie than I was about the book. Crazy, I know! Just watch the trailer to see what I am talking about:
Eilis is a very traditional Irish girl in the late 1940s. She lives with her mother and sister and has just gotten her first job in a popular market store. I loved the descriptions of her job, the traditional Irish town, the dialogue and the storytelling. It was smooth, interesting and very easy to read.
She goes with her friends one evening to a dance hall and meets a boy named Tony. He's Italian, funny, interesting and Eilis finds herself falling love. I really liked their fun courtship, it was cute in a way that all relationships in the 50s were what I imagined them to be.
But then suddenly Eilis has the opportunity to go to America...a friend of the family suggests that there is better opportunity in New York and arranges her to live in a boarding house and work in a department store. And boom, she's off. A new life, a new future.
But I kept waiting and waiting for more...I kept waiting for Tony to fight more for her to stay. What a huge life changing decision to be made...and I thought it wasn't enough of a big deal in the book.
She makes a life-changing promise to Tony before she leaves...and of course, as love stories go...her heart changes once she goes to America...
She flourishes in American and eventually begins to love her new life, her friends, her job...and of course, then comes a handsome man named Jim.
I did still enjoy the book, because I wanted more details, I have to say, I'm going to enjoy the movie even more...
What's next: Currently, I am reading Wildflower by Drew Barrymore and these 2 beauties I picked up at Target this weekend:
