i was so engrossed in this book that i skipped my bus stop and arrived 20 min late at work. this, plus the impecable writting and the flawed and loveable characters should guarrante a 5-star review... the only reason it doesn't is that i wish toibin had translated eilie's feelings the same way he did her thoughts--i was amazed at how he did this, but sometimes i felt eilis was a bit cold, the way she thought about tony and jim... even her mother... maybe it's me who is too emotional? 
 excited for the film, ihhh