Top 10 Reasons to Love the Movie Brooklyn

1. Style awakening. First, Eilis has only the spare possessions of a plain girl from Ireland--everything she owns fits into one suitcase, and then her closet is empty. As she settles into New York life, the inky dark beaded sweater, the soft, waist-hugging cream cardigan, the heels and lipstick and eyeliner add up to glamour. I can see my mother and aunts in her early 1950s wardrobe. Sis and I inherited a black beaded evening sweater and classic soft cardigan. And though I didn't come from Ireland on a boat, I can relate to having a skeletal work wardrobe and then acquiring style. And, like Eilis, my older sister supported my efforts and even bought me a skirt and blouse once I got a job. 
2. The brogue. We are smitten with Saoirse Ronan's lilting Irish voice from the start. The pretty young actress [only 21!] grew up in Ireland and her brogue is brimming with visions of grassy green farms,  afternoon tea, country strolls, sweet innocence.
3. A lovable Italian beau. We fall madly in love with him, too, from the moment we meet him. And he is helplessly in love with Eilis. Emory Cohen, as Tony, conveys that so beautifully--that youthful soft spot, when you are in so deep. They remind me of my Italian father and Irish mother, though both second generation, who married in 1951 in NYC.
4. Megan Draper from "Mad Men."  Jessica Paré fits like a glove in the role of Eilis's supervisor in the upscale department store. I just love seeing her here. And I love the store.
5. Afternoon tea in Ireland. Plump scones outside, china cups in the cozy home--and even a pie served with tea in the boarding house in Brooklyn. Why don't we do tea every day? So civilized. With every clatter of the cup or stir of the spoon, something wordless is said. 
6. Small-town gossip. I've seen it thrive cozily in magazine offices and more surreptitiously in corporate ones, and gossip also made the rounds in my hometown and in some branches of the Montclair PTA. Yet for some reason, I was jolted by its power in a simple Irish village. But of course--the Irish are great storytellers. We thrive on it.
7. The picture of Brooklyn. H.* lived in Brooklyn [Park Slope] when we met in 1986, and Eilis's apartment entrance reminds me of his--the black metal gate, the brownstones. On the outside, I guess a lot of that hasn't changed in decades.
8. View of unspoiled Long Island. Love it, just love it when Tony takes Eilis there one day. All the hopes and dreams it holds.
9. The landlady and other roommates at the boarding house. The dialogue, sidelong glances and giggles are perfection. Pure perfection. Especially Julie Walters as Mrs. Kehoe.  
10. Ireland. As I've said, I long to go one day. And one day I trust I shall. Beautiful views of the seaside and the bustling village, with bake shop [busy after Mass] and factory. 

Did you see it? What did you think? Good night.

TCOY

• Dug into writing Anthony's book again--at Montclair Public Library. Coming near the end, but the more I write, the more I know him.
• Brussels sprouts and turnips with dinner.
• Good dental care.
• Setting alarm for early yoga and meditation class.

*H. did not want to see this. He was dying to see "Creed," the Rocky movie. I was dying to see this. So we went to separate movies after dinner out. Odd, I know.