Small Things Like These, set in Ireland in 1985, deals with the actions of one man when he is confronted with truth of the abuses at the local Magdalene Laundry. A quiet story of courage and conscience. In only 128 pages, Claire Keegan illustrates the way various people react to abuses in the Church. So committed to their religion or from fear of repercussions, most ignored or failed to believe or failed to acknowledge what went on. Bill Furlong faces what he did not want to be true--and acts.

It was not until 1996 that these institutions were finally closed.

NetGalley/Grove Atlantic

Literary Fiction. 2020 & Nov. 30, 2021. Print length: 128 pages.

Clare Keegan’s writing is almost like watching a movie in 3D. From the opening page of Small Things Like These, I, the Reader, was right there in 1985 small town Ireland. Bill Furlong, husband of Eileen and Father to five girls, delivers coal. One of his accounts is a convent where nuns take in laundry and young troubled women. Secrecy and suffering seem apparent behind the locked doors. It is widely assumed that the rarely- seen young women are unwed mothers whose babies are given up for adoption, frequently against the wishes of the young mothers. A chance meeting with one of the Residents stirs Bill’s memories of his own mother. While making his rounds setting his accounts, he ponders his own birth situation. Bill's Mom had been an unmarried housekeeper. Her employer, Mrs. Wilson, a Protestant widow had sheltered both mother and baby and provided a nurturing environment as he grew up. The influence of that nurturing was evident in Bill’s caring for his own family, as well as the compassion and empathy he showed for others. Apparently, this compassion was not commonplace in the community, nor was the feeling shared by Bill’s wife, Eileen, regarding the women in the convent. At risk of his own standing in the community, Bill extends hospitality to the young woman of the chance meeting. You need to be nurtured before you can nurture, just as Bill’s mother and he were nurtured by Mrs. Wilson. While I enjoyed this story, I was wishing the author had gone just a little more into Bill’s family relationships. Although they had been married for years, and were parents of 5 children, Eileen did not seem to be very tolerant of Bill’s compassionate nature. Had she understood his own family background, she might have been more understanding as to what inspired him. Was the influence of the Church and the town more powerful than her love for her husband? These and other questions prompt me to want more from Clare Keegan and her stories. Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review in my own words.
#SmallThingsLikeThese #NetGalley

In a small Irish town in 1985, Bill Furlong runs a business selling firewood and coal to residents of his community. After growing up not knowing who his father was, he takes pride in being able to provide for his wife and 5 daughters. While delivering coal to the local convent, he makes a disturbing discovery, making him look at his town in a different light as they remain complicit in the Church's actions.

Right as the story really started getting good, it ended! I would have liked to see this turned into a full-length novel. I felt like almost the entire story was setting the stage for the one thing that happened at the end. I enjoyed the novella overall but didn't love it.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

Claire Keegan’s tender tale of a small town in Ireland during the Christmas season is sad and heartwarming. Bill Furlong is caring father who understands the opportunities he has been given and is passing it on. He is the caring father of five daughters, a loving husband and conscientious businessman. What comes to light through his work are the atrocities at the local convent . Based on the Magdalen laundries, Claire Keegan opens our eyes to the injustices carried out on young women by the Catholic Church until the mid 1990s.

Her nearly poetic and tender writing style wrapped me in the spirit of the holiday. I look forward to reading more of her works. Thank you to #NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. #SmallThingsLikeThese

It's 1985, in a small Irish town. Christmas is fast approaching. Bill Furlong, the respected owner of lumber and coal business is busy keeping orders filled . When he visits the local convent that houses a home for girls his life is forever changed. His past fills his mind and his future will be impacted by the choice he makes at the convent.
This small gem of a book -only 123 pages - poses existential questions. What do we owe others, those dead and those alive? Bill struggles with that question realizing his choice will impact his family and his standing in the town.
This is a beautifully written morality tale that will linger with the reader who is left to decide whether Bill makes the right choice.
I'm grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this moving book.

Less is more – never was this more true than of this stunning piece of writing. Vivid characterisation, a message subtly conveyed and a legacy that will stay with the reader much longer than the length of the book might suggest.

Whether a short novel or a long short story this work shows how powerful storytelling in the hands of a master defies convention. What matters is how long it stays with the reader, ‘Small things like these will stay with the reader for as long as it may take to read a weighty tome.

Furlong is a kind-hearted soul making his way into the world after an unconventional start. In a very unpreachy style, we are introduced to the nuances of a repressive society and its effects, in particular the legacy of the mother and baby homes in 20th century Ireland. We are brought through Furlong’s life-changing realisations in a series of encounters building up to a moral dilemma that may change his life fundamentally.

In the closing pages, he finds himself asking if there is any point in being alive without helping one another. In this, we have the moral of the story summed up in one pithy phrase. Claire Keegan has created a story defining a dark chapter in Ireland’s past with stealth and subtlety.

Thank you to Net Galley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.

The first thing that struck me about the opening sentences of Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These was how lyrical the language felt, even though I was reading the words on an e-reader. I could just imagine them being spoken with an Irish lilt. This little tale is set in 1985 in a small Irish town. Bill Furlong works as a coal deliveryman; he must support his wife Eileen and their five daughters, and it’s nearly Christmas.

Bill is a hardworking, simple man, but he’s prone to pondering and wondering about his past and his heritage. His mother became pregnant when she was 16. The woman she was employed by as a domestic helper kept her on, even after her child was born, because her parents would have nothing to do with her or the baby. As an “unwanted” child with an unknown father, Furlong was taunted and bullied as a youngster, but he always had a home to go to with Mrs. Wilson, and he grew to be a kind, compassionate man. Yet, the idea that he doesn’t know who his father is never quite goes away.

While Eileen sometimes chides him for giving away pocket change to strangers, Bill is often touched when he sees those in need; he feels pangs of guilt if he walks away and does nothing. So when he delivers coal to the convent and his eyes and ears are awakened to what goes on behind the walls and the locked doors of the convent, his wife tells him that it is not their concern. It’s not their daughters. Bill, however, loses sleep over the idea that the young “fallen women” who were kept at the convent were being badly treated. He is particularly concerned about one girl, whom he yearns to help. Surely, there is something he can do.

Bill Furlong is a prime example of someone “paying it forward.” What a kind, decent man! His wife isn’t a bad person; she simply wants to ensure that her family comes first. She cannot, will not, look at the bigger picture. From what is revealed about the daughters, Bill is doing his best to see that they are cherished and loved as gifted, valued human beings.

This is the first book I’ve read by Claire Keegan, who, in this short novel has revealed the tip of the iceberg about “Magdalene Laundries”, which had existed in Ireland from the late 18th Century into the 20th Century. It was not until the 2013 that the Irish Prime Minister made a formal state apology. I love Ms. Keegan’s prose, and the lessons of this story.

My thanks to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and the author for allowing me to read an ARC e-version of Small Things Like These in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. This book is due for publication on December 1, 2021.

4 stars

A fairly short tale (128 pp) but full of empathy and quiet heroism. A wonderful addition to the genre of Irish Literature. Sometimes even a small thing or simple act can take a modicum of heroism. A beautiful Christmas tale that is heartwarming for any time of the year.
#netgalley #smallthings like these

i started Small Things Like These last night and finished it a little later, caught under the spell of the story of Bill Furlong, coal and timber merchant and father of five girls in 1985 New Ross, Ireland. Bill cherishes all the "small things" he has and faces a difficult choice while making a delivery to the convent/"training school for girls" and encountering one of the unfortunate young girls there.

This short novel has a strong moral message and packs quite a punch. Thought provoking and timely, with a lovely protag.

I had read articles and seen documentaries about the monstrous Magdalen laundries in Ireland.. it is a heartbreaking indictment against the stranglehold the Roman Catholic church had on Irish society. This novella puts it in context, telling of one good man facing the injustice of this culture and willing to challenge it, despite the consequences to the comfortable life he has achieved.
Bill Furlong, a coal merchant with a wife and 5 daughters, has come a long way as the son of an unwed mother taken in by Mrs. Wilson, a lady of comfortable means. Although he was judged harshly for his illegitimacy by schoolmates growing up, he had the support of his foster mother and he created a good life for himself.
It is now the Christmas season but what should be a time of joy is marred by the pressure of work for himself and a bad economy for his community.. His biggest account for the purchase of coal is the convent in town. While making a delivery he sees for himself the imprisonment and punishment of young girls locked up for getting pregnant. He can’t help but contrast their lives with that of his own mother who was rescued from such a fate by the kindness of one good woman.
The lyrical writing creates a mood of the tight knit Irish community of the time, while also giving the reader the sense of its suffocating power. The contrast between the idealized love and charity of the Christmas season and the reality as symbolized by the nuns and the imprisoned residents of the convent is stark and vividly drawn.
This slender story presents us with a moral dilemma: stand up for what is right or maintain your comfortable life? The answer, like all real ethical problems is not an easy one, and although the author ends on a hopeful note, the reader senses there are serious consequences yet to be resolved.
This was a beautiful story and because of the intensity of the theme, I’m glad it was a short one. The author knew how much we could take.

Claire Keegan's latest book is a novella rather than a novel, but the depth of it is much greater than found in most novels. As a short story writer Keegan knows how to craft an intense, thought-provoking story dense with fundamental, timeless truths about humanity. Her protagonist, a hard-working, kind, and gentle man whose wife and five daughters are everything to him, shows us in so many small ways his struggle to understand his own past and how this has shaped his beliefs and actions when confronted with the darkest side of humanity. It is a story of 'There but for the Grace of 'God' (Fate/Luck) Go I." And of course Claire Keegan is another of those wonderful literary writers. What is it about Ireland that breeds so many great writers? Could that dark Catholic past have this as a positive consequence, perhaps the only, or one of the very few positive consequences?

A beautiful description of a hard life but it felt more like 1900’s rather than 1985. It did highlight the many inequalities of even a small society. It hardly seemed to get started when it finished, having made a number of moral observations.

This is a lovely Christmas story. I didn’t know that going in and it made for an odd choice for a broiling June evening, but there it is. A story of Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in Ireland, a good man who does a good deed, right in time for Christmas.
You sort of have to be familiar with Magdalen sisters. You can read about it or watch a very good movie with that title. It’s a horrifying thing that went on Ireland for much too long and traumatized and/or ended many lives of women and children. Actually the most horrifying thing about it is that despite its heavily medieval nature, it went on until 1996. Eleven years prior to it, Furlong finds himself in a position to help a young girl and his conscience is too loud to say no. And what’s more of a Christmas miracle than kindness of strangers.
I really enjoyed this book. It was short (a quick one sitting read) and very Irish, it played it my mind with accents and all and had a very pleasing slice of life thing going for it, realism based charm. Plus it had such a likable protagonist in Furlong, a devoted family man who goes through workaday motions in a sort of quiet determination that never lowers itself into desperation no matter how close to it he may hover in all of his contemplation. Furlong is a man who knows how to hope and how to find joy in small things, small things like these. A lesson to be learned there certainly.
A lovely read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This was a beautifully written vignette of both the Irish village and the protagonist, Bill Furlong. The story was set in 1985 although it began with Bill’s birth some 35-40 years prior. It’s short and concise and easily read in an hour or two.

I identified several possible themes: man’s inhumanity to man concerning the reference to the Magdalen laundries operated by the Catholic Church and the Irish government; the devastating effects of gossip, pride and bitterness; and the overwhelming triumph of good over evil when one determines to risk oneself for the betterment of others.

It’s very uplifting. Highly recommended for teens as well as adults.

I’m appreciative to NetGalley and the publisher, Grove Atlantic, for an early release of this book. I will certainly recommend it enthusiastically. This review was entirely voluntary and my own thoughts.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan is really about the things that matter – human emotions, struggles, compassion and the courage to do the right thing.

Set in the year 1985 in a small Irish town, the story is centered around Bill Furlong and his wife Eileen and their five daughters. Bill, a coal and timber merchant, was born to a single mother. He and his wife strive to provide the best to their daughters. As he goes about his routine, an early delivery at Magdalen Laundry and Training School opens his eyes to a truth which the residents have for long turned a blind eye to. He is left with two choices – either act upon the situation or pretend to be ignorant like the others.

There is nothing extraordinary about the characters or their lives–a bunch of regular people leading regular lives; and yet amongst them is Bill Furlong–a hero in his own remarkable way.

Small Things Like These is not a full-fledged novel, but the quality of writing makes up for the smaller number of pages. Keegan’s writing is brave, lyrical and poised. Magdalen Laundries forms the backdrop of the narration. For readers who may not be aware of the subject, a quick google search would help set the context.

The author has done a remarkable job in bringing the small Irish town alive in front of the readers. Irish dialects made the narrative more authentic and relatable. The solemn and mundane lives, the harsh winter, and struggles to survive are narrated with profound honesty. Bill’s longing and love for his family were touching.

Small Things Like These is not a fun read. But it’s certainly impactful, forcing the readers to think about the choices we make in our lives.

Thanks to Claire Keegan, NetGalley and Grove Atlantic Press for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise of this story. But as another reviewer has stated, I did not appreciate the writing at all. It was disjointed and the sentences felt a bit too vague. I found myself struggling to keep my attention on the book and I wanted to continue with this as it shines a light on a part of history(The Magdalen laundries) that I am not much acquainted with.
The short story is about an hour's read and it has great potential. With some editing and maybe reworking, this has can definitely move up to be in one of my 5 star reads!

This novella packs a powerful punch. I don't want to exaggerrate, but this has a hint of Dickens to it. A Christmas story, told in precise yet flowery prose, with a strong moral message. Perhaps part of the reason I thought Dickens is just how Victorian (and despicable) the actions of the Catholic church are even in the relatively modern day (1980s), I had to constantly remind myself that the abuses detailed in this book happened while I was alive! Keegan is a fantastic writer and clearly a conscientious and careful researcher. I would recommend this book without reservation. Thanks to the publisher and to the author for gifting me an ARC.

Published Date 30 Nov 2021
My review on 24 Jun 2021
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan in exchange for an honest review.

"The years don’t slow down any as they pass."

Bill Furlong was born on the first of April, 1946. His mother had died when he was twelve. He never did find out who his father was. Years later, when he’d gone into the registry office for a copy of his birth certificate, Unknown was all that was written in the space where his father’s name.
He is a coal and timber merchant now and lived in an Irish town with his wife, Eileen, and their five daughters, a respectful man with a great soul and a kind heart.
During the days left to Christmas, Furlong faced a challenge. That was a time, people were controlled by the Church, he should decide to listen to his conscience or make trouble for himself by standing against the Church.

This was a short and very beautiful story about sympathy and empathy, very well written, well-drawn character, and details beautifully described. I really enjoyed this one. Our small choice can be the best things ever happen to another life.

"Where does thinking get us? All thinking does is bring you down. If you want to get on in life, there’s things you have to ignore, so you can keep on.’‘
BUT,
"Was there any point in being alive without helping one another?"

I have received my e-arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was definitely one that I will think about even years down the road. Even though it was on the shorter side it had depth. I got enough background information of the characters, the era and location where the story is set.

The main character, Bill Furlong is a coal and timber merchant, who knows everyone in town and aims to be liked and accepted by all. He has everything he could wish for, a steady job, a place to call home, a family and a group of friends. However with Christmas around the corner Bill will not only encounter a multitude of people and homes, but will revisit his past as well and will have to face some decisions that might change his status and life forever. How much does one's integrity and honor worth? Is it justified to jeopardize your whole family's future to right the wrongs of your society?

This is the story of someone who appreciates everything life and those kind enough has given to him. A quiet respectful man who'll give everything for his loved ones and pays his dues. A person with conscience who'll not be able to walk away from the evil his neighbours turn their heads from.

This book was very well written. Every page, conversation and line had it's purpose. It was so atmospheric that I felt as if I was taking this journey with Bill myself.

I am also a big fa of open endings and thsi book delivered one that made me think hard about the what could've happened after.

4.5 stars