I don't whether this is a novel, like the publisher claims, or a novella, or a very long short story, I just know that it's powerful, and that the agony I experienced waiting for the reveal (it comes late) was proof I was in the hands of a master. Keegan takes an Irish national tragedy, a grotesque injustice, and turns it into a story you want to read for all sorts of reasons but mostly because it's telling the truth. Look at it another way, it's a story that won't make you feel that facts are being twisted to serve partisan politics--that obstacle to art. It's not a sermon, not a manifesto, not a call to impugn our histories but a fictional true story brilliantly told.

I had heard so much about this novel and and while I appreciated the author and storyline, I just didn't affiliate with it.
I received an advance copy of the novel, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.

This was a very unique story, it's one of the shorter novels that I've ever read, but it's chuck full of content and heart.

Bill Furlong is a die hard family man, working hard to make an honest wage as a coal miner. In this story, during this small sliver of his life, Bill has an encounter with a church that houses young unwed mothers, and is confronted with his past and current life.

I enjoyed that I got to read this over Christmas, as that's when the story is set. It helped me to feel the cold and the dark of the story a bit better, although I wouldn't describe this story as cold and dark. I loved the contrast between Bill's current life and the life he came from. This is definitely well worth the read.

A quiet novella set in a small Irish village, just before Christmas in 1985 that tackles a significant issue. During this time period, the Catholic nuns ran laundries that were staffed by young women who were "fallen" - often pregnant out of wedlock. They were terribly abused, in addition to having their babies taken from them and sold to adopters from all over the world.
Bill Furlong is the main character and is actually the son of a single mother. She was fortunate to have been able to escape the laundries and he grew up in relative comfort. He and his wife now have five daughters and he's able to eke out a living in difficult economic times as the owner of the town's coal and timber company.
Small Things Like These is really two stories - one of Bill Furlong and his life and the somewhat mysterious story of the nuns. The two stories eventually meet as the story of the nuns and the laundries slowly melds with Bill's ruminations about his upbringing.
Small Things Like These is a beautifully written and interesting book and my only complaint is that I wanted to learn more about Bill and the nuns! Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Press for the opportunity to read Small Things Like These in exchange for an honest review.

what an excellent novella this one ! thank you for the ARC and i cant wait for my friends to read this - much recommended

3 1/2. Quaint, heartwarming, deserving of annual rereads. Not helped by classifying it as a novella rather than a story, but it's indeed impressive how much depth Keegan writes into these characters with such economy of language.

I gave myself some time to review this short story because it is like no other Christmas story I have ever read. Like other reviewers have mentioned, it has a Charles Dickens feel, highlighting not only the beautiful parts of the season, but those we oftentimes turn away from. The setting is Ireland in the mid-80s seen through the eyes of Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father of 5 girls. On a delivery to the Catholic Church's Magdalen Laundries, he discovers a girl very much in need. This encounter makes him dive deep into his own assorted birth and upbringing by his unwed mother. The difference between the two teens, was that his mother found help and giving from a local benefactor and didn't land in the atrocious laundry for unwed mothers.

This novella brings up so many hard topics: religion, poverty, right v. wrong, stigma, and family. So many times we are faced to decide: do what will benefit ourselves/family or do what is right. It sometimes correlates but sometimes not. Clarie Keegan's message is one we all need to hear, not just during the holiday season but throughout the year. I believe Small Things Like These could become a Christmas classic for its realism and beautiful writing. You decide to read or listen because both are impeccable. 4.5/5 rounded up for its originality and realness.

Thank you Netgalley, Grove Press and Claire Keegan for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest and fair review.

A fine, intense, haunting glimpse of the horrors of Ireland in the now notorious phase of abusive treatment of unwed pregnant and poor women, as featured in The Magdalene Sisters. There have been other treatments of this topic, but this novel achieves real, enduring impact in its brevity and fine expression. Outstanding.

This was a lovely novella--it was dreamy and wistful, though the topics covered were difficult and human. When you work hard to build a life for yourself, how generous is too generous? How much do you owe a world that could have left you destitute but has instead shown you kindness? If you can't save everyone, is it worth saving just one person? In 1980's Ireland, Bill Furlong's actions cause his wife to ask him questions like these. Born a "bastard," Furlong has seen the firsthand affects of a small amount of kindness--after all, it is pretty unheard of for a man with a start like this to build up a business for himself, let alone gaining a wife and five daughters along the way. If you're looking for a plot-driven book with adventure, romance, excitement...this is probably not for you. But if you're looking for a quiet, introspective book about a man questioning life and all its different paths, this is a nice, quick read you will enjoy.

Small Things Like These is set in the mid-80s in Ireland, and Bill Furlong is a hard-working father, distributing coal to local families and businesses, just getting by. It's Christmastime, and he is at an impasse after a discovery in the town at the Magdalen laundry. He tries to continue on as if nothing has happened, knowing his livelihood is tenuous at best and his workers depend on him, but he is haunted at what that would mean for him, what that would reflect back as to his character and essence.

What is it to find significance in your life? To stand up for truth or good whatever the circumstances or repercussions?

This novella feels simple in how it unfolds, but as it ends, I found myself caught up in the story and held my breath as I considered what just happened, the beauty and simplicity of it all and at how much was revealed in these few pages.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

A beautiful and haunting novella a quick but not easy read. I have never heard of these laundries before and I would love to read more about them now. I loved this story. The writing was vivid and clear and I was transported. I cant stop seeing the girls feet in my mind.

This felt like a story from the early 1900s rather than the 1980s, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a slow-moving, atmospheric novella, good for reading during dark winter days. Bill Furlong, a coal merchant, makes a discovery at a local convent while making a delivery, and the discovery brings him back to some events in his past. I'd never heard of the Magdalen laundries in Ireland, and this book made me want to learn more about them, which is always a good thing. Many thanks to NetGalley, Ms. Keegan, and Grove Press for the ARC of this title.

This was a fairly short but very enjoyable book which takes place in Ireland. The main character; Furlong, had to make a tough decision which he knows could weigh heavily on him and his family. He is a very kind person who asked himself “…was there any point in being alive without helping one another?”
Thank you to Grove Publishing, Claire Keegan and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s Christmas 1985 and Bill, a coal merchant, is busy delivering orders to the village residents. One of his stops is the Magdalen Laundries, a place for “wayward” girls, ran by the Catholic church and supported by the state. Bill makes a disturbing discovery and is faced with a dilemma.

Times are tough, and he and his wife are parents to five girls who could face retribution if he acts on what he has found. His first instinct is to not get involved but as he reminisces about his own mother’s history and the kindnesses that were shown him, he reconsiders.

This is truly a story for everyone, regardless of religious beliefs. It’s about being the kind of person the world needs, a light in the darkness. It’s about doing the right thing, and challenging the status quo, even at great personal cost.

At only 128 pages, Small Things Like These is a beautiful and powerful story that is destined to be a favorite. To quote Mother Teresa: — 'Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.' The things we may consider small can make a big difference in a life.

As short as this novel was, it should have been shorter. It could have easily been part of a short story collection, especially since there was so little plot.
Thanks to #netgalley and #grovepress for this ARC of #smallthingslikethese in exchange for an honest review.

1985 + Ireland + Christmas = Prime spot on Regina’s Must Read list

In fewer than 120 pages, Claire Keegan has crafted a touching, memorable story about a working-class father of five young girls who reflects on the choice between doing what’s right versus what’s easy. Despite being born into the world under less-than-ideal circumstances, life turned out okay due to the generosity of others. When he discovers a teen in dire need of a saving from the Catholic Church’s cruel (and very real) Magdalen Laundries, will he have the gumption to jeopardize that “okay” existence to step in and embody generosity himself?

What a truly inspirational story this is, and one that makes for perfect reading during the Christmas season, or any season really. For me it’s the message rather than the method that will stick with me though. Some readers may find the literary, dialect-heavy writing too cumbersome, but sticking with it and pushing on to the heartwarming end is so worth it.

Small Things Like These is destined to be a classic novella that begs to be read by its fans year after year. Why not start with this one?

4.5 stars

This is actually more of a novella but is very insightful. It’s a story of every man (and woman) dealing with the occasional monotony of daily life and wondering about the meaning of life. It is set at Christmas time and brings hope and reaffirms having the courage to do what your conscience knows is right.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC to read and review.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan is a novella based on the Magdalen laundries run by the Catholic Church in Ireland until 1996. These laundries, overseen by nuns, used the forced labor of unmarried pregnant women who had been cast off. It was essentially slave labor. Thousands of babies (perhaps tens of thousands as the records have been destroyed or disappeared) died while under the care of the nuns. So these were Church-sponsored “baby farms” where a blind eye was turned to infanticide.

Nevertheless, Keegan has written a loving and lovely book. It focuses on one man, who was born out of- edlock himself, but who was raised in a safe, caring environment due to the kindness and compassion of one person.

The man, Furlong, grew up and overcame the stigma of illegitimacy. He worked his way up in a coal yard that he now runs. He married and had four daughters. He loves his family and works hard to provide for them. Times are hard in his town. A lot of people are suffering, but he and his family are getting by better than most. He’s grateful for that and is generous to those who are worse off. But he nevertheless feels oppressed by something. It might be the lingering feeling of inadequacy from not knowing who his father was. It could be a bit of survivor’s guilt, since he is more financially secure than many of his customers and neighbors. It could be the annoying sense that his wife is so intent on meeting their family’s needs that she is a little resentful of his charitable inclinations.

Just before Christmas, Furlong delivers coal to the convent up on the hill and is confronted by the truth of the rumors about the place. He sees girls are being mistreated. He learns that babies are also being neglected. He knows he’s supposed to keep silent about it. In fact, he’s warned that he should keep silent about it or risk the Church’s displeasure, which would have consequences for his own family. Furlong has to decide what, if anything, he is willing to do.

It’s a beautifully written story that manages to be both chilling and uplifting. Highly recommended!

Thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for an advance readers copy of this book. I loved it!

If you’re in the mood for a quick, delightful Christmas read, you couldn’t do much better than this novella that also happens to be this month’s IndieNext main selection. I ordered copies of Claire Keegan’s earlier story collections this minute I finished this book, and spent a few minutes wondering why I don’t only read Irish writers; they certainly know how to land a sentence in Ireland.

Set in the 1980’s, a father of five must decide what to do when he encounters a great evil, when speaking up might come at a great cost.

I got big Christmas Carol vibes from this: it’s a quick, pleasing morality tale set at Christmas. But there’s nothing supernatural in this one; the villains (I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say) are the Magdalene laundries of Ireland (an interesting/terrible real-life evil that really existed until 1996, and which are contextualized well in a brief end note). But, actually, like in A Christmas Carol, the real villains are greed and indifference. Like the classic, this is also a book I can imagine revisiting in future Decembers, as it is a timeless message beautifully told.

I love a book that wrestles in a satisfying way about what it means, and what it costs, to do good in the world (the philosophy major in me!) and this one really hits all the sweet spots for a lover of practical ethics. I thought there was something pleasantly Chekhovian about the ethics of this book, quite an interior perspective, and a quiet, understated approach to what it means to be a good person living a good life.

This would be a great holiday present for any casual reader who celebrates Christmas; it’s a super satisfying story and easy to finish in under two hours.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Small Things Like These By Claire Keegan - Publication Date 1st Dec 2021

This is a short book by Claire Keegan. A
Story told through the eyes of Bill Furlong, In Ireland in the mid 80’s. He is a coal merchant. Delivering all over the village, so he knows everyone. The story is told the few weeks leading up to Xmas. Tells us about his childhood and why he see’s the world the way he does.

I really enjoyed this short story. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I haven’t read a lot of short ones as such. It’s one that will stick in my mind though, and I’m sure that’s what the author was aiming for.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
#Netgalley #clairekeegan #faberfaberltd