Small Things Like These (Oprah's Book Club)

I stumbled across this little book in a bookstore and read it in one sitting on a flight. It's a very touching story. You will particularly like it if you're interested in Ireland and Irish history, although it's a novel. This book is a little gem. Get it.

This was my first time reading Claire Keegan. Her prose style is lush, fulfilling. Her strand of writing, at least in this piece, comes down from D. H. Lawrence and Alice Munro in terms of the gorgeous prose and the many layers of Bill Furlong, the main character. The onion is peeled back to the core in Furlong (as Keegan refers to him throughout), giving the novella a somewhat old-fashioned or maybe even timeless aura. I'm thrilled to be discovering another contemporary Irish writer, having read Sally Rooney's four novels. Rooney's strand of writing comes through James Joyce, and is totally in the 'now'. I'm grateful to both of these writers to provide such different, yet wonderful reading experiences. I would be giving this novella five-plus stars, except for the ending. I completely realize that contemporary short fiction often leaves the reader dazed by the ending, not quite knowing how the story is resolved. I can accept that, up to a point. Bill Furlong though, is putting his whole way of life in jeopardy, which includes the lives of his daughters, and his high-handed wife. We know how she'll weigh in on the act that Furlong is committing at the end, and we suspect how the entire village will react. Yet, what he is doing is the right thing to do. I was reading this on my kindle, and had sort of lost track of the pages. When I went to the next page and saw "acknowledgments", I said aloud, "What!!?" It made me angry and frustrated that the author dipped in the water, then jumped out. Maybe it wouldn't have needed a complete play-out but only one more paragraph, a reaction from someone--his wife or oldest daughter as he walks in. This will not stop me from reading more Claire Keegan. I have her novella Foster already in hand from the library. Someone in my book group recommended both of these, and I'm grateful for it. And I'll put her first publication Antarctica on my kindle.

Nice story about social responsibility and the choices we are faced with that define our character. This story feels very Dickensian despite actually being set in the late 20th century. Seems pretty relevant to today given some similarities regarding marginalized, inconvenient and forgotten children, mostly young girls and their care or lack thereof. It serves to remind us that history has always been unkind and exploitive this way; facilitated and hidden by religion. Some people live by the gospel; many do not.

The book started out promising-getting wrapped up in the main character and life in an Irish village. But then halfway through, it lost its storytelling charm. There was no backstory on the town's orphanage and (spoiler) the last half just kind of lost me when the main character didn't seem to care much for his own wife and kids but cared about an abused girl enough to take her home to raise-without his wife or daughters being consulted first? It was just a weak ending about characters that were underdeveloped.

Small but mighty. Quick read with a powerful message. Will you do what is right when faced with a moral dilemma? Loved this book

ACTUAL RATING: 4.75 ⭐️’s This is the third novella I’ve read, and I have to say, I have found the most powerful stories I’ve ever read in novellas. There’s something about these tiny books that packs so much meaning, and the stories are so memorable. With this story taking place in Ireland, the dialog was so unique. I enjoyed it and enjoyed the departure from “typical” dialog that I’d encounter in other books. This is a great winter/Christmas time book. I wanted to read it in the winter, but when I came across it at my library, I just couldn’t help myself. Even still, sitting down and reading it in September, I was very easily transported to the feelings of an unforgiving winter. I could foresee myself re-reading it during that time. It’s not the most uplifting book to read during Christmas time. But it encapsulates that time of year so well that I have to recommend it. There’s a bit of history that was explained in the acknowledgments that I wasn’t aware of before reading that makes the rest of the book more meaningful. I don’t want to say what it is because it’ll spoil the book itself. But if you’re unaware of the historical significance of the book beforehand, then I would recommend reading on to the acknowledgments to clear things up. Overall, I enjoyed it. I know the author has a few other well-known novellas, and I think I’ll check them out in the future.

This is well written dramatic story with nice twists and turns. It's short for a novel and seems more like a long short story. But don't let that discourage you. It's a good book and I recommend it.

The power of an individual’s belief in doing good is so well described in this novella. Snow covered story telling of an Irishman’s journey, through some self discovery, to stepping into some life altering decisions.

Uma bela história para tocar pessoas que estão vivendo com conforto e em segurança. A vida é feita para sair da zona de conforto e crescer na compaixão.

llegó justo como aparece en la imagen, aunque la portada que aparece aquí no está grabada directamente sobre la pasta. aún así, el libro es de pasta dura y viene en inglés. vino envuelto en plástico y en buenas condiciones

A beautiful book.

Excellent in every respect: writing, character development, storyline. Every sentence is polished and gleaming.

Quite a nice story that is well written. Perfect reading for a rainy evening.