Small Things Like These
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- Create Date：2021-12-10 02:21:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Claire Keegan
- ISBN：0802158749
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Summary
It is 1985 in a small Irish town。 During the weeks leading up to Christmas， Bill Furlong， a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season。 Early one morning， while delivering an order to the local convent， Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church。
Already an international bestseller， Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope， quiet heroism， and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers。
Already an international bestseller， Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope， quiet heroism， and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers。
Reviews
Brenda
，
A lot to think about in this story。。。。。。。。
Angie
，
So much to take in in this mini-read。 I was left gasping for more。 That’s why I’ve given an average rating。 For a story this big， the book is too short however I give acclaim to the writer for her achievement。 This is 5 stars。
Hasan
，
What marvellous piece of art。 Keep it up ！
Lorna Nisbet
，
Arrow in the heart A fantastic book！ An authentic main character， a hero for modern times。 Emotionally compelling and succinctly written， I didn't want it to end。 Arrow in the heart A fantastic book！ An authentic main character， a hero for modern times。 Emotionally compelling and succinctly written， I didn't want it to end。 。。。more
Connie
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Beautiful story of an ordinary man deciding to do something extraordinary。
Elizabeth
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Well-written but bittersweet tale。
Bibi
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Five blazing stars for this novella which I read in one big gulp。 The writing is super excellent and I will definitely look for other books by this author。 What a timely release！ I am so glad I read this book at this time since Christmas is also very much at the centre of the plot。 This book would be a marvellous gift and I am already thinking about a potential recipient。It is a work of fiction which touches on a bygone era when reformation institutions （sadly run by the Church） intended to help Five blazing stars for this novella which I read in one big gulp。 The writing is super excellent and I will definitely look for other books by this author。 What a timely release！ I am so glad I read this book at this time since Christmas is also very much at the centre of the plot。 This book would be a marvellous gift and I am already thinking about a potential recipient。It is a work of fiction which touches on a bygone era when reformation institutions （sadly run by the Church） intended to help women in distress， in fact， do the opposite - abuse， confinement， forced prayers and repentance are mandated as a way to rescue supposedly "wayward" girls or those who have sinned。 Anyone with the ill luck to be confined at one of these institutions labours under harsh conditions doing laundry - washing， ironing etc。 while providing a source of income for the organization。 Many babies born at these institutions are sent for adoption in faraway lands or simply died。 The true historic statistics are horrendous and sad。 Another excellent book on this very same topic and one I highly recommend is titled The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick。 The latter refers to an institution in NY while Keegan's book refers to a similar institution in Ireland。Keegan's main character is Bill Furlong who is born to an unwed mother only sixteen years of age。 Fate deals him a different hand as Mrs Wilson， the benevolent employer of his mother， chooses to help rather than turn his mother away。 With no children of her own， Mrs Wilson is kind to little Bill and help with his education and manners etc。 When the reader meets Bill， he is forty and married to Eileen。 They have 5 lovely daughters。 Bill works very hard - worries and work always on his mind。 "It would be the easiest thing in the world to lose everything， Furlong knew。"Bill Furlong is a very likeable character with a heart as big and compassionate as the sky。 His daily routine as a coal and timber merchant provides ample opportunity to witness the many unfortunates around town - the dole queues， people living in cold homes "sleeping in their overcoats"， and worse yet， Bill "had seen a young schoolboy drinking milk out of a cat's bowl behind the priest's house"。 Bill ponders the unfairness of it all and given his moral disposition， he gives what he could to others and is sympathetic to his customers who are unable to pay him。 He carries through life with generosity and compassion in his heart for which his fortunate wife is unable to fathom; she nags him about his good nature believing that "some of these bring the hardship on themselves"。All his life， Bill wonders who his father might be and how his life turned out:。。。to each was given days and chances which wouldn't come back around。 And wasn't it sweet to be where you were and let it remind you of the past for once， despite the upset， instead of always looking on into the mechanics of the days and the trouble ahead which might never come。。。However， when Bill chances upon an unfortunate wretch in the freezing coal house at Magdalena House run by Mother Superior and her team of nuns， Bill suspects that life is harsh for the poor unfortunate girls living there。 He turns her in but his conscience could not be appeased as he becomes more certain that the girls are not being helped nor treated well。 Despite his wife advising him to mind his own business and another community member （Mrs Kehoe） reminding him to consider his own self interests and his family， Bill Furlong feels compelled to help。 The ending of this book showcases his courage in the knowledge of the conflicts and obstacles he will face。 He does what a true Christian would do to as he demonstrates the true meaning of Christmas。Read this book and consider gifting one too。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Olivia
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I picked up this book in B&N because I was looking for a quick read。 Super short and briefly talked about the Magdalene laundries。 I can see why people like it， just not my type of book。
Amy
，
Fantastic。 Could not put it down once I started。 Not a period or subject matter I’m overly familiar with but definitely intend to be now。 Just so interesting， from the length， to the protagonist， the atmosphere and detail， even the pace。 Fascinating
Ann Jonas
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A nice little book -- well-written and interesting。 It's an Irish novel， so of course it's a little dark， but an excellent read！ A nice little book -- well-written and interesting。 It's an Irish novel， so of course it's a little dark， but an excellent read！ 。。。more
Jennifer
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This novella gets even better after it simmers in your head a little while。 On the surface， it is a sweet Christmas story about rural Ireland in the 1980s。 But that sweet story is encircled by part of Ireland's dark past （one in which young pregnant women and girls were sent to convents， where they worked for "laundries;" You can google if you want to learn more）。 Ultimately there's a question about the role that one person can have in the face of a huge injustice。 This novella gets even better after it simmers in your head a little while。 On the surface， it is a sweet Christmas story about rural Ireland in the 1980s。 But that sweet story is encircled by part of Ireland's dark past （one in which young pregnant women and girls were sent to convents， where they worked for "laundries;" You can google if you want to learn more）。 Ultimately there's a question about the role that one person can have in the face of a huge injustice。 。。。more
Lorraine Haigney
，
I don't think anything was expressed by the end of the novel that wasn't already clear at the beginning。 And maybe that's part of it， maybe that was a comment on knowledge and inaction？ It was beautifully written， and very clear that Keegan is talented with short stories， but glimpses and suggestions sometimes felt mean here， like we other rich parts of the narrative were held just out of reach。 I'm being fussy here because it was really gorgeous prose。 And it's short， so worth the couple of hou I don't think anything was expressed by the end of the novel that wasn't already clear at the beginning。 And maybe that's part of it， maybe that was a comment on knowledge and inaction？ It was beautifully written， and very clear that Keegan is talented with short stories， but glimpses and suggestions sometimes felt mean here， like we other rich parts of the narrative were held just out of reach。 I'm being fussy here because it was really gorgeous prose。 And it's short， so worth the couple of hours it'd take to read， for sure。 I'll look into her other books！ 。。。more
Diane Barnes
，
"If you want to get on in life， there's things you have to ignore， so you can keep on。""Already he could feel a world of trouble waiting for him behind the next door， but the worst that could have happened was also already behind him; the thing not done， which could have been--which he would have had to live with for the rest of his life。"I rarely read new Christmas themed books， being content to re-read older ones that I have loved and that have stood the test of time， such as Capote's A Christ "If you want to get on in life， there's things you have to ignore， so you can keep on。""Already he could feel a world of trouble waiting for him behind the next door， but the worst that could have happened was also already behind him; the thing not done， which could have been--which he would have had to live with for the rest of his life。"I rarely read new Christmas themed books， being content to re-read older ones that I have loved and that have stood the test of time， such as Capote's A Christmas。 Memory or Dicken's A Christmas Carol。 But this will have to be added to the list now。 Just published this year， but already on its way to becoming a classic， if the 5 star reviews are any indication， it's the story about a man who follows his conscience instead of his common sense。 As we all know， that's a rare thing these days， and reading about a man who does the right thing can make the season a little brighter。This can be read in a couple of hours， but you'll think about it for much longer that that。 。。。more
Parisima
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I wish the story kept going！ I was so captivated by the story I only wish there was more。
Molly Brown
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A short novella that while reading it is like Keegan projects the image of Bill Furlong in your mind。 So vivid， sad， and true。
Chris
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3。5 stars
Fantastiškų KŽL
，
https://knyguziurkes。com/2021/12/07/t。。。 https://knyguziurkes。com/2021/12/07/t。。。 。。。more
Barb
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Beautifully written with a powerful Christmas message for everyone who reads it。
Mary Brown
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A wonderful book about small town life in 1985 Ireland at Christmas time！ It is deceptively simple in its language and its length， but there is a lot to it。 The narrator Billy has an awakening about his parents， himself， and about the convent in town。
Judith
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I loved this charming little novella。 I never give a book 5 stars but this book is haunting me and I can't get it out of my mind。 It's such a quiet little story about unremarkable people caught in the act of being themselves。 The people and places I met in this story will stick with me for a long time to come。 I realize I haven't given a description of the story but I want the reader to discover it like I did。 The unwrapping of this gift is the gift itself。 I loved this charming little novella。 I never give a book 5 stars but this book is haunting me and I can't get it out of my mind。 It's such a quiet little story about unremarkable people caught in the act of being themselves。 The people and places I met in this story will stick with me for a long time to come。 I realize I haven't given a description of the story but I want the reader to discover it like I did。 The unwrapping of this gift is the gift itself。 。。。more
Yasmine
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A short but powerful novella by Claire Keegan that impacted me in the long run。 She crafted a heartbreaking， beautiful story in the cold winter of 1985 Ireland， that gently and slowly unfolds a beautiful voice。 Small Things Like These is a work of fiction that was inspired by the "The Magdalen Laundries" set in Ireland。 You feel the characters emotions， empathize with the story and plot， and I connected with Bill and the acts of discretion that he felt were needed to be done。 I highly recommend A short but powerful novella by Claire Keegan that impacted me in the long run。 She crafted a heartbreaking， beautiful story in the cold winter of 1985 Ireland， that gently and slowly unfolds a beautiful voice。 Small Things Like These is a work of fiction that was inspired by the "The Magdalen Laundries" set in Ireland。 You feel the characters emotions， empathize with the story and plot， and I connected with Bill and the acts of discretion that he felt were needed to be done。 I highly recommend this story， it can be read in one sitting。 I'm going to buy a physical copy myself！“Whatever suffering he was to meet was a long way from what the girl at his side had already endured， and might yet surpass”。Thank you Netgalley， Grove Atlantic， and Claire Keegan for the ARC to review！ 。。。more
Michael Reilly
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This is a long short story or a short novella。 In a small village in 1985 Ireland Bill Furlong， a coal and timber merchant， is trying to run a business and raise his five daughters with his wife Eileen。 He is decent man。 Keegan is an elegant writer。 There is nothing fancy or overwrought， but each sentence rings true。 She captures the world of a small village by quietly laying out the most important particulars。 There is one of the notorious Magdalen laundries in the town。 Without sensationalizin This is a long short story or a short novella。 In a small village in 1985 Ireland Bill Furlong， a coal and timber merchant， is trying to run a business and raise his five daughters with his wife Eileen。 He is decent man。 Keegan is an elegant writer。 There is nothing fancy or overwrought， but each sentence rings true。 She captures the world of a small village by quietly laying out the most important particulars。 There is one of the notorious Magdalen laundries in the town。 Without sensationalizing， Keegan captures how the evil eventually corrupts everyone。 The story is about how Bill Furlong responds to getting a look into what is going on at the laundry。 The book is powerful and moving。 I am still not sure about the ending。 I suspect Keegan was not expecting readers to simply feel good about the book。 If her hope was to trigger contemplation of big issues， she succeeded， at least with me。 。。。more
Ron Charles
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Our holiday stories are so cloyingly flavored with sugar plums that Claire Keegan’s Christmas novella tastes especially fresh。 At the opening of “Small Things Like These，” one immediately senses that Keegan is breathing something vital into the season’s most cherished tales， until， as gently as snow falling， her little book accrues the unmistakable aura of a classic。The scene opens in New Ross， on the coast of Ireland。 In just a few pages， the town rises up in all its picturesque antiquity with Our holiday stories are so cloyingly flavored with sugar plums that Claire Keegan’s Christmas novella tastes especially fresh。 At the opening of “Small Things Like These，” one immediately senses that Keegan is breathing something vital into the season’s most cherished tales， until， as gently as snow falling， her little book accrues the unmistakable aura of a classic。The scene opens in New Ross， on the coast of Ireland。 In just a few pages， the town rises up in all its picturesque antiquity with a web of economic and social tensions thrumming beneath the surface。 It’s 1985， and New Ross is enduring a grinding decline。 With businesses shuttered， the dole lines are long and the houses cold。 Those who can leave have already skipped abroad looking for work， life。Keegan’s Everyman hero is Bill Furlong， whose past and present she sketches with such crisp efficiency that the brush marks of her artistry are almost invisible。 Furlong knows he’s。 。 。 。To read the rest of this review， go to The Washington Post:https://www。washingtonpost。com/entert。。。 。。。more
Lori
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A small book with a powerful message this holiday season。 Hope to see more from this author in the future。
Mary Matthews
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This is a beautifully written and excellently observed book by Claire Keegan。 It is set in 1985 （one year after I had left secondary school - a convent school） when Ireland was suffering an economic recession。 The entire village， the characters， and the dilemma of the hero are all credible to me。 In 1982 a fifteen year old girl， Anne Lovett， died in Granard giving birth near a grotto; that is the type of place Ireland was then。 I think this book should be compulsory reading for Leaving Cert stud This is a beautifully written and excellently observed book by Claire Keegan。 It is set in 1985 （one year after I had left secondary school - a convent school） when Ireland was suffering an economic recession。 The entire village， the characters， and the dilemma of the hero are all credible to me。 In 1982 a fifteen year old girl， Anne Lovett， died in Granard giving birth near a grotto; that is the type of place Ireland was then。 I think this book should be compulsory reading for Leaving Cert students in its analysis of how power can be abused and also to examine the situation from every major character。 I read the book in one sitting and at certain parts I was holding my breath and in others on the verge of tears。 A triumph is casually used in book reviews but would not be amiss here。 。。。more
Paul Fulcher
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But it cut him， all the same， to see one of his own so upset by the sight of what other children craved and he could not help but wonder if she’d be brave enough or able for what the world had in store。Small Things Like These is a beautifully judged novel from Claire Keegan， the sort of exquisitely crafted book one hopes creative teaching writers thrust in the hands of their MFA students as an exemplar。Set in Ireland in late 1985， it takes its inspiration from the societal scandal of the Magdele But it cut him， all the same， to see one of his own so upset by the sight of what other children craved and he could not help but wonder if she’d be brave enough or able for what the world had in store。Small Things Like These is a beautifully judged novel from Claire Keegan， the sort of exquisitely crafted book one hopes creative teaching writers thrust in the hands of their MFA students as an exemplar。Set in Ireland in late 1985， it takes its inspiration from the societal scandal of the Magdelene Laundries that， almost incredibly， persisted into the 1990s。 But rather than detailed historical fiction， this approaches the story through the figure of Bill Furlong， born to a young single mother， who might easily have ended up in such an institution herself had Mrs Wilson， a Protestant farmer， not taken her in。 Furlong had come from nothing。 Less than nothing， some might say。 His mother， at the age of sixteen， had fallen pregnant while working as a domestic for Mrs Wilson， the Protestant widow who lived in the big house a few miles outside of town。 When his mother’s trouble became known， and her people made it clear that they’d have no more to do with her， Mrs Wilson， instead of giving his mother her walking papers， told her she should stay on， and keep her work。 On the morning Furlong was born， it was Mrs Wilson who had his mother taken into hospital， and had them brought home。 It was the first of April， 1946， and some said the boy would turn out to be a fool。Bill is now almost 40， with 5 children， all girls， of his own， and with a coal merchant business， which he set up with a donation from Mrs Wilson。 He takes great delight in his family， and his own relative comfort:Although the next day was a school day， the girls that night were allowed to stay up late。 Sheila made up a jug of Ribena while Furlong stationed himself at the door of the Rayburn， toasting slabs of soda bread， comically， on the long fork， which the girls buttered and spread with Marmite or lemon curd。 When he burned his black but ate it anyway， saying it was his own fault as he hadn’t been watching and had kept it too close to the flame， something caught in his throat–as though there might never again be another night like this。But he finds himself often troubled at night by the poverty around him， thinking back on his own origins: Some nights， Furlong lay there with Eileen， going over small things like these。 Other times， after a day of heavy lifting or being delayed by a puncture and getting soaked out on the road， he’d come home and eat his fill and fall into bed early， then wake in the night sensing Eileen， heavy in sleep， at his side–and there he’d lie with his mind going round in circles， agitating， before finally he’d have to go down and put the kettle on， for tea。 He’d stand at the window then with the cup in his hand， looking down at the streets and what he could see of the river， at the little bits and pieces of goings on: stray dogs out foraging for scraps in the bins; chipper bags and empty cans being rolled and blown roughly about by the driving wind and rain; stragglers from the pubs， stumbling home。 Sometimes these stumbling men sang a little。 Other times， Furlong would hear a sharp， hot whistle and laughter， which made him tense。 He imagined his girls getting big and growing up， going out into that world of men。 Already he’d seen men’s eyes following his girls。 But some part of his mind was often tense; he could not say why。And when he has to make a delivery to the local Convent， what he finds their disturbs him and leads him to a choice - whether to turn a blind eye， or whether to take the risk of intervening， helping someone else but， in a society still dominated by the Catholic Church， perhaps putting his own families peaceful existence at risk。What most tormented him was not so much how she’d been left in the coal shed or the stance of the Mother Superior; the worst was how the girl had been handled while he was present and how he’d allowed that and had not asked about her baby–the one thing she had asked him to do–and how he had taken the money and left her there at the table with nothing before her and the breast milk leaking under the little cardigan and staining her blouse， and how he’d gone on， like a hypocrite， to Mass。A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is explicitly referenced， and this has the same bittersweet sensibility and redemptive ending。 Strongly recommended。 。。。more
David
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After 700 years of failure， Ireland in 1922 finally succeeded in tearing off the yoke of English colonialism。But power vacuums don't last long， and this one was filled by an erstwhile ally: the Catholic Church。 Having provided the Irish with a measure of spiritual succor during the centuries of English misrule， the church eagerly took the opportunity to help steady the young Irish government， reinforcing a public sense of moral legitimacy while insinuating itself into the new Irish constitution After 700 years of failure， Ireland in 1922 finally succeeded in tearing off the yoke of English colonialism。But power vacuums don't last long， and this one was filled by an erstwhile ally: the Catholic Church。 Having provided the Irish with a measure of spiritual succor during the centuries of English misrule， the church eagerly took the opportunity to help steady the young Irish government， reinforcing a public sense of moral legitimacy while insinuating itself into the new Irish constitution and nearly every aspect of Irish life。Dublin was the capital， but throughout the country， the church laid down the social infrastructure。 Orderly participation -- and， crucially， the appearance of same -- was ensured through shame， silence， and the promise of a joyful eternal life after this cold， hard one finally ended。Since the mid-1980s （Google "Ann Lovett" to go down that rabbit hole）， Ireland has been fighting a new war of social independence against the church。"Small Things Like These" is set in the early days of this fight， deep in enemy territory: a small town overseen， literally and figuratively， by an order of nuns whose twin citadel of shame and silence holds the population in pious thrall。A quick， short and satisfying read about one courageous person challenging affected morality with the genuine article。 。。。more
Monty Taylor
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3。5 stars
Tika Marconi
，
good
Laura McNeal
，
I am of two minds about this book。 The language is exquisitely compressed and elegiac， and the story of Furlong’s childhood and the way it shapes who he is as a father and husband is magically， simultaneously spare and rich。 But there is something about the story’s arc that felt didactic to me in the way of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas。” Maybe it’s the lesson that scares me and makes me resent the lesson-giving itself？ In any case， the I am of two minds about this book。 The language is exquisitely compressed and elegiac， and the story of Furlong’s childhood and the way it shapes who he is as a father and husband is magically， simultaneously spare and rich。 But there is something about the story’s arc that felt didactic to me in the way of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas。” Maybe it’s the lesson that scares me and makes me resent the lesson-giving itself？ In any case， the story is as sharp and terrible as both of the others， and more disturbing because of its historical truth。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Small Things Like These
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Small Things Like These&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft