Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - Small Things Like These

I had a lot of anticipation before reading this, and overall I found it very well written and well paced, albeit a lot more subtle than I was expecting. This is my first time reading Claire Keegan's work but I've since seen some reviews remarking that her other stuff is a lot darker than this, which intrigues me.

The dialogue was particularly strong from the supporting townspeople, the opaqueness of which complemented the earnestness and pathos of the protagonist. I really got a good sense of his temperament, motivations and backstory, which is an achievement in a novella.

I appreciated the economy of the writing and how it created an air of tension and mystery whilst providing enough exposition to keep you in the story. It made me hungry for more, which is the mark of a good writer, especially of shorter books.

Content Warnings

richter's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

skirteen's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious relaxing tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

leahgustafson's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Here is another small but powerful novella from Claire Keegan. This story is set in the winter of 1985 in Ireland. Middle-aged Bill Furlong struggles to discern the meaning of life in his small, working-class town. He grapples with purpose, faith, religion, and doing the right thing (even when it’s difficult). As the reader, we get to witness Bill’s internal struggle making a difficult decision, but we never get to see the consequences of that decision. Keegan is such a skilled writer who trusts her readers to infer what comes next. This is a similar format/structure to her previous work, Foster.

•

The commentary on religion is extremely powerful. I also loved the focus on kindness, generosity, and the importance of recognizing our shared humanity. Magdalene Laundries were something I knew nothing about, and I appreciate how Claire Keegan captures the secrecy and the pain these institutions caused while also demonstrating just how woven they were into the fabric of society.

•

Again, this is fantastic if you’re looking for something short, literary, and historical!

•
Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!

Content Warnings

bloupibloupreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A short but impactful book, that’s for sure. Small Things Like These follow the story of Bill, an irish man happily married with five daughters, during the week following Christmas. Throughout the story we get insight if Bill’s childhood and oh boy it was sad. This book felt like a punch in the guts for me with a beautiful moral at the end.
I need everyone around me to read this and I will go on a propaganda about it.

Content Warnings

booksjessreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This is my first read of Claire Keegan and it is completely fair to say this won't be my last. What an impactful read! This novella is set in 1980's Ireland with Bill Furlong as our MC, who is a coal merchant delivering coal into the community around Christmastime. He becomes intrigued by things happening at a local Church

Spoiler

which is operating as part of the Magdalene Laundries.

I listened to the audio which was a really great experience.

I really loved so many things about this book, and for how short it is, it certainly packs a punch. It dealt with themes surrounding identity, morality, concepts of womanhood and familial life, as well as having a really eloquent writing style. I felt all of these themes and events intertwined really nicely. I particularly found Bill's inner torment with his own sense of identity as the child of an unmarried mother, his Catholic identity, his Irish identity and his sense of morality a really interesting mix of emotions and it was portrayed so well throughout.

I also really enjoyed this books exploration of the evil in society, but from the perspective of compliance, rather than being an explicit perpetrator. At first, I hadn't realised that this was even an element to the book, but it wasn't until I reflected on it for this review and read some of the Booker Prize information on this novella, that I understood. Compliance was specifically manifested in our female characters and coming to this realisation, it made me understand why they felt so proud of adhering to traditional styles of womanhood and having a selfish and unbothered attitude to Bill's concerns.

I think this could have been 5 stars for me, but I did feel a little let down by the end. After reading up on the events in the Church after reading, it made sense to me, but on a first read, it didn't feel definitive enough and I felt a little lost afterwards. However, this is an excellent read and I would highly recommend this to anyone!

Content Warnings

zosiablue's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Lovely, sad, Christmassy little book about the Magdalen Laundries & a very good man who doesn't realize he's a very good man. Made me want to be a better person!

Content Warnings

More...