Small Things Like These (Oprah's Book Club)

What a simple parable of a story which reminds readers of the impact of day-to-day gentle, sincere kindness. Without preaching about hypocrisy, the readers discover through the eyes, feelings, memories, fears and hopes of a man, a husband, father of 5 daughters, who has lived in his village known by all. His childhood was defined by his “fatherless” status and his mother’s dependence on a war widow’s compassion. As lacking in material surpluses as his childhood had been, Furlong has realized the value of all that he ever received particularly during preparation for Christmas season. His reflections allow him to truly remember and connect 5he longevity of values of gifts received and the impact n him, especially when he had once only remembered “that” Christmas as one delivering, not the complicated jig saw puzzle he desired, but “other” gifts. And at this age and stage, he has connected his puzzle pieces of his life solving the unspoken, disconnected, and unseen into a clear image. With his growing clarity, he begins not only to see, to witness, and to engage with the customers he has served every day of the year for decades supplying them with fuel for warmth and cooking. And when he discovers a fragile, abused, and near frozen waif of a girl, too young to be a woman, too tortured to be a child, he rescues her from the outer shed, cloaks her in his coat, and accompanies her to the convent. Rather than ignore her or abandon her, he remains present observing and waiting until she is cleaned, clothed, and fed. And as Christmas Eve arrives, he makes a final journey gathering gifts for his family and making a final decision that will impact his family, all their lives, for he has realized the gifts of a recipient of small, great things throughout his life.

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.

My book group adored this book. I thought it was a yawner, but it had a very positive message.up

This book is a gem. Literature with a capital L. Every word is perfect, every sentence is exactly right. I think Claire Keegan is a genius. I love the humanity of her characters. I love how there’s no bloat or excess- just spareness and integrity.

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.

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.