Welcome to Litsy!

Bill Furlong is a fuel merchant, his mother had him as an unmarried teenager, but thanks to the generosity of her employer she was able to raise her kid. Now he is a successful business owner with daughters. When delivering coal to the convent he witnesses the abuse of the Magdalene laundry opening his eyes to what really happens there.

What a wonderful short story that gives us a glimpse of this dark chapter in Irish and Catholic history.

There‘s a line toward the end that I‘ll probably misquote here (dangers of listening to the audio) but it caught me. It said “what is living if not for helping people?” How great is that?

I had previously read So Late In the Day, Keegan's story collection & was honestly a bit underwhelmed. Small Things etc was the exact opposite experience. To say I loved it is an understatement. One of the greatest novellas I've ever read. I do have to say that the discourse on it makes it seem like a seasonal book & while the experience is probably enhanced by reading it during the fall/,winter, the underlying message of religious (CONT)

In honor of your birthday, @BookmarkTavern , I picked three favorites for the year so far: a novella, a fiction and a nonfiction.

#sundayfunday

Small Things Like These is set in 1985 in Ireland and follows a man called Furlong as he encounters another side to society during his rounds of delivering coal and fuel. Furlong accidentally becomes aware of young women being held within churches and worked to the bone, but the local communities are afraid to confront this practice. Keegan is addressing the proliferation of laundry houses where young women pregnant (cont. in comments 👇🏻)

I‘ve been meaning to read this one for a while and @Soubhiville ‘s review finally prompted me to do so. It‘s a slim volume that is doing a lot of work, and the Catholic Church definitely doesn‘t come away looking great. I‘m glad I finally read it.

Last Sunday, I made boxty using this recipe: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/mar/11/how-to-cook-the-perfect-boxty-recip... and seafood coddle, based on various online sources. Very nice. And I have leftover buttermilk, which I should use to make scones. I doubt they'll be as nice as the ones I had in Ireland, but I'll try.
#Ireland #FoodandLit
@Catsandbooks @Texreader

Leftover Kerry apple cake for breakfast! Buttery and crumbly, with a texture reminiscent of gâteau basque or galette charentaise (sort of halfway between cake and scone). Lovely 😻
Recipe: https://dinglecookeryschool.com/recipes/kerry-apple-cake/
#Ireland #FoodandLit
@Catsandbooks @Texreader

This novella is soft-spoken but it punches you in the gut.
I saw there is a film based on it: I'm not quite sure how they padded it out to feature-length? Is it worth watching, or will it be disappointing, compared to the book?
#Ireland #FoodandLit
@Catsandbooks @Texreader

Set in Ireland in 1985, this story has the feel of a more distant past. Bill Furlong is a husband and father who has worked his way up to ownership of a small company that delivers coal throughout the area. When he stumbles upon a mistreated girl in the coal bin at the local convent, he must decide whether he will face the truth or look away. I'm glad my book club chose this brief, powerful book--I doubt I would have read it otherwise.

A powerful novella that calls to mind the quote from the Talmud and “Schindler‘s List”: “Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” It conveys the idea that one person can make a difference, that kindness and selflessness are essential to society, and that moral courage and strength are required to save that life and make that difference. I‘m in awe of Keegan‘s ability to pack so much of the human experience into so few pages.

This is a book you can devour in one sitting. And how can one tiny book pack so much emotion, depth and gut wrenching drama into so little pages? An absolute mastery of novel writing, Claire Keegan has told a generational trauma in only few words. Incredible #clairekeegan #smallthingslikethese #novel #literaryfiction

Beautiful and sad. Loved it even more than Foster.
“He found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another? Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?”

My first audiobook ever! I started walking on my treadmill and figured audiobooks are the perfect way to walk for an hour without getting bored. It takes some getting used to but the hours flew by! I figured I would start with a short novella to see if audiobooks are for me. This story was both beautiful and sad. An Irish Catholic family in 1985 and a convent with secrets. Can‘t wait to finally watch the film now that I‘ve listened to it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow. What a quiet but devastating last book of the year. I‘ve been meaning to pick up Keegan forever and am mad I waited so long. I loved everything about this novella.

Happy new year, all!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A slim but mighty novella with a rich atmosphere, a reflective tone, beautiful prose, and a reminder of what really matters in life.

Selected by Oprah for her Book Club, this book has also been honored by The Booker Prize, The Orwell Prize, and The New York Times. This novella packs power in its exploration of the Magdalene Laundries of Ireland, open until 1996. As you read this, your understanding of the small things we do for others is the only reason for living. Keegan is a voice for these young women who were victims of misogyny and the corruption of the Catholic Church.

Wow! What a great little book…very powerful.

#tbrtarot - book that was gifted to me
#ChristmasAtoZ
#adventathon
#firstsnowreadathon
#wintergames2024
#holidaybookdragons

It's A Wonderful Life × Before We Were Yours (Lisa Wingate). Heartbreaking, reality for far too many and how the actions of one can redirect the future for another.

A nice quick read. Not much happens but so much is said.

Keegan constructs the wider context beautifully, through quiet imagery and characterisation. A small book about the biggest of feelings, so often buried deep in our history - the deeply personal traumas of individual lives and the shared, unspoken horrors of communities. I definitely recommend reading before seeing the film, which is also wonderful.

I went into this blindly and at times it just felt like you were reading a cozy Christmas story, but this was so much more! Can‘t wait to see the movie.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Next kindle read . . . A few colleagues have said good things

Clocking in at just 116 pages, this books packs a wallop. Set in Ireland in1985, Keegan tells the story of an Irish father who needs to come to terms with a “secret” the Catholic Church is hiding in their small town. It‘s an examination of morality, meaning, and Grace. Powerful and recommended.

I watched the trailer and started to cry. He‘s the perfect person for the role.

I was thinking about the novel Foster recently and decided to pick this up to see if I gelled with Keegan‘s other works. Turns out I do. This had a different atmosphere than Foster, but I found the writing just as compelling and read it in one sitting. Keegan has such a subtle touch and a way of giving just the right details to make an impact. I appreciated the final note to offer more context to the devastation caused by the Magdalen laundries.

A lovely quiet book about a man wrestling with his conscience. Perfect rainy day read.

Terrific.

Well that‘s a little bit humbling 🤣

I can‘t say that I had an awareness of quite a lot of these… which surprises me a little since my world is pretty bookish! Some of it can be attributed to not being American but not all of it.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/best-books-21st-century.html

“Mother tongue” is great. But I needed a fiction break.

I mean, sure, I buy too many books, but I doubt anyone here is going to call me out on it. You're my people. #bookhaul #sorrynotsorry

5/5

I‘ll admit that I read this book because I needed a book that fit a prompt in the Goodreads challenge. As a plus, it was very short. It was also very good. The moral of the story is neighbors helping neighbors. It also deals with irony and moral dilemmas.The protagonist, Furlog, makes a discovery at a monastery that he has to decide whether or not to deal with. To deal with it may hurt his business in the end. There is a lot to this little book!

My favorite for April is tagged; Q1 fave is The Frozen River.

This is beautifully written and Bill Furlong is a wonderful character. ❤️

Hard to believe and surprising to find that such a short fiction can convey such a powerful message and leave such a profound feeling. So wonderful to come across this author and her book which is beautifully written and highly recommended.

April #bookspin is a new author for me. Hoping the hype lives up!😁

@TheAromaofBooks

Been thinking a lot about how profoundly the curse of capitalism shapes, limits, and frankly, destroys, our lives. I didn't expect it to come up in this book, but here we are. 🫠

This was a good short story / novella, but possibly suffers from being overhyped.

Claire Keegan creates an emotional impression with her writing, but sometimes there's a thin line between life affirming and clichéd, between heartwarming and twee. I think she mostly succeeds.

This is a quiet and moving tale about life, morals, charity, luck, priorities and responsibilities. Time will tell whether it leaves a lasting impression on me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Short synopsis: A man that does the right thing. He had learned that from someone who did the right thing for him. I had never heard of Ireland‘s Mother and Baby homes and Magdalen laundries. Claire Keegan does it again. At 114 pages, this packs a punch (116 with Note on the Text).
#Ireland. Good December read…I‘m a little late.

This one is a short read. But it tells a very important story of conscience and the heroism required to challenge the status quo. We must value our hard fought freedoms and do more each day to make the world around us a better place.

Like many of you, Claire Keegan is fast becoming an auto-read author for me. Small Things like These manages to be powerful and descriptive while also being able to be read in about an hour. It takes on a big topic such as the mistreatment of unwed young women in Ireland in such a thought-provoking way too. Just brilliant.

Powerful and beautiful. A lovely Irish Christmas story—a remarkable tale for the zealots and heathens alike. Claire Keegan well earned every accolade garnered for this novella. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ / 5

I know nothing of this book except that BooksAreSick on IG absolutely loved it. Looks like it is only about a 2-hour read so I should knock it out today!

Small but impactful book. I was expecting a bit more but maybe I just wasn't in the correct headspace to focuss on a story like this. I still liked it and I think I would like to read more about the Magdalen laundry system. I remember seeing a movie about it years ago.

Afternoon reading & chocolate 😋🍫

Decided to start this book. I've heard a lot of good things about it! My very first Claire Keegan. 😊

A simple, profound story of a good man quietly doing the right thing. Masterfully written in spare, poignant, perfect prose. Splendid.