Small Things Like These The Irish Times readers' choice for best Irish book of the century

An immaculately beautiful work....

Bewertung am 18.09.2023
Bewertungsnummer: 2025054
Bewertet: Buch (Gebundene Ausgabe)

An immaculately beautiful work. It's giving you loads to think about, wrapped in such a short book; a story about doing the right things, even if they are not broadly considered to be; a story about Irish history, and a critique of the role the Catholic church played in it.

slim but powerful & thought-provoking

Stephanie aus Othmarsingen am 19.03.2023
Bewertungsnummer: 1903597
Bewertet: Buch (Gebundene Ausgabe)

I love books that 'force' you to think about what you would do in a similar situation, and that’s exactly what this book does. We join Bill Furlong in his busy days as a coal and timber merchant just before and on Christmas eve. His life is unassuming. He lives a grateful life with his wife and his five children. They don’t have a lot but they have enough to get by. It’s not until Bill discovers something up in the convent that he starts to question whether he should get involved in this. I really, really loved reading about his own inner conflict, as well as the one with his wife. I can sympathise with both sides and I’m somehow glad that we don’t get a closed end but an open one. This way the reader is encouraged to further spin the story in his mind and guess at what might have happened next - both internally and externally of the family. Claire Keegan’s writing is pure beauty and I loved every second of this story. It reminded me a bit of The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, which was mentioned in this book too, but it also has a unique voice and encourages more thoughts on what it means to be a good person, without judgement. It just let’s you think. I definitely think that this book could become a classic. Though spring is upon us, I’d still suggest you read this book if you enjoy stories like this. Otherwise you can put it on your Christmas wishlist ;-)