Welcome to Litsy!

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.

Soft pick 3.5⭐. For me, this could have been an easy 5 stars if it had been a full novel. The characters we do get to know are interesting, I really enjoyed Furlong I would have liked to spend more time with him to see how he grew and challenged Eileen (who I didn't like but think she is essential for the story).

'Where does thinking get us?' She said. 'All thinking does is bring you down.' She was touching the little pearly buttons on her nightdress, agitated. 'If you want to get on in life, there's things you have to ignore, so you can keep on.'

I don't think I like Eileen much. This is something I think about a lot, the privilege of some who can ignore the injustices and hurt in the world so that they can be comfy in their lives.

The last of my #12BooksOf2023 is this small but perfectly formed novella by Claire Keegan that touches on the Magdalen Laundries of Ireland.

@Andrew65

Keegan is so gifted at capturing an emotionally fraught story with her quiet condense prose. It‘s 1985 & Bill Furlong is a coal man in Ireland preparing to celebrate Christmas with his wife & daughters. His path crosses with the nuns at the Magdalene Laundry & his conscience is in turmoil. It was a brief but beautiful story. If you‘re curious to learn more about the laundries, I‘d recommend the movie Magdalene Sisters, which I watched years ago.

A poignant, simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming story that vibrates with the true spirit of Christmas we should all hold in our hearts 🎄

"Always it was the same, Furlong thought; always they carried mechanically on without pause, to the next job at hand. What would life be like, he wondered, if they were given time to think and reflect over things?"

A perfect passage as I sit here crosslegged, my legs asleep, my bladder past full but these kitties too content to move.

1. Just my usual aim of an average of at least a book a week. Currently on no. 60

2. No 5 ⭐️ reads, but I‘m quite stingy with my stars! The tagged book came closest.

3. There‘s a new Marlow Murder Club book out next month.

#WondrousWednesday
@Eggs

The author speaks so loudy with such simplicity. As usual, my year ended with a five-star read. Beautiful book.

1. Oh, I failed on my reading goal this year. Second half of 2023 was a bit nuts.
2. It might just be the tagged book which I am reading now.
3. North Woods, Tom Lake, Starter Villain

@Eggs #WondrousWednesday

Quiet, even cozy at times, but also challenging and thought-provoking. This novella packed some punch into its 112 pages, dealing with the Magdalene laundries of Ireland. It resonated on multiple levels for me — tugging on tangled, complex feelings regarding my own religious upbringing, as well as reminding me of many past and present horrors that are / have been enabled, if not directly perpetrated, by an intwined Church and State.

Ahhhhh….this story. I‘m not sure I can say anything that has not already been said on its behalf. Brilliant writing, moving message 💙

A brief, beautiful book about the life-changing impact we can have on others. And a reminder of the value of caring for the people around us, family and strangers alike.

I love a holiday grid and my favorite book here was a 2-hour novella (tagged) that I‘m still thinking about!

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

A small book that packs a punch. Part of me would like to know what happens after the point at which this book ends, another part of me knows that this novella ended at the perfect point.

#NaturalLitsy #MidWinterSolace #FridayNightShare

My winter book suggestion is Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. I kept it on my list to read this December. 1 Set in Ireland 2 it‘s a quick read 3 Amazing writing

@AllDebooks @TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit @jenniferw88

I absolutely loved this audiobook. In this story, a coal merchant sees something that causes him to struggle with his conscience and leaves him wondering what the right thing to do would be. If I have one complaint, it‘s that this novella is too short, clocking in at just under two hours. I believe I‘ll be revisiting this title over the holidays for many years to come!

This novella is read in the amount of time it takes to watch a movie. It‘s so well executed that I doubt a full blown novel would benefit the plot. It takes place on the days before Christmas in 1985. It is both beautiful and gut-wrenching. This is exactly the story needed in a season where it‘s good to be reminded that sometimes a person‘s life experience gives them the intestinal fortitude to be that better angel.

Lovely 🥰. Chose this for book club and will be discussing it on Monday night. Now to get the discussion questions ready…

And I see she has a new one out…🤗

A small book, a quick read but a very powerful , beautiful, moving story.
@MrsMalaprop I'd like to be a fly on the wall at the next book club.
I read this on recommendation from Michelle.
Glad I did.

Perfect read for a short flight, a tender tale set in Ireland mid 80‘s and the plot evolves around the dark history of the Irish catholic magdalene laundries. Heartfelt and raw, this is a snapshot of the human capacity for love & generosity in those toughest of times. Simply a perfect piece of prose. 💗

I wish that Claire Keegan‘s short books ‘Small Things Like These‘ and ‘Foster‘ had been part of a collection simply so I wouldn‘t have had to choose between them! They were both wonderful. ❤️ #fiction #2023readingbracket

Kirby helped me to finish this book in indeed one sitting. I didn‘t really expect much but it was reaaaally good! It might be small but it definitely holds a lot. It‘s touching and thought-provoking! It plays around christmas and is in fact a great christmas story about altruism and grace of charity. I also did not know about the Magdalen laundries.
5/5🌟

My Sunday plan🥰 the book sounded really good and it‘s pretty short- should be readable in one sitting (as I‘m not planning on leaving the couch today)😁

This historical fiction novella takes place on the coast of Ireland during the 1980‘s over an approaching Christmas holiday. Protagonist Bill Furlong has to be one of the finest ‘everyman‘ characters I‘ve read. The story is so moving and beautifully written that it already feels like a classic. As a side note — I did not know about Magdalene Laundries before reading this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There‘s so much that I could say about this little book - it‘s got layers! It takes turns in restoring and shattering your faith in humanity.

I don‘t know a lot about Irish history - but I had heard of the Magdalene Laundries (but a quick spin through the Wikipedia article is pretty 🥹🫨)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Keegan just came on my radar this year, & I am so glad she did! Her slice-of-Irish-life novellas are incredible, somehow feeling like a complete story with fully developed characters in a less than 2 hour audiobook.
I will definitely continue to seek her out.

4.5/5🌟

This poignant and heartfelt book beautifully captures the notion that attending church does not inherently bestow goodness upon an individual. It sheds light on the horrors of the 'Magdalene Laundries' which were run by Catholic nuns. It's remarkable that so much is shared within the brevity of its pages. ❤️❤️

I absolutely loved this short novel. I found myself thinking about the characters between reads. In only 115 pages I was cracked open by the interweaving of the Irish Magdalen laundries, family complexities, and simple humanity. 5 ⭐️

Next up. I‘ve heard so many great things about CK most recent novel. I just finished The Marriage Portrait which was a 4.5 ⭐️read. Maybe even a 5⭐️

It‘s been a long time since I read a book that was so simple, short, and yet incredibly profound and impactful. Revolving around the Magdalene Laundries, this story quietly reflects upon good and bad, kindness, life, and shows us the long-lasting, generational change that kindness and good deeds can have. Beautiful.

I listened to this tiny novella on audio (just 2 hours), and absolutely loved it. It felt a little like a winter fable, and is beautifully done, with a whole lot of heart. What else has she written?

It‘s 1986. A coal merchant, who is doing ok, is preparing for Christmas with his wife and 5 daughters. A mis-timed delivery to the convent leads to an unexpected encounter. Following his conscience could blow his family apart. So… ?

A real gem.

This evening‘s listening. This may be a read-it-in-one-sitting. She‘s good.

Book 74/100 of the year.

Short powerful novella on the dark secrets communities keep, the horrors they collectively let continue. Set in a small Irish town circa 1985, where one man chooses not to turn away from the ugly horrors happening at the hands of the Catholic Church--and really, the commnity-nd instead face them. I'm amazed by Claire Keegan, who puts you right into a community, a scene, tells such a powerful story with so few words. She's a master.

Today was hard due to a myriad of small things. There were good things too. Unexpectedly get a dinner with a book on a Saturday night. Claire Keegan is exactly what I needed and I can‘t wait to dive in. At the super divey Chinese joint in my neighborhood—The Happjness Lounge!

A look at the Irish Magdelan laundries completes the #Booker2022 longlist for me.

The opening to this novella is quiet and mundane. But as story tensions develop, that opening style becomes a sturdy story framework. I got into it and enjoyed it and I had only about 2 hours in which to do that because it‘s really short.

5 ⭐️ This is a short story, yet the number of pages does not diminish the beauty of its prose. Keegan writes w/ conviction, gifting readers a story about the power of kindness & the role of personal values in decision-making. Loosely reminiscent of the Magdalen Laundries, I recommend it for fans of historical fiction who are looking for a book that can be read in a day. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58662236