216:. First he finds a group of deprived-looking young women polishing the floors, one of whom asks for his help getting out to a river to drown herself. On his next delivery, he finds a girl named Sarah locked in an outbuilding, who has been out in the cold all night. When he lets her out, she asks him to find out about her baby, but the
223:
Bill attempts to ignore the convent, as his wife suggests. On a social call to a farmhand, Ned, whom he'd known as a child, he comes to the realisation that Ned is his unknown father. On another visit, the local pub owner warns him not to publicly criticize the convent, since the church is involved
298:
noted, "Keegan's economy of prose is a marvel ... The book takes just an hour or so to read, but you still feel like you know Bill
Furlong by the end and understand why he does what he does. His tale of quiet heroism doesn't require any more words." A similar sentiment was echoed in the
209:. When he was born, his mother was an unmarried teenager, ostracized by her family but permitted to continue working respectably as a maid by her kind-hearted employer. Now a financially independent adult, Bill prepares for the approaching Christmas with his wife and five daughters.
227:
He returns to the convent, where he finds Sarah again locked in the cold. He gives her his coat and walks with her back to his own house, attracting attention from the locals they pass. He reaches his front door both afraid but optimistic that doing the right thing will work out.
40:
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does "not feel quite as devastating, as lasting, as Keegan’s previous work
Perhaps, for the first time in her writing, the lightness here has become too light – is kept too far away from the darkness that lurks at the other side of the town."
305:, who wrote, "Keegan, whose short stories contain unusual depth and grandeur, is the only contemporary writer who could manage the feat of a completely imagined, structured and sustained world with such brevity
260:
March/April 2022 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a 4 out of 5 stars based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "Get two copies," advised the
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338:: "Keegan knows how to weigh and pace her sentences, and her fine judgement delivers many subtle pleasures ... fully exploits the power of understatement."
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interrupts them. She tells Bill that Sarah is mentally ill and has ended up outside by mistake, and distracts Bill with tea and his
Christmas tip.
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Reviewers also highlighted Keegan's writing style. Keegan's prose was referred to as "surprisingly powerful," "languid and crystalline" in
212:
While delivering coal to the local convent, he begins to suspect that their supposed training school for girls is in fact a cruelly abusive
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said the book "assures us we are all capable of doing the right thing, and that goodness, like misery, can be handed on from man to man."
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256:, the book received "rave" reviews based on twenty-one critic reviews with nineteen being "rave" and two being "positive". On
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on 15 February. It will be released in the UK and
Ireland on 1 November 2024, and in the United States on 8 November.
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770:"'Takes the scandal of the Magdalene laundries and tells it so quietly you scarcely want to breathe': book review"
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reported in
February 2023 that shooting locations for the film adaptation of the book were being sought. Actor
558:"'Small Things Like These': Lionsgate Sets Release Dates For Cillian Murphy-Starrer, Drops Official Trailer"
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Multiple reviewers commented on the moral storytelling, which comes across as "a sort of anti-
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822:"Review: Can one good person redeem a nation's shame? A novel explores Ireland's Laundries"
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noted, "Keegan has a keen ear for dialect without letting it overwhelm conversations," and
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952:"'I've no idea how we'll pick a winner': the challenge of a spectacular Booker shortlist"
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stars in the film, with the screenplay written by Murphy's long-time collaborator
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900:"The nuns didn't tell | Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan book review"
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1028:"Cillian Murphy-Starrer 'Small Things Like These' To Open Berlinale 2024"
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was generally well-received by critics and received starred reviews from
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926:"Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan – between happiness and ruin"
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called the book " stunning feat of storytelling and moral clarity."
532:"Irish author Claire Keegan nominated for prestigious Booker Prize"
583:"Book Marks reviews of Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan"
318:, as well as "quiet and precise, jewel-like in its clarity" in
874:"Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan — kindness endures"
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796:"Review: 'Small Things Like These' is a gem of a slim novel"
284:
This depth of the book surprised some reviewers, given that
980:"Cillian Murphy lined up to star in New Ross based film"
478:"Awards: Orwell Book Winners, Mo Siewcharran Longlist"
181:for Political Fiction, and was shortlisted for the
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288:is a quick read that could be considered a
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449:. In January 2024, it was confirmed that
556:Tartaglione, Nancy (17 September 2024).
205:Bill Furlong is a coal merchant in 1985
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455:2024 Berlin International Film Festival
820:Patrick, Bethanne (29 November 2021).
872:House, Christian (12 November 2021).
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639:Matthews, John G. (1 October 2021).
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950:Bari, Shahidha (6 September 2022).
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173:, published on 30 November 2021 by
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1026:Goldbart, Max (18 January 2024).
794:Merrill, Rob (29 November 2021).
534:. TheJournal.ie. 7 September 2022
978:Looby, David (8 February 2023).
924:Ash, Lamorna (22 October 2021).
507:"The Rathbones Folio Prize 2022"
846:Kelly, Bill (1 October 2021).
431:Small Things Like These (film)
264:: "one to keep, one to give".
1:
335:The Times Literary Supplement
177:. In 2022, the book won the
722:(in French). 4 October 2023
224:in all parts of town life.
27:2021 novel by Claire Keegan
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1002:"Small Things Like These"
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511:The Rathbones Folio Prize
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33:Small Things like These
1066:Novels set in the 1980s
451:Small Things Like These
361:Small Things like These
352:Small Things like These
286:Small Things like These
237:Small Things like These
191:a film of the same name
162:Small Things like These
18:Small Things Like These
401:for Political Fiction
359:Awards and honors for
189:. It was adapted into
1071:Novels set in Ireland
453:would be opening the
412:Rathbones Folio Prize
183:Rathbones Folio Prize
197:, released in 2024.
982:. Irish Independent
617:. 15 September 2021
363:
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1061:Historical fiction
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292:given its length.
167:historical fiction
69:Historical fiction
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484:. 15 July 2022
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1032:. Retrieved
1021:
1011:19 September
1009:. Retrieved
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957:The Guardian
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416:Shortlisted
399:Orwell Prize
391:Shortlisted
387:Booker Prize
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963:6 September
592:12 December
538:9 September
516:11 February
342:Lamorna Ash
175:Grove Press
90:Grove Press
75:Set in
1050:Categories
1034:18 January
1030:. Deadline
986:9 February
720:Bibliosurf
700:14 January
675:16 January
670:Book Marks
587:Book Marks
461:References
447:Enda Walsh
425:Adaptation
278:The Herald
254:Book Marks
153:1271995923
726:4 October
695:Bookmarks
332:wrote in
258:Bookmarks
232:Reception
193:starring
169:novel by
86:Publisher
852:Booklist
562:Deadline
315:Booklist
201:Synopsis
185:and the
57:Language
935:16 July
909:16 July
883:16 July
857:16 July
831:16 July
805:16 July
800:AP NEWS
779:16 July
753:16 July
650:16 July
621:16 July
488:16 July
373:Result
290:novella
80:Ireland
60:English
370:Award
273:Kirkus
122:Awards
78:1980s
47:Author
383:2022
367:Year
165:is a
114:Pages
109:Print
65:Genre
1036:2024
1013:2024
1006:IMDb
988:2023
965:2022
937:2022
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435:The
404:Won
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245:and
147:OCLC
133:ISBN
904:TLS
271:."
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
