Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (I've Read Something #48; BookerLonglist2022)

[@mame-musing]

Great review. Keegan’s writing is very economical and fluid. I look forward to reading “Foster”. I have seen documentaries and articles on the despicable Magdalene laundries years prior to reading “These Small Things”. Due to it’s brevity I would be very surprised if it won the Booker.

[@girlsaint]

Thanks for an incredible review!

[@Rainierbooks]

Thank you so much for watching! It is a little ("small") but great book.

[@beatingaroundthebooks]

Great review! I learned about the Magdalene Laundries in a book I found in a holiday rental, Philomena. That one was describing events decades earlier, so I always thought this was longer in the past. It was a real shock when a few years ago I learned of a friend whose family was affected by this around the year of my birth, 1987! 😱 Brings it much closer to home, just like you mentioned about your daughter's birth year. I saw a short documentary about the fate of some of the children left to the "care" of these convents, which was quite harrowing, too. Lots of deaths due to "failure to thrive" as was documented in their books, neglect really. It included an interview with an adult survivor who was trying to shed light on what has been swept under the rug by the convents. Overall I liked Small Things Like These, but I don't quite get what it's doing on the Booker longlist. Will go ahead and listen to Foster at some point though, possibly for #ShortySeptember

[@scarba]

Schöne Grüße aus Rheinland Pfalz Rainer. Your English is so amazing. I’m a Scottish immigrant to Germany 🇩🇪

[@Rainierbooks]

Oh, danke sehr! Schottland ist wunderschön. Ich habe nur Glasgow und Edinburgh besucht (2019), hat mir aber gut gefallen, supernette Leute.

[@scarba]

@@Rainierbookshoffentlich schaffst du es die Highlands zu besuchen. Es lohnt sich.

[@kimswhims8435]

I just finished Foster by Claire Keegan after borrowing it from the local library. Have to say I'm impressed. Trying to decide if I'll buy Small Things Like These, it's not yet available at the library? The Booker has a quiz on their page and it matched me with that book, so that's another thing in it's favour. I'm really trying not to purchase more books at the moment, decisions, decisions.

[@taaptee]

"just a couple of years ago for me" oh wow

[@pjreads]

I think she only wrote half the story without addressing the consequences of the main character's actions, especially the consequences for his wife and daughters who have no voice in his decisions.